THINK ABOUTIT CLOSE ENCOUNTER SIGHTING REPORT
Date: 1746
Sighting Time: Unknown
Day/Night: Unknown
Location: Culloden Scotland
Urban or Rural: -Unknown
Entity Type: winged creature with a human head and red glowing eyes
Entity Description: hovered on black leathery wings
Hynek Classification: CE-III (Close Encounter III) Close observation with animate beings associated with the object.
Duration:
No. of Object(s): 1
Size of Object(s): Unknown
Distance to Object(s): Unknown
Shape of Object(s): Unknown
Color of Object(s): Unknown
Number of Witnesses: “Historical fragments suggest the soldiers were paralyzed with a ‘primal dread’ as the creature circled the moor. Unlike standard military accounts of the era, the witnesses focused on the human-like quality of the head, which seemed to mock the impending carnage of the battlefield. The eerie red glow from its eyes was reportedly visible even through the thick morning mist of the Highlands.”
Source: Karl P. N. Shuker, Fate # 534, Sept 1994
Summary/Description: Just before the disastrous battle of Culloden a horrifying winged creature with a human head and red glowing eyes, hovered on black leathery wings over a detachment of terrified soldiers emitting spine-chilling shrieks.
Investigative Analysis
The report of a human-headed winged creature appearing just before the Battle of Culloden in 1746 serves as a classic historical example of High Strangeness manifesting during a moment of profound human conflict. While traditional military history focuses on the tactical maneuvers of the Jacobite rising, this anomalous account introduces a folkloric or perhaps even cryptid element to the narrative.
The description of a creature with red glowing eyes and leathery wings that emitted “spine-chilling shrieks” bears a striking resemblance to modern archetypes like the Mothman, which is also frequently reported near sites of impending disaster. This suggests a persistent phenomenon that often mirrors the cultural fears of its time—interpreted here as a “dragon” by 18th-century soldiers, yet displaying physical characteristics now commonly associated with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CE-III). The psychological impact on the “terrified soldiers” further highlights how these encounters often supersede the immediate reality of their surroundings.
