Dictionary of Paranormal Terms - B

Ball Lightning
A very rare and somewhat controversial phenomenon in which a small glowing sphere of light is witnessed, drifting through the air following a lightning strike. In most cases the ball lightning will last for only a minute or so before dissipating. There have been many accounts of ball lightning over the years. In one particularly notable case, a woman named Kitty Cox was out walking her dog in Scotland in 1966, when following a lightning strike she witnessed what she described as a 'luminous orange ball' drifting towards her. The ball went past her very rapidly, and was said to be 'hissing' with electrical charge. Some scientists believe that ball lightning is a sphere of plasma, and this seems to be the prevailing theory of the moment. Others however, remain skeptical.

Banshee
In Irish legend, a Banshee is a female spirit/fairy that wails to warn of a death. The word 'banshee' comes from the old Irish words 'ben', a woman, and 'side' a fairie, and means 'woman of the fairies'. The legend of the Banshees has been an integral part of Irish folklore for hundreds of years.

Beast of Bodmin Moor
Famous mystery animal that was first thought to be on the loose in the Cornwall area of Southern England in the early 1990's. Slain livestock and various sightings of Large Cats in the area led local officials to organise an investigation into the creature. It is thought that the Beast of Bodmin is an example of an Alien Big Cat, and is most likely to be a Puma. This was verified in 1997 when Puma prints were discovered in the area.

Beelzebub
One of the oldest and famous demonic figures, Beelzebub was considered to be Satan's right-hand, sometimes referred to as the 'Prince of Devils'. In Hebrew, the name Beelzebub means 'Lord of Flies'. It was said that he commanded disease, and would tempt men with pride.

Bekk-Bokk
One of the many regional names given to the Alma, a large ape-like creature thought to live in and around the Caucasus Mountains in Khazakhstan, Asia.

Bermuda Triangle
An area of the Atlantic Ocean in which mysterious phenomena and numerous inexplicable disappearances have occured. The first documented voyage in the Bermuda Triangle was that of Christopher Columbus. His journals have helped to piece together his account of his voyages in that area. The first strange occurrence related to sightings of seaweed and birds, indicating that they were close to land. This turned into disappointment however, when even days later, they had still not reached land. Soon afterwards, Columbus reported that his Compass had been acting strangely, and that his crew had witnessed "dancing lights" on the horizon. He also wrote about seeing a large ball of light falling from the sky.In the last 100 years, the Bermuda Triangle has claimed other 1000 lives. Since Columbus, over 100 boats and planes have disappeared without a trace. No wreckage is ever found, not a single body is recovered, and no explanation seems to be enough to fully satisfy everyone.

Biefield-Brown Anti-Gravity Effect
While researching the effects of X-rays generated from a Coolidge tube, American physicist, T. Townsend Brown found a relationship between gravity and high voltage. Press reports state that a 2 foot diameter disc was made to fly around a central pole when tethered and excited with a potential of 50 KiloVolts. The disc circled the pole at almost 12 MPH.Later improvements using 3 foot discs driven by potentials of 150 KiloVolts and up yielded results so spectacular that the test results were classified. Working in conjunction with Dr. P.A. Biefield, Brown found that highly charged capacitors when properly suspended showed a tendency to move relative to the gravitational force. When the poles of a freely suspended charged capacitor were placed on a horizontal axis, a forward thrust would be produced which would move the capacitor in the direction of the positive pole. The direction of thrust would reverse in conjunction with a polarity change. This is the phenomenon known as the Biefield-Brown Effect.Anti-gravity was demonstrated by placing the capacitor on a beam balance and charging it. When the positive pole pointed upwards, the condenser would move to a point of equilibrium, when the positive pole was pointed downwards, the balance would show a downward deflection.

