The Illuminous Being of Westmoreland County

 The Illuminous Being of Westmoreland County

By Cole Herrold

When it comes to Fortean studies, there are some researchers who almost always seem to have countless cases of entities that defy the realms of traditional Ufology, Cryptozoology, or ghost investigation. One such researcher is Stan Gordon, who has personally been investigating the countless mysteries of the Keystone State for over 60 years. He has authored three books, all of which are incredible and must-haves for any Fortean library, appeared on countless documentaries and television programs involving the unknown, and operates a fascinating website that includes up-to-date encounters and Fortean news that has some of the most bizarre encounters ever reported. Upon perusing through the site, I came across a bizarre entity that seems to of been pulled out of Clive Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart as the being seemed to of been a mirror image to the enigmatic entity Barker would call the Engineer.

In late August 2017, an unnamed Police Officer was driving down a dark, secluded road one night in the Southwestern region of Westmoreland County. The dark woods were pitch black, and the officer could barely make out anything distinguishable on the path. As the officer continued to drive down the road, he noticed a bizarre glow on the ground in the road. The glowing light was a dull white color about 8-10 inches diameter, and he was rather confused by this because he had driven down this road several times and remembered that there should be nothing along this stretch of road that would glow or give off some artificial illumination. As his car approached the object, he could tell that whatever this object was, it was noticeably round, almost ball-like in shape, and upon getting within 50 yards of the object, he saw one of the most bizarre things ever reported. He watched as the ball slowly began to lift up off the ground and noticed that as the ball did this, that it was seemingly attached to some other shape or form. The officer watched and could now see that the glowing orb was actually the head of a bizarre creature that stood about 6ft or potentially larger in height. Even with the creature's illuminated head, he was unable to make out further details of the body except that the creature's body, aside from being tall, was skeletal thin and bore two incredibly long yet emaciated arms that seemed to have no muscle. The creature had a noticeable yet small waist as well as a chest that was about 18" across, and while he was unable to see or notice hands, legs, or feet in the darkness, it did appear to have such features. The creature's skin tone, from what he could see, was a dull grayish blue that was only noticeable due to the glowing of the being's head. The being who the officer now realized was sleeping or resting on the ground seemed to notice him as the creature proceeded to turn towards his direction and face him; the creature did this very briefly before turning towards the other way as if checking to see if there was any other traffic and then began to run in that direction it now faced. The officer stared in utter disbelief as the being seemed to have an unnaturally fast speed; as the creature moved, the officer could see that the creature's arms were swinging as it moved, and he would describe the whole scenario thusly “It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen…It was faster than anything I have ever seen. It was there, then it was gone.” He watched the bioluminescent creature for some time until it eventually disappeared into the night; this whole experience lasted around 10 seconds. After the creature was gone, the officer proceeded to move his car to the spot and searched the area for some evidence of the being by the light of his vehicle spotlight; however, he saw nothing indicative. The officer, a short time after his sighting, would later draw a sketch of the creature and tell the encounter to Stan Gordon. Gordon would write about the report on his UFO Anomalies Zone website.

Around a month later, a similar creature was reported around the same area. This second sighting which happened around Mid-September and was reported by a witness who saw the creature near the woods by his house. The creature was described very much the same as it had the glowing sphere-shaped skull and was sickly in form and about 6ft tall. The creature's skin, however, was noticeably different as it was an Ivory-colored being. The witness watched the creature for some time until it began to exit the woods and wander onto his property; realizing that this luminous lurker was now much closer than he cared to have contact with began to run into his home and lock the doors. Upon returning to look outside, however, the creature was noticeably gone. With this encounter, it ends the recorded account of the Illuminous Being of Westmoreland County.

