Edinburgh Fortean Society
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edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Edinburgh Fortean Society
@edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
1K followers 70 following 290 posts
Oldest Fortean Society in Scotland.

http://www.edinburghforteansociety.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/162025221364
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edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdFortSoc: 12th Nov 2025, 7.30pm

@anatomicalcat.bsky.social will be speaking on:

Will You Join The Dance? A brief history of the Danse Macabre

Plus!
Grand auction of books, etc.!
The Royal Oak
1 Infirmary Street
Edinburgh
7.30pm, £1
Will You Join The Dance? A brief history of the Danse Macabre The Dance of Death was an artistic trope that began in the fifteenth century to show death as the great leveller: everyone will die, from the lowliest peasant to the king and the pope. Death is depicted as a skeleton, leading people from all walks of life to join his dance. This talk will look at the origins of this image, and the way it evolved, and tied in with other memento mori images, as well as reflecting shifts in anatomical understanding. Cat’s Bio: Cat Irving has been the Human Remains Conservator for Surgeons’ Hall since 2015 and has been caring for anatomical and pathological museum collections for over twenty years. After a degree in Anatomical Science she began removing brains and sewing up bodies at the Edinburgh City Mortuary. Following training in the care of wet tissue collections at the Royal College of Surgeons of England she worked with the preparations of William Hunter at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University, where she is now Consultant Human Remains Conservator. Cat is a licensed anatomist, and gives regular talks on anatomy and medical history. She recently carried out conservation work on the skeleton of serial killer William Burke. Auction There will also be an auction of donated books etc. So please bring any Fortean related books or other things you would like to donate, and also some cash. The auction proceedings will be split between group funds and a charity to be decided on the night. Wednesday 12th of November The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary Street Edinburgh 7.30pm, £1 The Dance of Death as depicted in Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film "The Seventh Seal", with the knight and his five companions, now dead from the plague, dancing in a chain behind the Grim Reaper.
October 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Homer Simpson saying "The Bus that couldn't slow down".
September 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdFortSoc : Wed 10th Sept., 7.30pm

Ewan Irvine talking on:

Between Fear and Faith: A Medium Who Still Sleeps With the Lights On

The Royal Oak
1 Infirmary Street
Edinburgh
7.30pm, £1
The next meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society will be Ewan Irvine talking on: Between Fear and Faith: A Medium Who Still Sleeps With the Lights On From the wide-eyed curiosity of 18 to the weathered wisdom of 56, my journey has been a collision of chills and charm—a lifetime spent straddling the line between skeptic and believer. I’ve coaxed stories from the departed and unraveled mysteries in haunted halls, yet I still sprint up the basement stairs like a kid fleeing monsters. Why? Because the dark reminds me that wonder and terror are two sides of the same coin. This talk isn’t about conquering fear; it’s about how the unseen world taught me to embrace the aliveness of being spooked—and why every shadow holds a story waiting to be heard. Wednesday 10th of September The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary Street Edinburgh 7.30pm, £1
September 9, 2025 at 2:22 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Charles Addams probably started the story in 1946.*

*citation needed
A cartoon by Charles Addams showing Lurch standing on the roof of the Addams family home, about to pour boiling liquid onto carol singers far below. Mr and Mrs Addams look on excitedly.
September 4, 2025 at 11:44 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster.
August 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
A faked screenshot from the Wikipedia page "History of the Internet": The history of the Internet originated in the efforts of scientists and engineers to build a global media presence for the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) in Reading, England, and by extension the global awareness of Absolute Units. The Internet Protocol Suite, the set of rules used to communicate between networks and devices on the Internet, arose from research and development at the University of Reading and involved international collaboration, particularly with researchers in the United Kingdom and France
August 9, 2025 at 9:17 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Charles Fort wearing a party hat with a party blower thing in his mouth. He looks down to party.
August 6, 2025 at 5:24 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdFortSoc : Wed 9th July
Gavin Ritchie: The Unavoidable Subject
An apple falls in gravity irrespective of the hand that drops it, so why are outcomes in parapsychology so dependent on the individuals involved? This presentation explores subjectivity within experiences of psi and the paranormal.
Next EdFortSoc : Wednesday 9th of July The next meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society will be Gavin Ritchie talking on: The Unavoidable Subject An apple falls in gravity irrespective of the hand that drops it, so why are outcomes in parapsychology so dependent on the individuals involved? This presentation explores subjectivity within experiences of psi and the paranormal. If our individuality truly is a decisive factor in these experiences, what might that tell us about the reality of reported phenomena, or even, about reality itself? Wednesday 9th of July The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary Street Edinburgh 7.30pm, £1
July 8, 2025 at 9:59 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Toot!
June 30, 2025 at 9:44 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Post an unusual sign.

