Date:
August 14, 1947
Location: Villa Santina, Italy
Italian
artist R. L. Johannis was out painting when he noticed
a 30 ft. disc-shaped object landing nearby. Next, Signor
Johannis saw two child-sized beings standing alongside
the object. The artist hailed the creatures. It is possible
that this was interpreted as a hostile gesture, for one
of the beings touched the centre of its belt and projected
a thin vapour which caused the artist to fall dazed onto
his back. The creatures approached, picked up the artist's
easel, then returned to the craft. The object then rose,
hovered, and disappeared.
Drawing by the witness of the entities he encountered.
(credit: FSR)
Source:
Charles Bowen (ed.), The Humanoids, Flying Saucer Review
Special Issue (1966)
The
Villa Santina Case
On
June 24, 1947, airman Kenneth Arnold startled the world
with his claim to have seen nine discshaped objects travelling
in line ahead, and at fantastic speed, through the skies
over Mount Rainier. Arnold likened the objects, and their
movements, to "saucers skimming over water".
The era of the flying saucer was upon us.
Seven
weeks later, according to Italian artist R. L. Johannis,
there took place what was probably the first post-Arnold
"landing with entities" case in Europe. The
story has been recorded in the May 1964 edition of Clypeus
(organ of Centra Studi Clipeologici of Turin), and by
Antonio Ribera in his book El Gran Enigma de los Platillos
Volanies.
Signor
Johannis was out painting near the Chiarso creek, at Villa
Santina, close by Carnia (Friuli), on August 14, 1947.
The time was about 9 a.m. Suddenly he noticed a 30 ft.
disc-shaped object that had alighted some little distance
from him. Next, Signor Johannis saw two child-sized beings
standing alongside the object. The artist said that they
were about 3 feet tall, and were wearing dark blue coveralls
with a bright red collar and belt. They also wore spherical
helmets on heads that seemed larger than normal, but their
faces were not covered. Their faces had a greenish colour,
their eyes were large and plum coloured with a vertical
line (the pupil?) in the centre, and they had no eyelashes
or eyebrows. Each had a straight and rather !arge nose.
Their hands were claw-like, greenish in colour, and with
eight fingers on each, four opposed to four in the same
way that our thumbs are opposed to our fingers.
With
his paint brushes still in his hand, the artist hailed
the creatures. It is possible that this was interpreted
as a hostile gesture, for one of the beings touched the
centre of its belt and projected a thin vapour which caused
the artist to fall dazed onto his back. The creatures
then approached to within two yards of the prostrate artist
and stood examining his easel. Although weak, the artist
contrived to roll over, and saw the beings pick up the
easel which had been knocked down; he perceived that it
was taller than both of them. He also noticed that they
were panting heavily. They then returned to the disc-shaped
object and entered it, whereupon it rose from the ground,
hovered and, according to the account, disappeared.
When
the unfortunate artist had sufficiently recovered his
strength to be able to stand, he saw that his easel had
disappeared.
There
has been some criticism that the artist saw rather a lot,
particularly the colours, in a very short time. Surely,
however, this is where artists have a great advantage
over ordinary mortals: an artist's eye is quicker than
a camera, and I do not find it surprising that Signor
Johannis's brain could record such a mass of detail.
The
description of the belts is interesting, and it calls
to mind the belts of the entities in the Antonio Villas
Boas case—see Gordon Creighton's article. Also intriguing
is the account of the gas or vapour, heralding as it does
the incident of Cisco Grove which Mrs. Lorenzen describes
elsewhere in this issue.
[We
are indebted to Jacques Vallee and Donald HanIon for their
translation (paraphrased) from Antonio Ribera's version
of the incident—-Editor.]
Source:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case751.htm