For those familiar with the 1987 film Hellraiser, which was based on Barker's novella and also directed by him, some may wonder why I would compare the creature reported in 2017 to the being which in the film was a bizarre fleshy abomination that moved by holding onto walls and walking upside down. However, those familiar with the book will clearly see the similarities the Engineer who in Barker’s novel was the leader of the Cenobites and in the novel was a bizarre being who was humanoid in form but whose head was a bizarre white-colored glowing or fiery light, and after Kirsty had given Frank to the Cenobites, the entity gave her the infamous Lament Configuration. This depiction which is quite different from the film, is eerily similar to the entity reported, and upon attempting to find anything closely similar in both Fortean literature and literature of Folklore, Mythology, and Legends, I've been unable to find anything even noteworthily similar except for the skeletal frame of the creature, which is seen in countless paranormal entities, yet none have the most important feature which is the glowing orblike head.

While there's nothing similar in the annals of Fortean studies to this being, where are we to go with this report? Skeptically speaking, one could point to the novel as being the inspiration for a hoax perpetrated by the author if he happens to be both a horror fan and avid reader, yet if one were to perpetrate a hoax from such source material, why would you pick the most esoteric enigmatic entity of the bunch and not one of the more classical depictions such as Pinhead, Chatterer, or any of the other countless cenobites featured on screen or in the novels or comics. Also, the fact that there was a sighting of a similar creature sometime later also adds another layer since the fact that you now have two witnesses describing almost exactly the same entity in a short duration of time at different spots implies one of three possibilities either the second witness read Stan Gordon’s initial report on the being and then continued to perpetrate a hoax, That the witness was also basing the sighting on Clive Barker’s novel and that the witness as well chose the Engineer as the basis, or thirdly and seemingly where I stand they both saw a very viable phenomenon.

While the skeptical aspect really doesn't seem to hold water with this case finding a simple Fortean category to place this creature in is just as difficult. It's safe to say that it is not a cryptid as there's nothing in nature that we are aware of that has a seemingly featureless glowing head. Now, however, to play devil's advocate, perhaps this entity might be a cryptid perhaps the glowing ball which the officer assumed was a head might be instead some false feature akin to a lantern fish's light or some sort of Aposematism or mimicry that serves some as yet unknown purpose. Perhaps if this is the case, the creature has some other feature hidden in the torso region that could be more like something we would recognize as traditional biology. Yet, of course, this is all speculation. I will say in addition to this if this is a biological cryptid, the implications of it to other Fortean phenomena that have been reported like spook lights and other anomalous lights in the woods could actually be these creatures and that the rest of their forms are hidden in darkness again however this is all speculation.

The next possibility is that the being could be an extraterrestrial of some kind. There are countless cases of glowing entities associated with UFOs, several of which have been reported in Pennsylvania, so perhaps this entity is just another example of this. Also, the possibility exists that if this is an extraterrestrial, then it would have countless chances to have all sorts of evolutionary possibilities that could result in the entity witnessed. The only problem with this hypothesis, however, is that the being was not seen in conjunction with a UFO. There are tons of UFO sightings in Westmoreland County, and it is one of the highest areas in regard to such sightings in the state. Yet during this set of sightings, there was not a sighting of a craft in the area, and if there was, it certainly would have been mentioned in the reports by Stan Gordon.

The next possibility would have to be an interdimensional or Ultraterrestrial entity if it is from some alternative dimension once again; much like the ET hypothesis, it has countless evolutionary possibilities, and also it could have access to our world or dimension without the aid of a craft. To me, this is perhaps the most plausible answer to this being simply based on the information reported. The Ultraterrestrial possibility is another theory that we cannot take off the table even though the being, in this case, seemingly did not have the effect that I traditionally associated with such an encounter with these creatures as their whole goal is to feed on our emotions most specifically our fear. The short spurt of the sightings also does not seem to be as long as a sighting with an Ultraterrestrial should be as if these creatures feed off our emotions the brief 10 seconds does not seem to be an adequate time to even get a decent snack, let alone a stomach-filling meal of terror. However, once again, one cannot take this possibility off the table.

