There have been numerous ancient or medieval paintings that are alleged to represent or depict a UFO sighting. They are usually found in the most unlikely places because these medieval works of art represent religious divinities such as that of the Roman Catholic Church. It is therefore mind-boggling to think that what we think we know is right, might be wrong. Advanced technology from alleged extraterrestrials making themselves known in our ancient world is in itself fascinating to ponder. Such contrasts would lead one to wonder why they are painted there, how they were seen in the eyes of a medieval man, and more importantly, what hidden truths, if there are, do we need to unveil?
In recent times and the with the advancement of technology, modern man still has yet to learn the mysteries of the universe. So how can one explain the celestial phenomenon that occurred over Nuremberg, Germany in the year 1561?
More than 455 years ago, on April 14, 1561, between 4-5am, residents of the city saw what appeared to be an “aerial battle” of spheres, cylindrical objects, crosses and curious shapes such as crescents over the sky of Nuremberg. A broadsheet of the event which was engraved by Hans Glaser describes in illustration and text the celestial phenomena.
The following are excerpts of the broadsheet:
“…a dreadful apparition occurred on the sun, and then this was seen in Nuremberg in the city… At first there appeared in the middle of the sun two blood-red semi-circular arcs, just like the moon in its last quarter. And in the sun, above and below and on both sides, the color was blood, there stood a round ball of partly dull, partly black ferrous color.”
“there stood on both sides and as a torus about the sun such blood-red ones and other balls in large number, about three in a line and four in a square, also some alone. In between these globes there were visible a few blood-red crosses, between which there were blood-red strips, becoming thicker to the rear and in the front malleable like the rods of reed-grass, which were intermingled, among them two big rods, one on the right, the other to the left, and within the small and big rods there were three, also four and more globes.”
“These all started to fight among themselves…”
“Besides the globes flew back and forth among themselves and fought vehemently with each other for over an hour. And when the conflict in and again out of the sun was most intense, they became fatigued to such an extent that they all, as said above, fell from the sun down upon the earth ‘as if they all burned’ and they then wasted away on the earth with immense smoke.”
“. Whatever such signs mean, God alone knows.”
To the modern human, globes flying back and forth and fighting each other and falling from the sky and crashing into the ground with immense smoke is like a scene from a Science fiction movie that are taking over the big screens as of late. Our generation has yet to master the physics of a flying saucer. Globes flying in the sky even in our era is still in itself an unknown mystery although there have been so called “Scientific” or logical explanations as to their existence. But even skeptics cannot disprove such a mystery that has been teasing the human mind for not just in the latest century, but apparently, and possibly, for more than 5 centuries.
In the medieval era, it must have been a miraculous yet scary event that medieval man claims “Only God knows.” In fact, the broadsheet translation doesn’t end there. Glaser noted in the last portions of the text, “Although we have seen, shortly one after another, many kinds of signs on the heaven, which are sent to us by the almighty God, to bring us to repentance, we still are, unfortunately, so ungrateful that we despise such high signs and miracles of God. Or we speak of them with ridicule and discard them to the wind, in order that God may send us a frightening punishment on account of our ungratefulness.”
According to an article by The Epoch Times, this statement by Glaser was a form of skepticism of the events that happened in Nuremberg. And that “modern skeptics” claim that the account is symbolic and should not be taken literally. So what is the phenomenon supposed to be? According to the same article, the account didn’t describe a paranormal phenomenon, but a solar phenomenon. It could have been a sundog.
When one compares the picture of a sundog to the illustration and description in the broadsheet, there may be shapes and colors that resemble each other. The ferrous color described in the account is also characteristic of sundogs where a reddish tint can be seen. According to Kim Ann Zimmermann in her LiveScience article, Sundogs: Spots of Color Beside the Sun , sundogs often appear during a very cold weather and during the months of January, April, August and October. Sundogs however do not randomly move about the sky and aren’t visible in huge numbers. They make no noise and are in essence only light refracting through ice crystals in our atmosphere that provide a prismatic effect to observers on the ground. Sundogs do not fall from the sky and usually last short periods of time. Now, it is important to note that the Nuremberg phenomenon of 1561 happened in the month of April. Was medieval man unfamiliar with this solar phenomenon that such an event was of much importance that they documented it in a woodcut?
Is it possible then that it was a solar phenomenon and nothing else? But who can explain the crashing sounds and immense smoke which was also mentioned in the account? And what about the globes flying and fighting each other? Was it all a trick in the eye and was it all just imaginary? And was the account valid in the first place? For why would Glaser take the pains to make his broadsheet?
We may never know. For even in our day and age, we haven’t yet uncovered the mysteries of our Earth, let alone a Celestial event that may have happened more than 455 years ago.
1561 Celestial Phenomenon over Nuremberg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1561_celestial_phenomenon_over_Nuremberg
Medieval Woodcut Shows UFO Battle Over Nuremberg Germany, 1561? By Tara MacIsaac, Epoch Times
June 14, 2014 3:04 pm Last Updated: March 29, 2015 9:11 pm
The Mysterious Nuremberg Event By John Black, May 9, 2013, 16:06
http://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mysterious-nuremberg-event-00428
