“ Things were not so simple, though, when serious research was undertaken to uncover the real history of the phenomenon. The American press may have invented modern flying saucers, but there were historical analogues to the observations reported in the States. Isolated, marginal researchers like Charles Fort in New York had uncovered anomalous sightings by astronomers in records dating back to the 19th century; stories of celestial wonders could be found in the archives of medieval writers and even those of the Roman historians. ”

“ To summarize, then: the book you are about to read is an effort to provide systematic documentation and literary illustration of modern folklore in the perspective of ancient myths and traditional legendary material. ”

“ It is common belief that the term "flying saucer" was "made in America." ... Well, yes. But a farmer from Texas described a dark flying object as a "large saucer" as early as January, 1878... ”

“ The Japanese peasants had the disagreeable tendency to interpret the "signs from heaven" as strong indications that their revolts and demands against the feudal system or against foreign invaders were just, and as assurance that their rebellions would be crowned with success... For instance, on September 12, 1271, the famous priest Nichiren was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, Kamakura, when there appeared in the sky an object like a full moon, shiny and bright. Needless to say the officials panicked and the execution was not carried out. ”

“ What matters here is the link between certain unusual phenomena - observed or imagined - and the alternation of the witnesses' behavior. In other words, these accounts show that it is possible to affect the lives of many people by showing them displays that are beyond their comprehension, or by convincing them that they have observed such phenomena, or by keeping alive the belief that their destiny is somehow controlled by occult forces. ”

“ That there is the strange beings' peculiarly insistent desire to get hold of terrestrial objects: flora and fauna. The stories quoted in this connection verge on the ludicrous. But to pursue the investigation further leads to horror. This is a facet of the phenomenon we can no longer ignore...

To the well-known question that figures in almost every UFO questionnaire, "How was your attention called to the object?", one frequently finds the answer: "My dogs seemed terrified." "There was a commotion among the cattle." "All the dogs in the neighborhood started acting madly." ”

“ In any case, it is important to understand what need these images fulfill, why this knowledge is both so exciting and so distressing to us. Such is the subject of this book. ”