What's the Most Fortean Country?

[lopaka]

What's the most feortean country?

Yeah, yeah, since I've not seen anything remotely resembling a consensus here about what constitutes "fortean"* the list is fairly arbitrary and completely my own. Though I've tried to include one from each (non-antartic) continent.

*(Heck, I've not even seen agreement at times on what constitutes a "country". Whatever.)

Vote for your own if you like, but do consider others.

EDIT: Criminy. can a mod PLEASE change the spelling in the title to "fortean"?

 

[stu neville]

Done .

 

[Beakmoo]

I voted "other", but not just to be annoying, I think Ireland is a good contender for the top prize, as is Iceland. The spelling is almost the same, surely no coincidence? :sceptic:

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

I voted "other", but not just to be annoying, I think Ireland is a good contender for the top prize, as is Iceland. The spelling is almost the same, surely no coincidence? :sceptic:

Apart from the leprecauns, Jimmy Cricket and Magnus Magnussen ....er could you elaborate on those choices?

 

[KeyserXSoze]

I say China, if you include Tibet (whether Tibet should be part of China is a whole other topic of conversation).

 

[Anome]

OK, I couldn't help it. I voted for Australia. Even though I don't really think it's any more or less Fortean than any other country.

Which I suppose I should have voted for the last option.

 

[Beakmoo]

Apart from the leprecauns, Jimmy Cricket and Magnus Magnussen ....er could you elaborate on those choices?

Ireland has all sorts of creatures like banshees and the little people, as does Iceland. They even build roads around pixie infested places there, so as not to disturb them.
I just wanted to put a word in for my country of origin though to tell the truth. And I quite like Bjork.

 

[lopaka]

I voted "other", but not just to be annoying, I think Ireland is a good contender for the top prize, as is Iceland. The spelling is almost the same, surely no coincidence? :sceptic:

Oh, no annoyance at all. They're both good candidates. Actually, IMVHO, whayt the isn't-a-coincidence part is that they're both islands. Islands are freak magnets. Or if you/the universe isn't that way when you arrive, it turns things weird over tiome. (Remember, I grew up on an island, so I'm not completely casting aspersions here!). Ireland, Iceland, Britain, Hawai'i, New Guinea, Easter Island, Madagascar, Tasmania, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Crete....Weirdness Central.

 

[Anonymous]

Should have said British Isles instead of UK - that'd have got over the Ireland problem

 

[Kondoru]

They all are in their own way.

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

How are you defining "most Fortean" ? Perhaps Which country has the highest share of alledged ghosts, UFo sightings, ancient and modern mysticism, big wild cats etc. per square mile I would probably guess the UK.



The USA , etc are big in comparison by population or land size so a lot can happen anyway - USA certainly tops for Conspracy theories.

 

[lopaka]

Well, one reason I put this in 'Chat' originally (since been moved, which is fine) is because of the inherent subjectiveness, eye-of-the-beholder, unanswerability of the question. Penis-snatching panics or widespread and sincere belief that touching a certain tree will make a woman fertile is as strange to my eye as any number of "so commonplace-i-hardly-notice" things about the US.

It was part in fun, part to stimulate discussion, rather than attempt to quantify or measure anything. I not-very-well attempted to have that inferred by a couple of things in the original post, including the last option in the poll. Sorry.

(Though my second post is definitely a pet theory of mine...there's a mental state to being on an island, wherever it is, that produces/induces, um, curious effects on people and even the very fabric of reality.)

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

Sorry lopaka, didn't mean that specifically to you, I agree , it is probably quite subjective.It's just that people who post may have their own criteria and define it diffferently. I guess there are places like Tibet where the "weirdness" is so pervasive it's part of the culture and act a magnet for those seeking that "something". I'm still not clear what might make Iceland a candidate.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

I went for India - the melting pot of different religions has resulted in a rich folklore of demons and monsters and dense populations in cities means that outbreaks of various supernatural attacks are common (and often very odd). They also have ancient civilisations into which much has been read, etc., etc.

I'm not sure we really need to try and strictly define criteria - I don't think anyone is expecting anything concrete to emerge from this. Its just for fun

 

[marslight]

fortean countries

I voted for North Korea. Any country where the people rush back into their burning houses (recent gigantic explosion near the Chinese border) to rescue portraits of their "Dear Leader", Kim-Il-whatever the hell his name is, has got to rate up there on the fortometer.

Wait! Wait! Change of mind. I should have voted for Turkmenistan, where the Grand Poobah wants to build ice palaces in the middle of the desert, and tests for drivers' licenses require the applicant to understand the Poobah's philosophical thoughts.

 

[sunsplash1]

I voted for Iceland. Strage name, weird culture, amazing spoken language, strange beliefs, complex mythology & nice landscapes, although apparently quite cold...

Almost voted for Australia, but on reflection Oz -my homeland- is just plain weird and not neccesarily fortean, Unless you live near O'Sullivan's beach, South Australia which is a haven for Ufo's, alien visitations of one sort or t'other, dolphins mucking about in the water and tiny left-handers...

UFO-ness, being only one aspect of forteanity -admittedly.

Quite like Bjork also...

 

[carole]

All the countries mentioned in the polls are fortean in different ways.

America - so many conspiracies, and, well, Dubya, a fortean phenomenon in his own right . .

India, mysticism, gods with more than their fair share of arms . . .

UK, supposedly the most haunted country in the world, stonehenge and other stone circles . . .

and so on.

Carole

 

[river_styx]

I vote for Russia. Cannibalism in mass metropolitan areas not to mention the KGB, Anastasia and Baba Yaga.
Also am I right in thinking it has never been successfully invaded by a foreign force?

 

[Anome]

Nah. Genghis Khan did it.

I think the Mongols may have done it twice, actually.

 

[James_H]

Uk, famously haunted.

 

[Min Bannister]

I voted Peru though I really have the whole of South America in mind. Not only is it stuffed full of mystery from yesteryear but it is still full of mystery today.