Wings of a Dove
2010-04-18 07:12:26 UTC
Luke.11
[34] The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is
evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
Eph.6
[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Glowing Red Eyes
(October 2007)
Science tells us that nocturnal animals don’t have self-luminous eyes.
They often have eyes that are reflective, in order to help them see in
the dark, but they don’t glow. So the premise of this article is that
seeing glowing red eyes on an out-of-place, or highly weird animal, or
entity, is most likely a sign of it being something paranormal. Some
researchers also marry up sightings of such creatures with UFO events,
but I’m not totally convinced about that idea - yet!
What I’m going to do in this article is to give some examples of the
various types of sightings that have been catalogued, and then take a
look at what might lie behind them.
Black Dogs, Shuck, Shug-Monkey
One of the most well known creatures to have been reported as having
glowing red eyes occurs in the Black Dog tales. So I’ll start with
those.
These Black Dogs have appeared right across the UK, in much of Europe,
and in the USA and Canada. It is, naturally, known by different names
in different parts of the UK, and so a list of some of those names
might be helpful:
East Anglia
Black Shuck, Old Shock, Shucky Dog, Shug Monkey, Shug Monster
Isle of Man
“Moddey Dhoo,” meaning Black Dog - pronounced as “Mauther Thoo” in
Manx
Jersey
Le Tchan de Bouôlé
Lancashire
Guytrash, Skriker, Trash
Leicestershire
Shag Dog
Lincolnshire
Hairy Jack
Midlands
Hooter
Norfolk
Black Shuck, Old Shuck, or just Shuck
Scotland
In Gaelic it is known as “Choin Dubh,” “Cu Sith,” or fairy dog. The
last name is more common, and its colour is normally green, although
sometimes it can be white. Another local name is the Muckle Black Tyke
Somerset
Gurt Dog or Great Dog
Staffordshire
Padfoot
Suffolk
Gallytrot, Galley Trot, Moddey Dhoe, Scarfe
Wales
Gwyllgi, meaning dog of darkness
Warwickshire
Hooter
Yorkshire
Barghaist, Barghest, Barguest, Barn-ghaist, Skriker
Their description is said to be that of a very large dog, far larger
than any normal dog, which is usually black in colour, although they
have been seen as grey, white, and yellow. The coat is normally
shaggy, but sometimes said to be smooth, bristly, and gleaming, the
mouth to be slavering, with fetid breath and fangs for teeth.
Sometimes a grinning expression has been noted, and the sound of
growling, barking, or even speaking, laughing or screaming. There are
also a few rare sightings of two-headed, or even totally headless,
dogs. And, naturally, they mostly have glowing red eyes. Usually they
vanish into thin air, sink into the ground, or disappear with a flash
or an explosion, and there have also been some reports of them shape-
shifting.
Mostly these Black Dogs are seen on roads, lanes, footpaths, at
crossroads, in fields, hedges, gateways, corridors, staircases,
churchyards, barrows, ancient track-ways and prehistoric earthworks,
graves, gallows, and bridges. They seem to be particularly seen near
bridges over rivers and streams, wells, trees next to water, ponds,
and even near the sea.
Some believe that they may follow Ley Lines, Corpse Ways, and Spirit
Paths, thus giving them the ability to appear and disappear at will
along their various points, for example where these lines are thought
to cross. Others believe that they may materialize and dematerialise
due to environmental factors, such as electromagnetic and/or
geomagnetic points along Ley Lines.
During the middle ages, in a church at Bungay, Essex, a Black Dog with
red glowing eyes was said to have appeared during a service. It then
proceeded to kill two people. This event is said to have happened
during a severe thunderstorm. And having taken place in East Anglia
many local people would call such an entity the Shug Monkey.
In Tring, Hertfordshire, back in the 19th Century there is a report in
which two men passing a gibbet on their way home one dark night saw a
Black Dog. Whilst riding past the gibbet they saw what looked like a
flame of fire, and on stopping their horses a massive Black Dog
appeared. It looked emaciated, with a shaggy coat, long ears, and
glowing red eyes. They said that it displayed a grinning expression,
and within a few minutes it sank back into the ground.
This next beast has often been seen in Rendlesham Forest, in the same
place that the famous UFO event happened. But it was also seen many
years, even centuries, earlier, and it is still being seen up to
present day. Most of the Black Dog descriptions from this area tell of
it being very large, up to ten feet long, and looking like a cross
between a mastiff and a great ape. Some accounts say that it has a
large neck, broad nostrils, massive jaws, and four legs with large
claws protruding from its paws. The fur is black and sleek, and it has
a long powerful tail. It reminded one observer of a “large male
silverback gorilla” – a combination of ape, dog, lion, and rhinoceros.
Another couple who encountered it said that, while they thought it was
a dog, its body was far more feline in nature. During their encounter
it vanished instantaneously, but a few seconds later reappeared and
then flickered on and off a few times before finally disappearing;
after which the air was filled with the strange smell of what they
said reminded them of “burning metal.” This region of the UK is also
home to a whole plethora of phantom big cats and ape-like creatures.
On Exmoor, in Somerset, there has long been a tale of what the locals
call a Devil Dog. This beast disappears very slowly, leaving just a
pair of glowing red eyes.
Meanwhile in Lothian, Scotland, there is a story of a Black Dog that
appeared and disappeared. It was said to have been accompanied by a
high-pitched screeching sound and, as we’ve come to expect, it had
glowing red eyes.
Over on the Isle of Mann a legendary Black Dog is said to roam around
the lonely roads. The animal is considered to be a herald of
misfortune and death, and its appearance is often linked to electrical
storms, and even to the lights of UFOs. Naturally, this one too has
glowing red eyes.
And, from Ireland comes a report of an event that occurs around
Halloween. It is a tale about a wooded hollow, in the county of
Munster, that changes into a thick forest. After which it becomes
populated with demonic creatures, some of whom are dogs with glowing
red eyes. However, this may be just a Halloween story.
As well as Black Dogs, large cats are sometimes seen. For example, in
1985 a large cat was believed to be roaming the forest around
Thetford, Norfolk. Now, that might not be unusual as many large cats
are thought to be on the loose in the UK, but this one had glowing red
eyes.
Giant Birds
Other famous sighting reports are those that concern giant birds, such
as the famous USA Mothman, so here are a few examples of what’s
reported to have been seen.
If you’re a regular reader of my intermittent articles you’ll already
know that I’ve written about the Cornish Owlman of Mawnan Smith. And
if not, then you can read it here:
http://kithraskrystalkave.org.uk/cryptids.htm
But, of course, the UK doesn’t seem to have very many “Winged
Weirdies” so the ones I’m going to mention come from much further
away.
The first two cases are celebrated reports from the USA. The Mothman
event is very well documented on the Internet, and in many books. The
best of which, in my opinion, is John Keel’s The Mothman Prophecies –
although I wasn’t that impressed with the film version of the book.
John Keel also mentions The Mothman in another of his books: The
Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings. Keel himself investigated many of
these curious sightings, and tells us that in nearly all of them the
“most outstanding feature seemed to be its glowing red eyes.” He goes
on to state that: “Self-luminous eyes usually suggest a paraphysical
entity rather than a real animal. About half of the witnesses appeared
to be people with latent or active psychic abilities, prone to having
accurate premonitions, prophetic dreams, extra-sensory perception
(ESP), etc.” And he notes that, although few of the witnesses could
describe what The Mothman’s face looked like, they were all far more
frightened of those glowing red eyes than by the size of the entity
itself.
