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ALSACAT:

ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

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Case of Ingersheim, in the 1800's:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1800-00-00-INGERSHEIM-1

Summary:

Some ufologists believe that "UFOs" and other "alien beings" are "real appearances" but not extraterrestrials, to be classified with the appearances of fairies, ghosts, etc., and other "paranormal" phenomena; others believe for various reasons that the "non-UFO" stories of the folklore have something to tell us about the UFO question.

Thus an article by Frédéric Dumerchat in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit #237-238 of April 1984, tells us from a secon hand source, a story which had in fact been collected by the famous Alsatian folklorist Auguste Stoeber (1808-1884) in 1852 [asr2]:

Between the Fecht and Ingersheim, at dusk, one saw a young white girl by the stream. A village child, who ignored this, suddenly saw her walking lightly a few steps away from him. He called out to her to help him find his ducks he had lost. She turned away. He went to find his brother. They saw her sitting in the grass. "As soon as they got too close to her, she got up, quickly crossed the footbridge of the valve and disappeared into the vines. After a while she reappeared, a white veil on her head and her hands crossed over her chest."

Again she didn't answer his questions. She walked up to him, he threw a stone over her head, she disappeared "into the ground" and they heard her voice lamenting.

"According to the children, the young white girl advanced in successive leaps, or rather, lifting herself at a certain height above the ground."

A young girl passing the bridge was punched in the face by this white lady, because she had not said goodnight to her. Then she gave her a message, which she never revealed, and asked her to come back the next day. She returned there with her mother, on their knees they prayed, but nothing came. Subsequently this young girl was seized with terror when she saw somehting of white color.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date: The 1800's.
Time: Dusk.
Duration: ?
First known report date:
Reporting delay:

Geographical data:

Department: Haut-Rhin
City: Ingersheim
Place: On the edge of the La Fecht brook.
Latitude: 48.096
Longitude: 7.307
Uncertainty radius: 5 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses: 3
Number of known witnesses: ?
Number of named witnesses: 0
Witness(es) ages: Young, children.
Witness(es) types: Young, children.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel: Folklorist Auguste Stoeber.
Type of location: Outside, edge of brook.
Visibility conditions: ?
UFO observed: No
UFO arrival observed: N/A
UFO departure observed: N/A
Entities: Yes
Photographs: N/A.
Sketch(s) by witness(es): No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): No.
Witness(es) feelings: Varied.
Witnesses interpretation: A young woman.

Classifications:

Hynek: CE3
ALSACAT: Legend, not UFO-related.

Sources:

[Ref. asr2:] AUGUSTE STOEBER:

Scan.

Das weiße Mädchen an der Fecht.

1. Auf dem Allmendrain zwischen der Fecht und dem Mühlwasser von Ingersheim sieht man oft schon in der Dämmerstunde ein weißes Mädchen im Grase und am Ufer des Baches spielen.

Ein Kind aus dem Dorfe, welches nichts von dieser Erscheinung wußte, sollte eines abends Enten, die sich am Bache verspätigt hatten, nach Hause treiben und sah plößlich das weiße Mädchen immer einige Schritte vor ihm herhüpfen.

Das Kind rief es an: "Komm, hilf mir die Enten suchen!"

Das weiße Mädchen wandte sich aber um und gab keine Antwort. Da das Kind die Enten nicht finden konnte, lief es nach Hause und brachte seinen ältern Bruder mit, um ihm suchen zu helfen. Beide sahen das weiße Mädchen im Grase sitzen. So-

Scan.

bald sie ihm zu nahe kamen, sprang es auf, hüpfte über das Brückchen beim Stellbrett und verlor sich in den Reben. Nach einigen Augenblicken huschte es aber wieder hervor, hatte einen weißen Schleier über dem Kopfe und faltete die Hände über der Brust.

Nun wollte der Knabe sich ihm nähern und rief ihm zu: "Wem gehörst du denn, Maidel? Geh' doch heim, 's hat ja schon Nachtglock geläutet."

Da er aber keine Antwort erhielt, und das Mädchen, seiner gleichsam spottend, vorwärts hüpfte, nahm er einen Stein und warf nach ihm, allein derselbe flog in einem Bogen über seinen Kopf weg. und alsobald verschwand das Mädchen im Boden, und zweimal hörten die Geschwister an demselben Plage mit heller Stimme "Gäll! Gäll!" rufen. Der Stein hatte aber eine der am Graben schlafenden Entengetroffen, welche nun flügelschlagend und schnatternd heimwärts eilten.

Nach der Aussage der Kinder hüpfte oder schwebte vielmehr in kurzen Säßen das weiße Mädchen immer eine Strecke weit über der Erde hin.

English translation:

The white girl at the Fecht.

1. On the Allmendrain between the Fecht and the Mühlwasser of Ingersheim, a white girl can often be seen playing in the grass and by the stream at dusk.

A village kid, who knew nothing about this phenomenon, had to bring home some ducks who were late at the stream one evening and suddenly saw the white girl jump a few steps in front of him.