With beings such as this, they exist in their own category, which should be called the "Inexplicables" they are bizarre beings that seem to just pop into our world and disappear back from whence they came. This being, as with most of these beings, does not have a simple answer and, compared to all other Fortean categories, does not seem to fit in the already teeming files of Cryptids and Aliens and seems to be evidence of the veracity of some of those other categories that are often looked down upon such as Interdimensional beings, Faeries, Demons, or Ultraterrestrials or perhaps this being is an example of something we have no term for yet. I think about this possibility often and am both fascinated and frustrated by the possibility, yet I can only speculate as to just what this being is.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Extraterrestrial, Interdimensional, or some other paranormal entity.

Location: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Sighted: Late August and Mid-September 2017

Works Cited:

Gordon, Stan “Mysterious UFOs, Bigfoot and Cryptid Encounters Reported Across Pennsylvania in 2017”. Stan Gordon’s UFO Anomalies Zone. January 15, 2018. https://www.stangordon.info/wp/2018/01/15/mysterious-ufos-bigfoot-and-cryptid-encounters-reported-across-pennsylvania-in-2017/. Accessed January 29, 2022.

Gordon, Stan “Police Officer Encounters Strange Creature with Glowing Head in Pennsylvania- Late August 2017”. Stan Gordon’s UFO Anomalies Zone. August 30. 2017. https://www.stangordon.info/wp/2017/08/30/police-officer-encounters-strange-creature-with-glowing-head-in-pennsylvania-late-august-2017/. Accessed January 29, 2022

The Hampshire Cyclops

 The Hampshire Cyclops

By Cole Herrold

Cryptids and Aliens have appeared in all sorts of guises and descriptions. Oft times, these beings have features or elements similar to those of mythological and folkloric beings that raise the bar as to whether our ancestors' legends or descriptions of these creatures we take as fantasy could be potentially real encounters. The weirdest of these are those beings that not only seem to defy evolution but also seem to be a combination of multiple mythological creatures. One such encounter that seemed to be a cross between the Greek Cyclops and both the Acephali and Blemmyes these figures are beings that are humanoid in form but missing a head and feature facial features on the chest and stomach instead. The latter of these figures are reported in many early manuscripts and were extensively covered before and during the middle ages by such travelers as Pliny the Elder and Herodotus. These figures are almost nonexistent in the annals of modern Fortean studies; however, there are occasionally reports of such creatures or creatures of a similar description in modern times.

It was about 11:00 at night on February 21, 2004, and Emily Parkinson of Hampshire, England, was lying in bed waiting for her husband to come home. As she lay in wait comfortably wrapped in the warmth of the blanket, she noticed a bizarre bright white light that seemed to reflect in the mirror. Thinking that perhaps this was her husband coming home, she got up to go check at the nearby window. As she peered into the darkness, she did notice a bizarre figure standing in the yard, but as she looked closer, she could tell that the figure was far from human. As the figure turned, she could tell that it was about 6ft tall and looked very human-like but where there should have been a head was a smooth layer of flesh that stretched from the shoulder blades making the creature headless. The creature, however, was not devoid of features that one would find on the face, for as Emily looked the anomalous entity over, she noticed a large globular mass protruding from the region of the entity's stomach. This mass which she soon could tell was the creature's eye, was described as having several round black circles in it, each one smaller than the last, which gave it the appearance of some sort of Tim Burton-esque Christmas ornament. The creature seemed to notice that it was witnessed, and as the two stared back at each other, the strange eye-like organ began to create a kind of incredibly high pitch sound that she would claim seemed to penetrate her mind. Whether there was some type of communication or whether this was some sort of mind-reading is unknown, but Emily was certain that it had some sort of purpose. Emily was filled with terror by the strange nature and behavior of the creature and could not look away from the strange being as she watched; however, the entity began to slowly fade away, its flesh becoming more and more transparent before it finally disappeared. Leaving her once again alone on her property, she kept her story to herself for some time before she ultimately reported her sighting to the now-defunct site Iwasabducted.com.