Keel goes on to tell us that a similar creature was also occasionally
seen during 1968/69 when there was a greatly under reported UFO flap
in both the northeast of the USA and in Canada. In some of the
Canadian reports UFOs were said to have actually landed, and “little
men” had been seen. Interestingly, back in Point Pleasant, West
Virginia, on the same night that one of those UFO flap events
happened, there were over 500 reports of weird sightings. Most of
those were of UFOs, and one teenager said that he’d also seen a
creature in the TNT Area that was around six feet tall, and that it
had red eyes. Other people also reported seeing similar beings in the
same locale.
Another red-eyed monster can also be found in West Virginia, this time
in Flatwoods. Again the story is very well known, and can be found all
over the Internet. The Flatwoods Monster event happened in the latter
part of 1952 when a burning UFO reportedly crashed. The sighting of a
monster with glowing red eyes followed this.
Elsewhere in the USA a strange creature that some call Batsquatch
comes from Mount St. Helens. Apparently is has leathery wings, purple
skin, and blood-red eyes, with a head that resembles a cross between
an ape and a bat.
And from Ohio comes a report of a two-legged entity with a very large
head. This one was described as being about seven feet tall, with the
head larger than the body, a fetid smell and, once again, very large
red eyes. This is another tale in which the creature is said to have
emitted a strident scream.
Of course, we can’t leave the USA without mentioning Thunderbird.
There have been numerous sightings of these birds from around the
country, so here are just a few of them.
Back in 1673 a missionary was exploring the Mississippi River, in
Illinois, when he came across what he believed to be the Devil. What
he found were such lifelike petroglyphs that they truly frightened
him. The drawings were of a creature with deer-like horns, a hideous
expression, a man-like face, a scaly body with a very long posterior
appendage that ended in a fish’s tail, and red eyes. The local Native
American Indians called it Piasa – meaning the bird that devours men.
Their legend is very ancient, and it tells of what is now called a
Thunderbird. The bird swoops down with a thundering sound, and a rush
of wind, and carries people away. Many tribes have these Thunderbird
myths, and numerous petroglyphs of them were found along the
Mississippi.
At the beginning of January 1976 a bird was seen in the Rio Grande
Valley that was described as being five feet tall, with a gorilla like
face. It was black, hairless, had a six-inch long beak, and big red
eyes. It seems that its wing-beats sounded like those of a bat, and it
made a noisy, piercing, sound. Witnesses say that its face looked
quite horrific, the eyes having an evil look to them, and also that
other animals behaved oddly when the creature was in the area.
At the other end of the country there is a legend, from New England,
about a huge bird-like creature, with glowing red eyes, that would
carry off animals and people. The Native American Indian tribes of
that area also tell the same tale. In many of these instances it was
said that the bird was documented without flapping its wings. And that
happened only when the glowing red eyes were seen.
Bringing the legend up to date, back in Illinois during 1977, there
was a story of a ten-year old boy being taken by a giant bird while he
was outside playing. Apparently he was carried for a distance of 35
feet, and a second bird also joined the fray when his mother ran out
to help him. There were six witnesses to this event, and they
described the birds as being very similar to giant condors. So
perhaps, in that instance, it was a case of mistaken identity.
Bigfoot, Yeti, Yowie, Man-Monkey
There are reports of what in the US are called Bigfoot, although it
has other names in other countries. So here are some of those
accounts.
In John Keel’s book The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings he also
lists some of these strange beings.
One of the mentions he makes is about two reports from West Virginia,
both taking place in 1960. In the first story some young men were out
camping in local woods, and when one of them went to cut firewood he
encountered what he described as a “horrible monster.” He said that it
was at least eight feet tall, with a body covered by shaggy long hair.
Its eyes were set far apart, very large, and shining like balls of
fire even though there was no light from anywhere else at the time.
In the second tale, he notes that a man claimed to have encountered a
hairy humanoid that wrecked the electrics in his car. It was eight
feet tall, covered with shaggy hair, and had two big eyes that “shone
like big balls of fire.” When the entity disappeared his car started
normally and he continued his journey. However, a little way down the
road the car malfunctioned again, and once more he became aware of the
same being standing by the side of the road.
Keel also notes three further reports where the creature had red eyes.
The first is from Indiana, in 1962, where a group of young people were
in a graveyard when they saw a seven-foot tall creature. Apparently it
was ape-like in appearance, covered in white/silver hair, stood on two
feet but ran using all four feet, and it had red eyes.
The second is from Mississippi, in 1966, where people reported seeing
a seven foot tall monster prowling around. One report said that it had
very broad shoulders and a slender waist. It was said to be the size
of a bear, covered in hair, and had bright red eyes.
And the third is from Pennsylvania where there was a sighting from
1990 of a four-foot high creature covered with hair. It gave out
several piercing screams, and had glowing red eyes.
John Keel’s list of Bigfoot sightings also contains stories of
creatures that had green glowing eyes. But in this article I’m
concentrating only on those with glowing red eyes.
Of course, there are other reports apart from those mentioned by John
Keel. For example, in Detroit there is a legend about the Nain Rouge.
This entity is said to be a goblin that haunts the town. It is small,
with red hair, rotten teeth, and glowing red eyes. It is also supposed
to be a foreteller of doom for the city. It has been seen since at
least 1710, and there have been numerous witnesses, right up to the
present day.
There is a very strange report from Colorado that comes from 1973,
about something called The Wazooey Man. It seems that two young men
were out shooting one night when they suddenly saw two large red eyes.
Unfortunately, one of them took a shot at it. Upon which both became
aware that they had been picked up and thrown into a nearby ravine by
some invisible energy. A timber stake then came out of the ground and
hit one of them on the head. Making their way out of the area they
attempted to go west, but an object that they described as being akin
to a “mobile haystack,” with great red eyes, kept trying to stop them.
This may well be a true report, but personally I’d treat it with
caution.
In South America there are also reports of strange creatures. And, of
course, this is one of the places that is famous for creatures that
are now known as the Chupacabras, or Goatsuckers. There have been
reports of these since the 1990s, and if you look on the Internet you
will find more information about them than you can probably read in a
lifetime. Basically they were first reported from Varginha, in Brazil,
and then they terrified Puerto Rico and it’s neighbouring islands.
More recently they have been seen in Mexico, and the most southerly
states of the USA. Their description is said to be of a small reddish
creature that occasionally has horns on its head, and glowing red
eyes. Apparently they often exude a reek of ammonia and, as in cattle
mutilations, they drain their victims of blood. Reports suggest that
they are capable of great leaps and bounds, and on occasion have been
seen to actually fly. Some believe they might be the result of secret
biological experimentation being undertaken by the US government.
One such tale comes from Argentina, in 2002. While walking home with
her dogs and animals a shepherdess encountered an entity that
frightened her and her beasts. She described it as being around five
and a half feet tall, half human and half animal, with pointed ears,
sharp fangs, and sharp-clawed feet. Naturally, it had red eyes, and
moved using rapid jumps from its powerful back legs. Some men who
heard the lady shouting ran to help, they also saw the creature. All
the time it was in sight the dogs refused to move, and made piteous
howling sounds. The following day footprints were found in the area.