The child shouted: "Come on, help me look for the ducks!"

But the white girl turned around and didn't answer. Unable to find the ducks, the child ran home and brought his older brother to help him look for them. Both saw the young white girl sitting in the grass.

As soon as they got too close, she would get up, jump over the small bridge near the plank and get lost in the vines. But after a few moments, she came running out, wearing a white veil on her head and clasping her hands on her chest.

Now the boy wanted to approach her and shouted: "Who do you belong to, kid? Go home, the night bell has already rung."

But when he received no answer, and the girl, as if mocking him, jumped forward, he took a stone and threw it at her, but it flew in an arc over his head, and immediately the girl disappeared into the ground, and twice the brothers heard the call in a clear voice, "Gäll! Gäll!" ["Here! Here"]. But the stone had hit one of the ducks sleeping by the ditch, which was now hurrying home, flapping its wings and quacking.

According to the children, the white girl was still hopping or floating in small jumps at a distance well above the ground.

Scan.

2. Ein andermal, zur Abendzeit, ging ein Mädchen über die große Fechtbrücke, wo's auch sonst nicht geheuer ist; da kam das weiße Mädchen an ihm vorüber, schlug ihm ins Gesicht und seufzte: "Ach, warum hast du mir nicht Gut Nacht gewünscht?" Darauf hat es ihm noch etwas gesagt, das aber das Mädchen ums Leben Niemanden anvertrauen will, und hat es gebeten, den folgenden Abend wieder zu kommen. Die Mutter, eine beherzte Frau, ging mit ihm. Als sie an der Stelle angekommen waren, wo sich die Erscheinung des vorigen Tages gezeigt hatte, fielen sie nieder und beteten drei Vaterunser und drei Ave Maria; es kam aber nichts. Allein von dieser Zeit konnte das Mädchen nichts Weißes mehr anblicken, ohne in Furcht zu geraten und manchmal selbst die heftigsten Zuckungen zu bekommen.

English translation:

2. Another time, in the evening, a girl crossed the big Fecht bridge, where it is not safe either; then the white girl walked past her, slapped her and sighed, "Oh, why didn't you wish me goodnight?" Then she said something to her, so that the girl shouldn't tell anyone and she asked her to come back the next evening. The mother, a courageous woman, accompanied her. Arrived at the place where the apparition of the previous day had taken place, they knelt and said three Holy Fathers and three Hail Marys; but nothing happened. From that moment only, the girl could no longer look at anything white without being frightened and sometimes convulsing violently.

[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

Scan.

Between the Fecht and Ingersheim (Haut-Rhin) (70), at dusk, one saw a young white girl by the stream. A village child, who ignored this, suddenly saw her walking lightly a few steps away from him. He called out to her to help him find his ducks he had lost. She turned away. He went to find his brother. They saw her sitting in the grass. "As soon as they got too close to her, she got up, quickly crossed the footbridge of the valve and disappeared into the vines. After a while she reappeared, a white veil on her head and her hands crossed over her chest."

Again she didn't answer his questions. She walked up to him, he threw a stone over her head, she disappeared "into the ground" and they heard her voice lamenting.

"According to the children, the young white girl advanced in successive leaps, or rather, lifting herself at a certain height above the ground."

A young girl passing the bridge was punched in the face by this white lady, because she had not said goodnight to her. Then she gave her a message, which she never revealed, and asked her to come back the next day. She returned there with her mother, on their knees they prayed, but nothing came. Subsequently this young girl was seized with terror when she saw somehting of white color (71).

The notes are detailed as: "(70) County of Kaysersberg" and "(71) Variot, t.II, p. 268-270."

Discussion:

Map.

Ufologists cite such stories with very different motivations:

For me, this is purely a "story", a legend, without any real basis, or at best a very, very distorted one; and which tells us absolutely nothing solid about UFO sighting reports.

I think it suffices to see that such legends are "varied" in the extreme, by no means limited to "appearances" of beings more or less supernatural, and that it is only by "filtering out" these vers varied stories to retain only those which go in the direction of the defended thesis, that some think they demonstrate one or the other of the theses which I described above.

I see no objection at looking at folklore from a UFO perspective, on the contrary, but I have serious objections to the conclusions drawn from it. Such accounts have not been "verified", they are rumors at best, their "collectors", such as Auguste Stober had absolutely no concern of establishing any "veracity" of the stories.

I readily agree that a UFO sighting in the past would be interpreted very differently than the "modern" interpretation, but the modern demand for credibility must still apply. I subscribe very well to the idea that "one always told stories"; but I do not subscribe to the idea that this is sufficient to solve the issue of UFO sighting reports.

Evaluation:

Legend, not UFO-related.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author: Patrick Gross
Contributors: None
Reviewers: None
Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version: Create/changed by: Date: Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross June 4, 2021 Creation, [ldl1].
1.0 Patrick Gross June 4, 2021 First published.
1.1 Patrick Gross February 19, 2023 Addition [asr2].

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This page was last updated on February 19, 2023.