Otters crossing, 100 yds. Orkney.
Road warning sign on a post - silhouette of an otter with the text "Otters crossing, 100 yards"
June 27, 2025 at 12:18 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Knowing how to grow your own food would be very useful during/after a zombie apocalypse.
Cillian Murphy wearing hospital garb standing in front of a very informative "Grow your own" display of agricultural tools at the MERL.
June 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
The Diss Express on www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk is quite useful. The "lioness", August 1996 :
June 17, 2025 at 11:07 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdfortSoc : Wed 11th June
Gordon Rutter : You Cannot Be Serios! Thoughtography
Next EdFortSoc : Wednesday 11th June 2025 The next meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society will be Gordon Rutter talking on: You Cannot Be Serios! Thoughtography Ted Serios was a Chicago bellhop who claimed he could imprint images onto photographic film and Polaroids using only the power of his mind. How were the images produced? Was Serios the first person who claimed this ability? And what has happened since the 1960’s heyday of Ted Serios? Come along to find out more about Ted Serios and his strange abilities. Wednesday 11th June The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary Street Edinburgh 7.30pm, £1
June 5, 2025 at 7:41 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Gary Larson cartoon - a man standing on a stage is placing his hands on a vacuum cleaner saying "I command the foul demons that have clogged this vacuum cleaner to come OUT!". Other people on the stage are holding electrical items. The caption says "Appliance healers".
May 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Re : The "Sorcerer" painting - think the first time I was introduced to that was through 2000AD's "Slaine" and the character Slough Feg...
Cropped page from the comic strip "Slaine" in 2000AD. A woman going through a cave and seeing a giant cave painting of Slough Feg, a horned man.
May 9, 2025 at 6:43 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
There are a few photos of it on stock sites. All describe it as being from Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria.
Cave painting of unknown creature. From Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria.
May 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
And the correct answers were :
A squirrel, a wooden postcard with a horse skull laser-engraved on it (thanks @skullsandsheets.bsky.social ) and a brass cannon.
Congratulations to anyone who got anywhere close!
A cute little squirrel, a wooden postcard with a horse skull laser-engraved on it and a brass cannon on wheels.
May 7, 2025 at 11:08 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Yum! Reminds me a bit of when I baked a brick-shaped cake in honour of @themerl.bsky.social a few years ago :)
A delicious sponge cake that looks vaguely like a brick.
May 3, 2025 at 11:34 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
If you see this, post your getaway vehicle.
A low-quality black and white "photo" of Bigfoot riding Nessie (the "Surgeon's photo", a famous fake of Nessie sticking her head out of the water)
May 3, 2025 at 8:36 AM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Seymour?
Fry from "Futurama" holding the fossilized remains of his dog from a thousand years ago, a mongrel called Seymour. Bender the robot looks on, scowling at the dog, as he feels usurped.
April 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdFortSoc : Wed 9th April

Michael Cox : The Tarves Beastie: A Forgotten Gef?

7.30 pm, downstairs in The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary St, Edinburgh EH1 1LT, £1 entry
The next meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society Michael Cox will be talking on The Tarves Beastie: A Forgotten Gef? Did Gef the Talking Mongoose have a contemporaneous Scottish cousin: the Tarves Beastie? Join us as we unearth a neglected 1930s poltergeist case from Aberdeenshire, and explore the startling correlations between this obscure haunting and that of the Isle of Man's charismatic man-weasel. Wednesday the 9th of April 7.30 pm Downstairs in The Royal Oak,1 Infirmary St, Edinburgh EH1 1LT, £1 entry
March 26, 2025 at 6:27 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Next EdFortSoc : Tonight!
Ann Jones : Into the Goblin Universe: Ted Holiday’s Tales of the Unexplained
How did the angling correspondent of the Western Mail find himself helping an Anglican priest perform an exorcism of the Loch Ness monster?
The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh
7.30pm, £1
Next EdFortSoc : Wednesday 12th March The next meeting of the Edinburgh Fortean Society will be Ann Jones talking on: Into the Goblin Universe: Ted Holiday’s Tales of the Unexplained How did the angling correspondent of the Western Mail find himself helping an Anglican priest perform an exorcism of the Loch Ness monster? Join us as we trace Ted Holiday’s extraordinary Fortean journey encountering ghosts, ley lines, UFOs and lake monsters as he tries to unravel the paranormal mysteries of the Phantom Menagerie and unlock the sinister secrets of the Goblin Universe. Wednesday 12th March The Royal Oak 1 Infirmary Street Edinburgh 7.30pm, £1
March 12, 2025 at 6:17 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
And one of questionable paleontological accuracy. @tetzoo.bsky.social Is this technically accurate?
Pterodactyl Costume Fan : LEGO minifigure of person dressed in grey costume with underarm wings and a pterodactyl hat.
March 9, 2025 at 1:53 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
New desktop buddy!
LEGO minifigure. Grey Alien dressed as a tourist in shirt, t-shirt, backpack and hat. Holds a lego camera.
March 9, 2025 at 1:49 PM
edinburghforteansociety.org.uk
Unlike you, I get my news from a reliable source.
A scene from 1922 film "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler", portraying a seance.
February 24, 2025 at 10:50 AM