The story doesn’t actually state that it was a Chupacabra, but I
expect that, if true, it probably was.
A second story comes from Chile, again from 2002. In this one an
entity was seen on a housing estate. It was reported as being ape-
like, and jumping all over the roof making many strange noises. Here
too the local dogs behaved as though they were very frightened and
started to howl. Witnesses said that the being was around five feet
tall, thickset, and had red eyes. Again, I would suspect that this was
yet another Chupacabra.
On the other side of the world, in East Delhi, India, during 2001
there were reports of villages being terrified by a being that became
known as the Monkey Man. Apparently it was four feet tall, had a face
like a monkey, and was very nimble. It also had sharp claws, similar
to metal, and glowing red eyes. One report said that there were green
lights glowing on its upper body. Other reports said it was cat-like,
had a helmet-type object on its head, and that it could jump extremely
high. Quite a few of the people that it attacked displayed real bite
marks, and some even died. Several researchers believe that rudiments
of the Hindu legend of the monkey god, Hanuman, have crept into these
tales. You can read a very good analysis of the case here:
http://paranormal.about.com/
In Australia they have a being that they call The Yowie. This is very
similar to Bigfoot, and some researchers think it might be a shape-
shifting phantom. The Yowie is portrayed as being yet another creature
that can show phenomenal turns of speed, and then simply disappear
into thin air. Those who see it say that it conjures up a terrible
nameless sense of fear in them. And, as we would suspect, it too has
glowing red eyes.
Back here at home the UK doesn’t have as many Bigfoot, Man-Monkey,
sightings, as other parts of the world, but it does have a few from
time to time.
One of the most famous Man-Monkeys from the UK is that written about
by Nick Redfern in his book Man-Monkey: In Search of the British
Bigfoot. This details an encounter near Ranton, Shropshire, in 1879,
during which a man, whilst driving a horse and cart, was attacked by a
strange black creature as he travelled beside the Grand Union Canal.
This time the creature had large white eyes, and it jumped onto the
horse’s back. The man attempted to push it away by using his whip, but
the whip simply passed straight through the entity. The horse tried to
canter off but it was almost a mile before the being vanished.
Another famous UK case is that known as Spring Heeled Jack, and it
took place back in 1838. In this incident a man encountered a being
that he took to be the Devil. It was described as being a tall,
slender, figure with pointed ears, and a big curved nose. It also
seemed to be wearing a huge black cloak that covered its head and,
from what could be seen, it was said to have a hideous face and
glowing red eyes. On being cornered in front of a hedge, by a group of
local people, the being displayed what looked like silvery claws. And
when somebody tried to shoot it the entity apparently emitted blinding
balls of blue fire from its mouth. It then turned, easily jumped over
the fifteen-foot high hedge, and ran off laughing.
Over in Sherwood Forest, the home of Robin Hood, there is legend that
says a tall hairy man, with glowing red eyes, haunts the forest.
While up in Scotland, in 1994, a lady reported having seen a tall man,
about ten feet tall, covered in long grey hair, and with glowing red
eyes.
Back in England, at Bolam Lake, in Northumberland, comes a tale from
2002. In this report a group of fishermen said they had seen an eight-
foot tall creature with glowing red eyes. The Centre for Fortean
Zoology investigated the sighting, and you can read their preliminary
report here:
http://www.cfz.org.uk/expeditions/03bolam/index.htm
Sea Serpents & River Beasts
Of course, we mustn’t forget the sighting reports that come from the
water, so here are a few cases of what people claim to have
encountered.
For as long as man has been sailing the seas there have been reports
of giant sea serpents, and some of these strange beasts have also been
seen in rivers and lakes. Many of these may be of what are as yet
unknown creatures, such as the Coelacanths once were. That fish was
considered extinct for millions of years until it was rediscovered,
alive and well, in the 1930s. However, some of the reports pertaining
to sea serpent sightings mention those glowing red eyes again, so here
are a few examples:
There is an old story from Norway about a serpent that lives in the
sea-caves of Bergen. This monster is said to be two hundred feet long,
and around twenty feet thick, with very long hair that hangs from its
neck, and has razor-sharp black scales. Here again we are told that it
has flaming red eyes. The creature is said, during the long light
summer nights, to devour calves, pigs, and lambs, and to fish the
ocean for seafood, such as crabs. However, the monster is also
believed to attack ships and boats and, by raising itself from the
water, to eat the people aboard those vessels.
A river creature named Howie, again having red eyes, is said to live
under the waterfalls of the Umgeni River, in the Kazulu-Natal province
of South Africa. It is described as being around twenty-four feet
long, and looking like a plesiosaur with crocodile skin. In Zulu
legend this entity is sacred, respected, and greatly feared. There are
also images of a serpent like creature carved into the petroglyphs
found in the caves of the Drakensburg Mountain. These date back at
least 2,000 years, and the name of the mountain itself is synonymous
with Dragons.
In the Pacific Northwest there is a story, from November 1969, about a
creature seen just off Discovery Island Lighthouse. The two fishermen
who reported it said that it was moving very fast and then suddenly
submerged as though it had been pulled under, causing a great deal of
turbulence in the water. Soon afterwards it re-emerged more than a
hundred yards away, when the fishermen could see that it had short
ears, and huge red eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, a sea monster was reported off the coast of
Filey, Yorkshire, in 1934. The report came from a coastguard who said
that the animal had large glowing eyes, a body around thirty-three
feet long, and a neck that stretched eight feet out of the water.
Coincidentally there is also a legend about a dragon having been
killed very close to this location.
Also in the UK, but this time in the River Towy, Wales, there is a
tale of a water horse that used to linger on the bank of the river. It
supposedly breathed fire, and had orbs of fire for its eyes. Perhaps
it was a dragon, or even a Kelpie.
Finally there is, of course, our very own Morgawr here in Cornwall.
But that has never been said to have glowing red eyes. If you want to
know more about it you can find my article here:
http://kithraskrystalkave.org.uk/cryptids.htm
We should also not forget that on the maps of ancient times images of
sea serpents meeting ships were very often seen, with the epitaph of
"Here Be Dragons!"
Other Strange Entities
There are also some cases that really defy categorization. So here are
a few examples of those. Some of them may be related to UFOs, but the
ones I’ve noted really only have the humanoid and/or missing time
elements to them.
One report comes from Russia, in January 2000. A lady travelling by
train in St. Petersburg related that all the other passengers abruptly
became immobile, frozen in abnormal positions, the lights became more
muted, and all noise died away. Looking around she saw an enormous
humanoid with a violet face and glowing red eyes. As the train stopped
at a station the humanoid simply vanished, and everything became
ordinary again.
Another report, from October 2000, happened in the Ukraine. A man
walking home down a dark alleyway observed a previously unrecognised
long fence down both sides of it, and he became fearful at finding
himself in total darkness and silence. After walking for some hours he
turned a bend and came upon a small, totally stationary, being, with
brilliant red eyes, which looked like a dwarf. This entity had small
legs and hands, but an extended body, aged skin, big ears, a bent
nose, and wet-looking teeth. The man started to run away and swore he
could hear footsteps following him. Eventually he reached the end of
the alleyway and emerged onto the street, where everything became
normal again.
