June's Paranormal Factoids

I usually try to share a collection of my favorite links each month, but this month I decided it might be fun to shake things up a little bit.  This month, instead of my favorite links, I'll be sharing a collection of random paranormal factoids that I've run across in my research.  Enjoy!

1. General George S. Patton Believed in Reincarnation

General George S. Patton, WWII military hero, not only firmly believed in reincarnation, but he believed that he was reincarnated over and over again into the military life of a soldier.  It is unclear as to when, where and why Gen. Patton developed this theory, but when asked about the subject by his nephew and biographer the General had this to say:  "I don't know about other people; but for myself there has never been any question.  I don't just think it, I know there are places I've been before, and not in this life."

Evidence of Patton's alleged reincarnation may or may not have occurred when he was a young soldier in WWI.  He was stationed at a tank school in France, and even though he'd never been there before, was able to pinpoint various points of interest, many known only to a few archaeologists, of an old Roman drill ground that once stood there.  Patton even expressed his beliefs in reincarnation with a poem which ends in the following verse:

So forever in the future,
Shall I battle as of yore
Dying to be born a fighter
But to die again once more

WV connection:  George S. Patton's grandfather, also George Patton, practiced law in Charleston, WV and was killed during the Civil War.

2. The Bell Witch and Other Poltergeist Craziness!

Since most people are fairly familiar with the Bell Witch Haunting, I thought I'd share a couple of facts that aren't as well known as the general summary of the story, but in case you need a refresher, check out THIS LINK:

     *An American Haunting was a movie about the Bell Witch that explored the theory that the cause of the
       activity stemmed from a possible inappropriate relationship between Betsy Bell and her father, John.  It
       appears that Dr. Nandor Fodor, parapsychologist, was the first person to present this theory as the
       cause of the manifestations.

    *According to a book written by descendant Dr. Charles B. Bell, the Bell Witch made several predictions
      concerning world events that came true.  The Bell Witch also predicted the end of the world by "rapidly
      expanding heat, followed by a mighty explosion."  No date has been given for this prediction.

    *One of the first manifestations of the Bell Witch was a sucking, lip-smacking noise described as an
      infant nursing.  This sound is often heard at the start of extremely violent poltergeist incidents, and is
      theorized as being a symbolic act of the poltergeist being "born" and suckling "nourishment" to grow.

3. Elvis--Seen: Dead or Alive?

Famous singer Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977.  Possibly the very first sighting of his ghost came within hours of his death when a local farmer spotted The King on his property.  The farmer, who knew Presley well, asked him what he was doing there, to which he replied, "I've come to say goodbye for awhile."  At that moment, the farmer's wife ran out to announce that she had just heard on the radio that Elvis Presley had died.  The farmer turned, and the image of his friend had disappeared.

But it seems that for every story of seeing Elvis' ghost, there are TWO stories of seeing Elvis as a living, breathing person.  The first incident of such seems to be a truck driver who picked up a hitchhiker, who later identified himself as The King.  However...it wasn't until 1987-1988 when the sightings really took off, beginning with a spotting of Presley at a Michigan grocery store by a lady named Louise Welling.  Tabloid papers picked up and exploited these stories, and further conspiracy theory provided plenty of "believable" explanations for why Elvis may still be alive.  The most popular theory was that Elvis was in the witness relocation program after he turned in some major drug-dealers.

4. Does Silver Kill Vampires?

Admittedly, this subject has a lot to do with seeing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter this weekend.  Everyone knows that silver bullets kill werewolves...but does silver really kill vampires?  If so, WHY?

In the movie, Henry explains to Lincoln that vampires have an aversion to silver because silver is a cursed man's curse.  This mythos comes from the idea that Judas betrayed Jesus over a sum of 30 silver coins.  In his remorse, he returned the money, but apparently silver became an accursed metal for the damned.  Despite some um, minor, research into this subject, I easily found where in the Bible it states that Judas was rewarded the 30 pieces of silver, but as expected, not much about vampires, lol.

What I DID find, however, was a much older legend as to why vampires have an aversion to silver.  It begins with the popular mythos of the world's very first vampire, a man named Ambrogio, who, through a series of curses and blessings meted out by Greek god Apollo and his sister Artemis, became what we know as today, a vampire.  It was Artemis who was responsible for the punishment of silver burning the skin.  For history on this subject, I suggest THIS LINK.

For more paranormal fun, be sure to follow Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State on FaceBook!