This encounter is exceptionally bizarre as it features many elements that one would associate with an extraterrestrial or faerie encounter; however, there are elements of this case that are not classically associated with either phenomenon. The phenomenon of cyclops extraterrestrials are not uncommon; there have been several semi-famous reports of such beings over the years, such as the Belo Horizonte encounter where several orange-skinned cyclops aliens were reported, and a Cyclops species is included in MUFON’s The Extraterrestrial Species Almanac; however, these species are cyclops in the classical Greek sense of the word they have a single eye in a head even amongst other non-humanoid aliens who also are reported as having a single eye or mass that one would be considered an eye like in the Space Brains of Pelos Verdes case none exactly match the description of the entity seen in Hampshire and again even amongst the widely catalogued space parade almost all have some sort of head.

If this creature did not have the supernatural abilities of a potential mind scan and the ability to fade away, I would entertain the cryptid possibility even though it is less likely. There is a tradition of headless races described in folklore, such as the Acephali and Blemmyes as mentioned earlier; there also are countless creatures that are often reported headless such as the Grafton Monster of West Virginia, which was seemingly devoid of facial features but like the entity, in this case, did release a high pitched noise that was described as a whistling sound. Another headless creature was Mothman, who in the 66'-67' description did have a pair of bright red eyes seemingly placed in the chest region of the body, much like the creature here. Now the problem with this, of course, is that these creatures, except for possibly Mothman, do not have any direct supernatural connection as in the case of the Grafton Monster, there were no UFOs or anomalous lights seen in the area during the sighting and the creature did not have any of the mental or psionic abilities described in the Hampshire case nor did any witness during the flap of sightings report it disappearing in plain sight.

The fact that there was a bright light seen even though it was a form of reflection seems to once again indicate the extraterrestrial angle even though an exact species of this variety has never been reported, at least to my knowledge before. The bizarre behavior of this beast seems to indicate at some sort of sentience, and even the fading away or disappearing element is something that has been reported over the years in other extraterrestrial cases. If one looks at the incredible vastness of the universe, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that some organism could have evolved in this manner on another planet, and so from this, it is one of the most likely, if not the main explanation to this creature.

While the extraterrestrial possibility is more likely the best option for identifying the origin of the being, however, it is not the only one. The other possibility that could explain this creature is the faerie option. Faeries are often associated with bright lights, the ability to fade away or disappear, and anomalous sounds that cause some sort of deliriousness or trance-like state, all of which we see in this case. One-eyed faeries are also rather common in lore and in antediluvian encounters; however, while there is a lot of things similar with the fae in this encounter, there is nothing at least that I'm aware of that matches this being that comes from the Other World or Faerie Land. There is, of course, the possibility that this is some undiscovered or uncatalogued species, but the fact that there are how many thousands of years of recorded encounters and nothing exactly matching makes this hypothesis unlikely.

Of course, as with just about every Fortean case, there is also the chance of this entity being an interdimensional or Ultraterrestrial as both possibilities are plausible in this case. The fact that this entity appeared and disappeared is something we would associate with both these types of beings; if this creature was from another dimension, it, much like an extraterrestrial, would have countless evolutionary possibilities. The fact that there was a definite response of fear from the form the creature was described as would also add to the possibility that this being could have been intentional if it was an Ultraterrestrial for the sole purpose of feeding off fear or some other emotion or even chemical response.

Just what this entity is, we can only speculate; however, this case is incredibly interesting, and I really wish there were further sightings or more information on this being. It's cases like this that make you scratch your head and go, "what the hell" it just doesn't exactly match anything in the classic Fortean literature. There are elements of the fae, cryptids, and extraterrestrials in this case, and yet none are exactly the same as one particular category. This case is just one of those completely bizarre cases that will never be explained and one that more than likely will never be reported again.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Extraterrestrial species, Faerie

Location: Hampshire, England

Sighted: February 21, 2004

Works Cited:

The Inhumanoids By Barton M. Nunnelly

Soul-Drifter “UFOnauts: The Strange Ones." Alien Hub. February 28, 2010. https://www.alienhub.com/threads/ufonauts-the-strange-ones.22913/page-30. Accessed January 29, 2022.