During the same year, but on the other side of the world, there were
also reports coming in.
From Argentina, in April 2000, there is an account of a police officer
who encountered a small humanoid that he initially thought was a
child. However, on getting closer to it he became aware of its flaming
red eyes. Apparently other local people had also seen the entity.
Also from Argentina, in July 2000, comes a story about an elderly lady
who said she met a weird dwarf-like entity hiding in some bushes.
Again she mentioned its glowing red eyes, plus the fact that it wore
filthy clothes and a big hat.
Another story is from a local police officer in Argentina, and
happened back in March 2006. The officer suffered quite a prolonged
period of missing time, around twenty hours, and after a search he was
finally found around twelve and a half miles away. Apparently he had
come across two small men with large heads and glowing red eyes. They
communicated with him telepathically as they chased him across some
fields. He added that they appeared to levitate, and that they were
rather transparent.
While still in South America, but this time in Chile during 2000,
there was a report from several people of a very strange creature
being seen. It was described as being brown and feathered, but had
brilliant red eyes. It made lizard-like movements, was very agile and
swift, but it was much larger than a condor. And, even more strangely,
the witnesses said that it was heard each night for two weeks making a
sound like that of duck quacking.
In the USA there is a report from Maryland that comes from October
2000. Two friends were driving along a street one evening when they
saw a pair of glowing red eyes gazing from a hollow tree trunk. As
they drove closer the creature started to hop away like a kangaroo.
However, their description belied it being such a creature as they
said that it had hind legs similar to those of a kangaroo, but small
front legs, the snout of an anteater, hair like a rat, and was around
three feet tall.
Probably due to its immense size the USA has many very well known
cases of weird entities, many with glowing red eyes, and Googling the
Internet will give you lots of sites that report them.
One of the better known such entities is the New Jersey Devil. This
creature is supposed to have a horse-like head and tail, wings,
hooves, and a long neck. It can be anything from three to seven feet
tall. It gives out a high, human-like shriek and, as you’d expect, has
glowing red eyes.
Another well-known tale is that of the Dover Demon. Apparently seen by
numerous witnesses in 1977 it is described as being hairless, with a
big melon shaped head, a thin skinny body, long slim fingers and toes,
and two red eyes.
In 1965, during a large UFO flap in Mexico, as well as other parts of
the world, three women in Mexico City said they had seen a group of
ten-foot tall entities, dressed in glossy grey clothes and boots, but
without visible mouths or noses. All had glowing red eyes.
Back in London, at Highgate Cemetery, during 1969 and the early 1970s,
David Farrant was arrested for conducting a séance. However, when
taken to court he was acquitted. The media called him a vampire hunter
because he was trying to investigate sightings of a tall, dark being,
that had glowing red eyes.
In 2003, four people in the local churchyard at Witchling, Kent,
alleged to have seen a small being with glowing red eyes. They also
heard a bizarre whistling noise, and saw that cloud cover quickly
swathed the area. Apparently this was not the first time that little
beings had been seen by the churchyard woods
It seems that entities with glowing red eyes don’t only occur in real
life but also in the myths surrounding some of our legendary figures.
In the mythology surrounding King Arthur it was said that when he
finally died the ghost of a knight in black armour, and with glowing
red eyes, began to haunt Glastonbury Abbey. His mission was to destroy
all evidence of King Arthur’s life and death.
And, at Robin Hood’s Grave the ghost of the Prioress who is supposed
to have allowed him to bleed to death, is said to haunt the site. She
appears to have the qualities of a vampire, with a banshee howl and
intense red eyes.
Ireland and Scotland also have similar stories of banshee-like
entities. One is known as the Washer of the Ford, who appears as
either a hag or a young woman, and is said to signify death. In her
guise as a banshee she is said to have glowing red eyes.
Another very strange tale comes from Somerset. In this one, probably
from sometime in the 1600s, a man reported seeing a very large bear
with glowing red eyes. Even stranger still was that he said the bear
was rotating inside an object that today we would label as a plastic
ball.
In a similar vein there are many legends of what are known as Wraiths.
These apparitions are said to portend misfortune, or even to foretell
death. They are apt to materialize as beings wearing a hooded cloak,
and very often have glowing red eyes.
Coming into the 20th Century there are a few more tales. It was
reported that in 1977 a house in Shipley, Yorkshire, was haunted by a
cloak-wearing figure that hid in cupboards and underneath beds. The
apparition only appeared during the times of a Full Moon, but it also
had red eyes.
From my own county of Cornwall, during 1990, comes a tale that took
place at a traveller’s site. The person who witnessed it said they
felt a weird, but benign, energy overshadowing their caravan. On going
outside to tell friends, they discovered that this had also happened
to other people who had parked their van on that same spot. Elsewhere
on the site people reported having seen red, animal-type, eyes looking
in at them through their windows. One had even seen a group of ghostly
figures in a local lane.
Shadow People/Skinwalkers
And finally, two other forms of entity that also have glowing red eyes
can be found in the paranormal literature. They are called Shadow
People, and Skinwalkers, the latter mainly appearing in Native
American Indian legends.
There are reports of Shadow People having been seen for thousands of
years. And the Native American Indians, and the Aboriginal
Australians, are just some of those who have legends about them.
These entities are described as taking the shape of black humanoid
silhouettes, but they differ from the descriptions of ghosts. They are
mostly reported as shapeless, with no eyes, mouth, nose, or facial
expression being visible. And they can vary from being a two-
dimensional shadow to just a mass of vapour, although some have been
reported as being seen in a deformed three-dimensional shape. It seems
that they are able to move as though they were dancing, but most often
they simply appear as being quick and lacking in consistency. They can
be either solid or transparent, with one type being seen as black in
colour. Once noticed, they either fade away, or move quickly out of
sight. Many people report a feeling of dread on seeing one of these
Shadow People.
Another way in which they differ from ghost sightings is that they
don’t appear to have any rationale for their visits. They appear to be
aware of the person who is seeing them, but they seldom try to
communicate, so it seems that they merely want to frighten people.
This site has a list of the six most common types of Shadow People
that have reportedly been seen:
http://the-psychic-detective.com/
And this site has a very interesting article about what might lie
behind the sightings:
http://paranormal.about.com/
The other entity, with glowing red eyes, is as a Skinwalker. These are
also sometimes called a Shape-Shifter, and are a belief shared by many
Native American Indian tribes. In the Navajo tribe, for example, they
wear animal skins and can change themselves into certain animals. They
are thought to be evil, and that is how they are perceived in most
tribes.
There is a very good article by Colm Kelleher and George Knapp,
entitled: Skinwalkers – What Are They? at this link:
http://www.huntfortheskinwalker.com
Shadow beings are often associate with haunted places or cursed
places. Some spirit entities can follow people when they move.
With God's help you can tell these beings to leave. If you are
fearful of them they stick around. Shadow beings feed on human fear
and love to scare people. If you submit yourself to God and
are not afraid and you ask fallen spirits to leave in the name of
Jesus Christ they generally flee.
