Giants in the Sky
The Persistence of Myth in the Modern World
“Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.” — J.B.S. Haldane
Is it possible to see something that doesn’t exist?
Let’s follow that up with a second question. Can something exist but not be “real?” And if so, would it be possible for some people to see it anyway?
Throughout human history, people have interacted with various beings that are now largely discounted by science, and yet “sightings” persist. Faeries, satyrs, dragons; gods and goddesses by the hundreds; tree spirits and water spirits; witches, gremlins, unicorns and werewolves: the list is inexhaustible. Some apparitions are cultural or religious in nature, such as the Virgin Mary. Others are associated with places, like Yeti or forest gnomes. They are everywhere and everywhen. They pop up in religious texts, in folklore, on cave walls and in modern-day news articles.
A recent spate of creature encounters involves sightings of giant birds in several parts of the United States. One of these took place in Southeast Alaska in January of 2018. A Juneau woman on her way to the bank saw an enormous, dark bird flying above her car. Its wingspan, she claimed, easily stretched the width of the road: about 20 feet from…
