Magonia Main Page
Magonia 01
The Ethical Ufologist
Berthold E. Schwarz From Magonia 1, Autumn 1979 How can the UFO researcher be more responsive to the variegated data that is often associated with UFO experiences? How can he best discharge his responsibilities to the witness, himself and to his colleagues? Publish reports? Presentations at symposia and open meetings? Newsletters or private means? How does the witness balance the need to protect the anonymity and confidence of the UFO witness (contactee) with the need to publish all the relevant data about the experience? Read More
Lo! He Comes in Clouds Descending
John Fletcher From Magonia 1, Autumn 1979
Millenarianism, the active looking forward and expectation of the imminent end of the world is an extremely common human outlook. We tend to associate it solely with Christian belief, where it is enshrined most spectacularly in the Book of Revelation. The outlook, though unacknowledged, is equally held by agnostics and atheists – it is a constant in human nature. Read More
Magonia 02
Using UFO Text Motifs
John Hind Magonia 2, Winter 1979-1980
In this paper an attempt is made to adapt, extend and formalise techniques developed in the scientific study of folk tales to the study of high-information UFO texts. The first part of the paper introduces the concept of the motif, and suggests a formal technique for the comparison of the motif content of UFO account texts. In the second part of the paper, a standard for a motif-based catalogue of UFO accounts Textcat is proposed. Read More
Shadowland of Ufology
Nigel Watson Magonia 2, Winter 1979/80 and Magonia 3, Summer 1980.
Speculation on their extraterrestrial origin has, from the outset of our modern perception of the phenomenon, dominated our thinking about UFOs. Traditionally, ufologists have recorded reports of lights in the sky, daylight discs and a whole range of close-encounter cases under the presumption that UFOs are extraterrestrial spacecraft. This has meant that UFO investigations have concentrated on the alleged physical attributes of the UFOs. Read More