Jas.4
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil (or
devils) , and he (or they) will flee from you.
[34] The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is
evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
Eph.6
[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Glowing Red Eyes
(October 2007)
Science tells us that nocturnal animals don’t have self-luminous eyes.
They often have eyes that are reflective, in order to help them see in
the dark, but they don’t glow. So the premise of this article is that
seeing glowing red eyes on an out-of-place, or highly weird animal, or
entity, is most likely a sign of it being something paranormal. Some
researchers also marry up sightings of such creatures with UFO events,
but I’m not totally convinced about that idea - yet!
What I’m going to do in this article is to give some examples of the
various types of sightings that have been catalogued, and then take a
look at what might lie behind them.
Black Dogs, Shuck, Shug-Monkey
One of the most well known creatures to have been reported as having
glowing red eyes occurs in the Black Dog tales. So I’ll start with
those.
These Black Dogs have appeared right across the UK, in much of Europe,
and in the USA and Canada. It is, naturally, known by different names
in different parts of the UK, and so a list of some of those names
might be helpful:
East Anglia
Black Shuck, Old Shock, Shucky Dog, Shug Monkey, Shug Monster
Isle of Man
“Moddey Dhoo,” meaning Black Dog - pronounced as “Mauther Thoo” in
Manx
Jersey
Le Tchan de Bouôlé
Lancashire
Guytrash, Skriker, Trash
Leicestershire
Shag Dog
Lincolnshire
Hairy Jack
Midlands
Hooter
Norfolk
Black Shuck, Old Shuck, or just Shuck
Scotland
In Gaelic it is known as “Choin Dubh,” “Cu Sith,” or fairy dog. The
last name is more common, and its colour is normally green, although
sometimes it can be white. Another local name is the Muckle Black Tyke
Somerset
Gurt Dog or Great Dog
Staffordshire
Padfoot
Suffolk
Gallytrot, Galley Trot, Moddey Dhoe, Scarfe
Wales
Gwyllgi, meaning dog of darkness
Warwickshire
Hooter
Yorkshire
Barghaist, Barghest, Barguest, Barn-ghaist, Skriker
Their description is said to be that of a very large dog, far larger
than any normal dog, which is usually black in colour, although they
have been seen as grey, white, and yellow. The coat is normally
shaggy, but sometimes said to be smooth, bristly, and gleaming, the
mouth to be slavering, with fetid breath and fangs for teeth.
Sometimes a grinning expression has been noted, and the sound of
growling, barking, or even speaking, laughing or screaming. There are
also a few rare sightings of two-headed, or even totally headless,
dogs. And, naturally, they mostly have glowing red eyes. Usually they
vanish into thin air, sink into the ground, or disappear with a flash
or an explosion, and there have also been some reports of them shape-
shifting.
Mostly these Black Dogs are seen on roads, lanes, footpaths, at
crossroads, in fields, hedges, gateways, corridors, staircases,
churchyards, barrows, ancient track-ways and prehistoric earthworks,
graves, gallows, and bridges. They seem to be particularly seen near
bridges over rivers and streams, wells, trees next to water, ponds,
and even near the sea.
Some believe that they may follow Ley Lines, Corpse Ways, and Spirit
Paths, thus giving them the ability to appear and disappear at will
along their various points, for example where these lines are thought
to cross. Others believe that they may materialize and dematerialise
due to environmental factors, such as electromagnetic and/or
geomagnetic points along Ley Lines.
During the middle ages, in a church at Bungay, Essex, a Black Dog with
red glowing eyes was said to have appeared during a service. It then
proceeded to kill two people. This event is said to have happened
during a severe thunderstorm. And having taken place in East Anglia
many local people would call such an entity the Shug Monkey.
In Tring, Hertfordshire, back in the 19th Century there is a report in
which two men passing a gibbet on their way home one dark night saw a
Black Dog. Whilst riding past the gibbet they saw what looked like a
flame of fire, and on stopping their horses a massive Black Dog
appeared. It looked emaciated, with a shaggy coat, long ears, and
glowing red eyes. They said that it displayed a grinning expression,
and within a few minutes it sank back into the ground.
This next beast has often been seen in Rendlesham Forest, in the same
place that the famous UFO event happened. But it was also seen many
years, even centuries, earlier, and it is still being seen up to
present day. Most of the Black Dog descriptions from this area tell of
it being very large, up to ten feet long, and looking like a cross
between a mastiff and a great ape. Some accounts say that it has a
large neck, broad nostrils, massive jaws, and four legs with large
claws protruding from its paws. The fur is black and sleek, and it has
a long powerful tail. It reminded one observer of a “large male
silverback gorilla” – a combination of ape, dog, lion, and rhinoceros.
Another couple who encountered it said that, while they thought it was
a dog, its body was far more feline in nature. During their encounter
it vanished instantaneously, but a few seconds later reappeared and
then flickered on and off a few times before finally disappearing;
after which the air was filled with the strange smell of what they
said reminded them of “burning metal.” This region of the UK is also
home to a whole plethora of phantom big cats and ape-like creatures.
On Exmoor, in Somerset, there has long been a tale of what the locals
call a Devil Dog. This beast disappears very slowly, leaving just a
pair of glowing red eyes.
Meanwhile in Lothian, Scotland, there is a story of a Black Dog that
appeared and disappeared. It was said to have been accompanied by a
high-pitched screeching sound and, as we’ve come to expect, it had
glowing red eyes.
Over on the Isle of Mann a legendary Black Dog is said to roam around
the lonely roads. The animal is considered to be a herald of
misfortune and death, and its appearance is often linked to electrical
storms, and even to the lights of UFOs. Naturally, this one too has
glowing red eyes.
And, from Ireland comes a report of an event that occurs around
Halloween. It is a tale about a wooded hollow, in the county of
Munster, that changes into a thick forest. After which it becomes
populated with demonic creatures, some of whom are dogs with glowing
red eyes. However, this may be just a Halloween story.
As well as Black Dogs, large cats are sometimes seen. For example, in
1985 a large cat was believed to be roaming the forest around
Thetford, Norfolk. Now, that might not be unusual as many large cats
are thought to be on the loose in the UK, but this one had glowing red
eyes.
Giant Birds
Other famous sighting reports are those that concern giant birds, such
as the famous USA Mothman, so here are a few examples of what’s
reported to have been seen.
If you’re a regular reader of my intermittent articles you’ll already
know that I’ve written about the Cornish Owlman of Mawnan Smith. And
if not, then you can read it here:
http://kithraskrystalkave.org.uk/cryptids.htm
But, of course, the UK doesn’t seem to have very many “Winged
Weirdies” so the ones I’m going to mention come from much further
away.
The first two cases are celebrated reports from the USA. The Mothman
event is very well documented on the Internet, and in many books. The
best of which, in my opinion, is John Keel’s The Mothman Prophecies –
although I wasn’t that impressed with the film version of the book.
John Keel also mentions The Mothman in another of his books: The
Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings. Keel himself investigated many of
these curious sightings, and tells us that in nearly all of them the
“most outstanding feature seemed to be its glowing red eyes.” He goes
on to state that: “Self-luminous eyes usually suggest a paraphysical
entity rather than a real animal. About half of the witnesses appeared
to be people with latent or active psychic abilities, prone to having
accurate premonitions, prophetic dreams, extra-sensory perception
(ESP), etc.” And he notes that, although few of the witnesses could
describe what The Mothman’s face looked like, they were all far more
frightened of those glowing red eyes than by the size of the entity
itself.