Big Bang
A theory that attempts to explain how the Universe came into being. It states that in the very beginning, all the matter in the universe was condensed into an absolutely minute area of space. At a specific time in history ( some 13 - 20 Billion years ago ), the density of matter became at last greater than that of the surrounding radiation, thus resulting in the beginning of the universe's expansion. Even so, the galaxies did not begin to form from the Hydrogen and Helium clouds until over two billion years later.

Bigfoot
A large, ape-like creature that is famously believed to exist in parts of North America. The word 'Bigfoot' is also now widely used as a term to describe other examples of mystery primates worldwide, such as the Yeti or Alma. The Bigfoot phenomenon is one of the most well known in the world today, with many Bigfoot research organisations recording scores of sightings on an annual basis. There are numerous pieces of inconclusive evidence such as footprints, videos and photographs, but to date no single piece of evidence has been able to lead investigators to a universal conclusion on whether the creature exists or not. In 1967, two men, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, filmed footage of what looked like a tall ape-like humanoid walking across dried up Bluff Creek. It is thought that the video was hoaxed, however there still remains some doubt over this. The creature in the film is very convincing, and although it doesn't confirm the existence of Bigfoot, it gives a tantalising glimpse as to what the creature might be like if it were ever found to be a genuine animal.

Black Hole
Black Hole formation begins when a SuperGiant star dies and its core ends up collapsing in on itself. A Black Hole is created when the gravitational pull of this mass is so big, that the escape velocity is greater than that of light itself - thus nothing, not even light can escape from it. Therefore a black hole is genuinely "black" and can only be detected through the observation of the effects that it's gravitational force has on other nearby masses. Anything that is drawn up by the black hole will need to provide a speed greater than that of light to escape, which at the moment is regarded as impossible. See also - Super Massive Black Hole

Boardman and Tasker Tracks
The 'Boardman and Tasker Tracks' are alleged Yeti footprints left following an encounter reported by two mountaineers in the Himalayas. They allegedly heard a large creature crash through their campsite at night, and found that their belongings had been scattered when they awoke the next day. Borley Rectory
Known for it's reputation of being the most haunted house in England, Borley Rectory has been investigated by hundreds of researchers and experts over the years. The Rectory was built back in 1863 by Reverend Henry Bull, but was later destroyed by a large fire in February 1939. The house was located in Essex near the river Stour, and it was reported that a great deal of poltergeist and related phenomena did occur there even before anyone had moved in. In 1930, Reverend Lionel Foyster and his family moved there, but left only 5 years later after a staggering 2000 accounts of unexplained paranormal phenomena. From strange writing which appeared on a regular basis on the walls, to unusual apparitions and figures appearing to be moving through the gardens at night - the family were constantly plagued by these disturbing supernatural occurrences and events. The last people to live in Borley Rectory were Captain William Gregson and his family, and after the fire it was believed that the ghosts had actually moved across the road to the nearby Borley Church.

Brown Lady
Considered by some to prove once and for all that ghosts exist beyond reasonable doubt, The "Brown Lady" photograph is one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken. Seen in the photograph as floating effortlessly up a flight of stairs, The "Brown Lady" as it is referred to, has been sighted by dozens of people in Raynim Hall (Norfolk) as long ago as 1835. The ghost is allegedly that of a woman who used to live in Raynim hall before she died.

Brown Mountain Lights
A famous spectacle of strange lights that have been reported for over 800 years at Brown Mountain, a long low-lying ridge that is located on the border of Burke and Caldwell in North Carolina, USA. Most of the sightings of the Brown Mountain Lights describe them as being 'balls of illumination', moving in groups, in particular at the side of the ridge. They are often white, but have been seen to turn red, green, blue, yellow and other colours aswell. On the whole the behaviour of the lights is highly unpredictable. One theory, is that the lights are being caused by swamp gas released by dying plant and animal matter. Unfortunately this does not seem to apply to Brown Mountain, where no swampy areas exist, and any gas that is released quickly dissipates. Other theories put forward include Ball Lightning, electrically charged plasma and even UFO activity, but to date nobody has truly solved the mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights.