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'I Figured That in My Dreams, I Remembered What Actually Happened': On Abduction Narratives as Emergent Folklore
Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Ethnology, History of Religions and Gender Studies, History of Religions.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2787-7438
2021 (English)In: Handbook of UFO Religions / [ed] Benjamin E. Zeller, Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2021, p. 197-232Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

During the latter half of the twentieth century, a narrative tradition around purported abductions by the hands of extraterrestrial entities has emerged. Narratives detailing such events were originally made famous by the purported capture of Betty and Barney Hill on September 19, 1961, and has become more and more prominent within both ufology and general mass marketed popular culture. Recurringly, alien abductions include motif relating to sexuality and interspecies hybridization, and further place humanity in relation to a perceived non-human and superior other. As such, these narratives have often been compared to historical examples of beliefs around supernatural assault or capture. The present essay investigates this narrative tradition from a folkloric perspective, looking upon the development of alien abductions, and the narrative function of first-person memorates. Ultimately, the essay argues that abductions can be read as a contemporary legendry or mythology.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2021. p. 197-232
Series
Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion, ISSN 1874-6691 ; 20
National Category
History of Religions
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-191873DOI: 10.1163/9789004435537_010ISBN: 978-90-04-43437-0 (print)ISBN: 978-90-04-43553-7 (electronic)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-191873DiVA, id: diva2:1541801
Available from: 2021-04-04 Created: 2021-04-04 Last updated: 2022-02-25Bibliographically approved

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Östling, Erik A. W.

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CiteExportLink to record
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