Keel goes on to tell us that a similar creature was also occasionally
seen during 1968/69 when there was a greatly under reported UFO flap
in both the northeast of the USA and in Canada. In some of the
Canadian reports UFOs were said to have actually landed, and “little
men” had been seen. Interestingly, back in Point Pleasant, West
Virginia, on the same night that one of those UFO flap events
happened, there were over 500 reports of weird sightings. Most of
those were of UFOs, and one teenager said that he’d also seen a
creature in the TNT Area that was around six feet tall, and that it
had red eyes. Other people also reported seeing similar beings in the
same locale.
Another red-eyed monster can also be found in West Virginia, this time
in Flatwoods. Again the story is very well known, and can be found all
over the Internet. The Flatwoods Monster event happened in the latter
part of 1952 when a burning UFO reportedly crashed. The sighting of a
monster with glowing red eyes followed this.
Elsewhere in the USA a strange creature that some call Batsquatch
comes from Mount St. Helens. Apparently is has leathery wings, purple
skin, and blood-red eyes, with a head that resembles a cross between
an ape and a bat.
And from Ohio comes a report of a two-legged entity with a very large
head. This one was described as being about seven feet tall, with the
head larger than the body, a fetid smell and, once again, very large
red eyes. This is another tale in which the creature is said to have
emitted a strident scream.
Of course, we can’t leave the USA without mentioning Thunderbird.
There have been numerous sightings of these birds from around the
country, so here are just a few of them.
Back in 1673 a missionary was exploring the Mississippi River, in
Illinois, when he came across what he believed to be the Devil. What
he found were such lifelike petroglyphs that they truly frightened
him. The drawings were of a creature with deer-like horns, a hideous
expression, a man-like face, a scaly body with a very long posterior
appendage that ended in a fish’s tail, and red eyes. The local Native
American Indians called it Piasa – meaning the bird that devours men.
Their legend is very ancient, and it tells of what is now called a
Thunderbird. The bird swoops down with a thundering sound, and a rush
of wind, and carries people away. Many tribes have these Thunderbird
myths, and numerous petroglyphs of them were found along the
Mississippi.
At the beginning of January 1976 a bird was seen in the Rio Grande
Valley that was described as being five feet tall, with a gorilla like
face. It was black, hairless, had a six-inch long beak, and big red
eyes. It seems that its wing-beats sounded like those of a bat, and it
made a noisy, piercing, sound. Witnesses say that its face looked
quite horrific, the eyes having an evil look to them, and also that
other animals behaved oddly when the creature was in the area.
At the other end of the country there is a legend, from New England,
about a huge bird-like creature, with glowing red eyes, that would
carry off animals and people. The Native American Indian tribes of
that area also tell the same tale. In many of these instances it was
said that the bird was documented without flapping its wings. And that
happened only when the glowing red eyes were seen.
Bringing the legend up to date, back in Illinois during 1977, there
was a story of a ten-year old boy being taken by a giant bird while he
was outside playing. Apparently he was carried for a distance of 35
feet, and a second bird also joined the fray when his mother ran out
to help him. There were six witnesses to this event, and they
described the birds as being very similar to giant condors. So
perhaps, in that instance, it was a case of mistaken identity.
Bigfoot, Yeti, Yowie, Man-Monkey
There are reports of what in the US are called Bigfoot, although it
has other names in other countries. So here are some of those
accounts.
In John Keel’s book The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings he also
lists some of these strange beings.
One of the mentions he makes is about two reports from West Virginia,
both taking place in 1960. In the first story some young men were out
camping in local woods, and when one of them went to cut firewood he
encountered what he described as a “horrible monster.” He said that it
was at least eight feet tall, with a body covered by shaggy long hair.
Its eyes were set far apart, very large, and shining like balls of
fire even though there was no light from anywhere else at the time.
In the second tale, he notes that a man claimed to have encountered a
hairy humanoid that wrecked the electrics in his car. It was eight
feet tall, covered with shaggy hair, and had two big eyes that “shone
like big balls of fire.” When the entity disappeared his car started
normally and he continued his journey. However, a little way down the
road the car malfunctioned again, and once more he became aware of the
same being standing by the side of the road.
Keel also notes three further reports where the creature had red eyes.
The first is from Indiana, in 1962, where a group of young people were
in a graveyard when they saw a seven-foot tall creature. Apparently it
was ape-like in appearance, covered in white/silver hair, stood on two
feet but ran using all four feet, and it had red eyes.
The second is from Mississippi, in 1966, where people reported seeing
a seven foot tall monster prowling around. One report said that it had
very broad shoulders and a slender waist. It was said to be the size
of a bear, covered in hair, and had bright red eyes.
And the third is from Pennsylvania where there was a sighting from
1990 of a four-foot high creature covered with hair. It gave out
several piercing screams, and had glowing red eyes.
John Keel’s list of Bigfoot sightings also contains stories of
creatures that had green glowing eyes. But in this article I’m
concentrating only on those with glowing red eyes.
Of course, there are other reports apart from those mentioned by John
Keel. For example, in Detroit there is a legend about the Nain Rouge.
This entity is said to be a goblin that haunts the town. It is small,
with red hair, rotten teeth, and glowing red eyes. It is also supposed
to be a foreteller of doom for the city. It has been seen since at
least 1710, and there have been numerous witnesses, right up to the
present day.
There is a very strange report from Colorado that comes from 1973,
about something called The Wazooey Man. It seems that two young men
were out shooting one night when they suddenly saw two large red eyes.
Unfortunately, one of them took a shot at it. Upon which both became
aware that they had been picked up and thrown into a nearby ravine by
some invisible energy. A timber stake then came out of the ground and
hit one of them on the head. Making their way out of the area they
attempted to go west, but an object that they described as being akin
to a “mobile haystack,” with great red eyes, kept trying to stop them.
This may well be a true report, but personally I’d treat it with
caution.
In South America there are also reports of strange creatures. And, of
course, this is one of the places that is famous for creatures that
are now known as the Chupacabras, or Goatsuckers. There have been
reports of these since the 1990s, and if you look on the Internet you
will find more information about them than you can probably read in a
lifetime. Basically they were first reported from Varginha, in Brazil,
and then they terrified Puerto Rico and it’s neighbouring islands.
More recently they have been seen in Mexico, and the most southerly
states of the USA. Their description is said to be of a small reddish
creature that occasionally has horns on its head, and glowing red
eyes. Apparently they often exude a reek of ammonia and, as in cattle
mutilations, they drain their victims of blood. Reports suggest that
they are capable of great leaps and bounds, and on occasion have been
seen to actually fly. Some believe they might be the result of secret
biological experimentation being undertaken by the US government.
One such tale comes from Argentina, in 2002. While walking home with
her dogs and animals a shepherdess encountered an entity that
frightened her and her beasts. She described it as being around five
and a half feet tall, half human and half animal, with pointed ears,
sharp fangs, and sharp-clawed feet. Naturally, it had red eyes, and
moved using rapid jumps from its powerful back legs. Some men who
heard the lady shouting ran to help, they also saw the creature. All
the time it was in sight the dogs refused to move, and made piteous
howling sounds. The following day footprints were found in the area.
The story doesn’t actually state that it was a Chupacabra, but I
expect that, if true, it probably was.
A second story comes from Chile, again from 2002. In this one an
entity was seen on a housing estate. It was reported as being ape-
like, and jumping all over the roof making many strange noises. Here
too the local dogs behaved as though they were very frightened and
started to howl. Witnesses said that the being was around five feet
tall, thickset, and had red eyes. Again, I would suspect that this was
yet another Chupacabra.
On the other side of the world, in East Delhi, India, during 2001
there were reports of villages being terrified by a being that became
known as the Monkey Man. Apparently it was four feet tall, had a face
like a monkey, and was very nimble. It also had sharp claws, similar
to metal, and glowing red eyes. One report said that there were green
lights glowing on its upper body. Other reports said it was cat-like,
had a helmet-type object on its head, and that it could jump extremely
high. Quite a few of the people that it attacked displayed real bite
marks, and some even died. Several researchers believe that rudiments
of the Hindu legend of the monkey god, Hanuman, have crept into these
tales. You can read a very good analysis of the case here:
http://paranormal.about.com/
In Australia they have a being that they call The Yowie. This is very
similar to Bigfoot, and some researchers think it might be a shape-
shifting phantom. The Yowie is portrayed as being yet another creature
that can show phenomenal turns of speed, and then simply disappear
into thin air. Those who see it say that it conjures up a terrible
nameless sense of fear in them. And, as we would suspect, it too has
glowing red eyes.
Back here at home the UK doesn’t have as many Bigfoot, Man-Monkey,
sightings, as other parts of the world, but it does have a few from
time to time.
One of the most famous Man-Monkeys from the UK is that written about
by Nick Redfern in his book Man-Monkey: In Search of the British
Bigfoot. This details an encounter near Ranton, Shropshire, in 1879,
during which a man, whilst driving a horse and cart, was attacked by a
strange black creature as he travelled beside the Grand Union Canal.
This time the creature had large white eyes, and it jumped onto the
horse’s back. The man attempted to push it away by using his whip, but
the whip simply passed straight through the entity. The horse tried to
canter off but it was almost a mile before the being vanished.
Another famous UK case is that known as Spring Heeled Jack, and it
took place back in 1838. In this incident a man encountered a being
that he took to be the Devil. It was described as being a tall,
slender, figure with pointed ears, and a big curved nose. It also
seemed to be wearing a huge black cloak that covered its head and,
from what could be seen, it was said to have a hideous face and
glowing red eyes. On being cornered in front of a hedge, by a group of
local people, the being displayed what looked like silvery claws. And
when somebody tried to shoot it the entity apparently emitted blinding
balls of blue fire from its mouth. It then turned, easily jumped over
the fifteen-foot high hedge, and ran off laughing.
Over in Sherwood Forest, the home of Robin Hood, there is legend that
says a tall hairy man, with glowing red eyes, haunts the forest.
While up in Scotland, in 1994, a lady reported having seen a tall man,
about ten feet tall, covered in long grey hair, and with glowing red
eyes.
Back in England, at Bolam Lake, in Northumberland, comes a tale from
2002. In this report a group of fishermen said they had seen an eight-
foot tall creature with glowing red eyes. The Centre for Fortean
Zoology investigated the sighting, and you can read their preliminary
report here:
http://www.cfz.org.uk/expeditions/03bolam/index.htm
Sea Serpents & River Beasts
Of course, we mustn’t forget the sighting reports that come from the
water, so here are a few cases of what people claim to have
encountered.
For as long as man has been sailing the seas there have been reports
of giant sea serpents, and some of these strange beasts have also been
seen in rivers and lakes. Many of these may be of what are as yet
unknown creatures, such as the Coelacanths once were. That fish was
considered extinct for millions of years until it was rediscovered,
alive and well, in the 1930s. However, some of the reports pertaining
to sea serpent sightings mention those glowing red eyes again, so here
are a few examples:
There is an old story from Norway about a serpent that lives in the
sea-caves of Bergen. This monster is said to be two hundred feet long,
and around twenty feet thick, with very long hair that hangs from its
neck, and has razor-sharp black scales. Here again we are told that it
has flaming red eyes. The creature is said, during the long light
summer nights, to devour calves, pigs, and lambs, and to fish the
ocean for seafood, such as crabs. However, the monster is also
believed to attack ships and boats and, by raising itself from the
water, to eat the people aboard those vessels.
A river creature named Howie, again having red eyes, is said to live
under the waterfalls of the Umgeni River, in the Kazulu-Natal province
of South Africa. It is described as being around twenty-four feet
long, and looking like a plesiosaur with crocodile skin. In Zulu
legend this entity is sacred, respected, and greatly feared. There are
also images of a serpent like creature carved into the petroglyphs
found in the caves of the Drakensburg Mountain. These date back at
least 2,000 years, and the name of the mountain itself is synonymous
with Dragons.
In the Pacific Northwest there is a story, from November 1969, about a
creature seen just off Discovery Island Lighthouse. The two fishermen
who reported it said that it was moving very fast and then suddenly
submerged as though it had been pulled under, causing a great deal of
turbulence in the water. Soon afterwards it re-emerged more than a
hundred yards away, when the fishermen could see that it had short
ears, and huge red eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, a sea monster was reported off the coast of
Filey, Yorkshire, in 1934. The report came from a coastguard who said
that the animal had large glowing eyes, a body around thirty-three
feet long, and a neck that stretched eight feet out of the water.
Coincidentally there is also a legend about a dragon having been
killed very close to this location.
Also in the UK, but this time in the River Towy, Wales, there is a
tale of a water horse that used to linger on the bank of the river. It
supposedly breathed fire, and had orbs of fire for its eyes. Perhaps
it was a dragon, or even a Kelpie.
Finally there is, of course, our very own Morgawr here in Cornwall.
But that has never been said to have glowing red eyes. If you want to
know more about it you can find my article here:
http://kithraskrystalkave.org.uk/cryptids.htm
We should also not forget that on the maps of ancient times images of
sea serpents meeting ships were very often seen, with the epitaph of
"Here Be Dragons!"
Other Strange Entities
There are also some cases that really defy categorization. So here are
a few examples of those. Some of them may be related to UFOs, but the
ones I’ve noted really only have the humanoid and/or missing time
elements to them.
One report comes from Russia, in January 2000. A lady travelling by
train in St. Petersburg related that all the other passengers abruptly
became immobile, frozen in abnormal positions, the lights became more
muted, and all noise died away. Looking around she saw an enormous
humanoid with a violet face and glowing red eyes. As the train stopped
at a station the humanoid simply vanished, and everything became
ordinary again.
Another report, from October 2000, happened in the Ukraine. A man
walking home down a dark alleyway observed a previously unrecognised
long fence down both sides of it, and he became fearful at finding
himself in total darkness and silence. After walking for some hours he
turned a bend and came upon a small, totally stationary, being, with
brilliant red eyes, which looked like a dwarf. This entity had small
legs and hands, but an extended body, aged skin, big ears, a bent
nose, and wet-looking teeth. The man started to run away and swore he
could hear footsteps following him. Eventually he reached the end of
the alleyway and emerged onto the street, where everything became
normal again.
During the same year, but on the other side of the world, there were
also reports coming in.
From Argentina, in April 2000, there is an account of a police officer
who encountered a small humanoid that he initially thought was a
child. However, on getting closer to it he became aware of its flaming
red eyes. Apparently other local people had also seen the entity.
Also from Argentina, in July 2000, comes a story about an elderly lady
who said she met a weird dwarf-like entity hiding in some bushes.
Again she mentioned its glowing red eyes, plus the fact that it wore
filthy clothes and a big hat.
Another story is from a local police officer in Argentina, and
happened back in March 2006. The officer suffered quite a prolonged
period of missing time, around twenty hours, and after a search he was
finally found around twelve and a half miles away. Apparently he had
come across two small men with large heads and glowing red eyes. They
communicated with him telepathically as they chased him across some
fields. He added that they appeared to levitate, and that they were
rather transparent.
While still in South America, but this time in Chile during 2000,
there was a report from several people of a very strange creature
being seen. It was described as being brown and feathered, but had
brilliant red eyes. It made lizard-like movements, was very agile and
swift, but it was much larger than a condor. And, even more strangely,
the witnesses said that it was heard each night for two weeks making a
sound like that of duck quacking.
In the USA there is a report from Maryland that comes from October
2000. Two friends were driving along a street one evening when they
saw a pair of glowing red eyes gazing from a hollow tree trunk. As
they drove closer the creature started to hop away like a kangaroo.
However, their description belied it being such a creature as they
said that it had hind legs similar to those of a kangaroo, but small
front legs, the snout of an anteater, hair like a rat, and was around
three feet tall.
Probably due to its immense size the USA has many very well known
cases of weird entities, many with glowing red eyes, and Googling the
Internet will give you lots of sites that report them.
One of the better known such entities is the New Jersey Devil. This
creature is supposed to have a horse-like head and tail, wings,
hooves, and a long neck. It can be anything from three to seven feet
tall. It gives out a high, human-like shriek and, as you’d expect, has
glowing red eyes.
Another well-known tale is that of the Dover Demon. Apparently seen by
numerous witnesses in 1977 it is described as being hairless, with a
big melon shaped head, a thin skinny body, long slim fingers and toes,
and two red eyes.
In 1965, during a large UFO flap in Mexico, as well as other parts of
the world, three women in Mexico City said they had seen a group of
ten-foot tall entities, dressed in glossy grey clothes and boots, but
without visible mouths or noses. All had glowing red eyes.
Back in London, at Highgate Cemetery, during 1969 and the early 1970s,
David Farrant was arrested for conducting a séance. However, when
taken to court he was acquitted. The media called him a vampire hunter
because he was trying to investigate sightings of a tall, dark being,
that had glowing red eyes.
In 2003, four people in the local churchyard at Witchling, Kent,
alleged to have seen a small being with glowing red eyes. They also
heard a bizarre whistling noise, and saw that cloud cover quickly
swathed the area. Apparently this was not the first time that little
beings had been seen by the churchyard woods
It seems that entities with glowing red eyes don’t only occur in real
life but also in the myths surrounding some of our legendary figures.
In the mythology surrounding King Arthur it was said that when he
finally died the ghost of a knight in black armour, and with glowing
red eyes, began to haunt Glastonbury Abbey. His mission was to destroy
all evidence of King Arthur’s life and death.
And, at Robin Hood’s Grave the ghost of the Prioress who is supposed
to have allowed him to bleed to death, is said to haunt the site. She
appears to have the qualities of a vampire, with a banshee howl and
intense red eyes.
Ireland and Scotland also have similar stories of banshee-like
entities. One is known as the Washer of the Ford, who appears as
either a hag or a young woman, and is said to signify death. In her
guise as a banshee she is said to have glowing red eyes.
Another very strange tale comes from Somerset. In this one, probably
from sometime in the 1600s, a man reported seeing a very large bear
with glowing red eyes. Even stranger still was that he said the bear
was rotating inside an object that today we would label as a plastic
ball.
In a similar vein there are many legends of what are known as Wraiths.
These apparitions are said to portend misfortune, or even to foretell
death. They are apt to materialize as beings wearing a hooded cloak,
and very often have glowing red eyes.
Coming into the 20th Century there are a few more tales. It was
reported that in 1977 a house in Shipley, Yorkshire, was haunted by a
cloak-wearing figure that hid in cupboards and underneath beds. The
apparition only appeared during the times of a Full Moon, but it also
had red eyes.
From my own county of Cornwall, during 1990, comes a tale that took
place at a traveller’s site. The person who witnessed it said they
felt a weird, but benign, energy overshadowing their caravan. On going
outside to tell friends, they discovered that this had also happened
to other people who had parked their van on that same spot. Elsewhere
on the site people reported having seen red, animal-type, eyes looking
in at them through their windows. One had even seen a group of ghostly
figures in a local lane.
Shadow People/Skinwalkers
And finally, two other forms of entity that also have glowing red eyes
can be found in the paranormal literature. They are called Shadow
People, and Skinwalkers, the latter mainly appearing in Native
American Indian legends.
There are reports of Shadow People having been seen for thousands of
years. And the Native American Indians, and the Aboriginal
Australians, are just some of those who have legends about them.
These entities are described as taking the shape of black humanoid
silhouettes, but they differ from the descriptions of ghosts. They are
mostly reported as shapeless, with no eyes, mouth, nose, or facial
expression being visible. And they can vary from being a two-
dimensional shadow to just a mass of vapour, although some have been
reported as being seen in a deformed three-dimensional shape. It seems
that they are able to move as though they were dancing, but most often
they simply appear as being quick and lacking in consistency. They can
be either solid or transparent, with one type being seen as black in
colour. Once noticed, they either fade away, or move quickly out of
sight. Many people report a feeling of dread on seeing one of these
Shadow People.
Another way in which they differ from ghost sightings is that they
don’t appear to have any rationale for their visits. They appear to be
aware of the person who is seeing them, but they seldom try to
communicate, so it seems that they merely want to frighten people.
This site has a list of the six most common types of Shadow People
that have reportedly been seen:
http://the-psychic-detective.com/
And this site has a very interesting article about what might lie
behind the sightings:
http://paranormal.about.com/
The other entity, with glowing red eyes, is as a Skinwalker. These are
also sometimes called a Shape-Shifter, and are a belief shared by many
Native American Indian tribes. In the Navajo tribe, for example, they
wear animal skins and can change themselves into certain animals. They
are thought to be evil, and that is how they are perceived in most
tribes.
There is a very good article by Colm Kelleher and George Knapp,
entitled: Skinwalkers – What Are They? at this link:
http://www.huntfortheskinwalker.com
Shadow beings are often associate with haunted places or cursed
places. Some spirit entities can follow people when they move.
With God's help you can tell these beings to leave. If you are
fearful of them they stick around. Shadow beings feed on human fear
and love to scare people. If you submit yourself to God and
are not afraid and you ask fallen spirits to leave in the name of
Jesus Christ they generally flee.
Jas.4
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil (or
devils) , and he (or they) will flee from you.