Dictionary of Paranormal Terms - L

Lazar, Bob
A man who in 1989 came forward and claimed that he had been recuited by the US Military to work at the Area 51 facility in Nevada. Lazar gave descriptions of what he had witnessed while working there, inlcuding details of his alleged involvement with captured 'Alien' technology. It is thought by many that Lazar's story is nothing more than a work of creative fiction.

Legend of the Circle of 13 Skulls
A Native American legend that told of a collection of 13 Crystal Skulls that were said to hold the details of mankind's true purpose and destiny. A variety of Crystal Skulls have been discovered over the years, some dating back thousands of years. Despite efforts to combine 13 of these skulls in one place, no evidence of the knowledge said to be contained within them has ever been found.

Levitation
The act of being able to float in the air without support or without any apparant physical means. Levitation has been performed by Magicians for centuries as a magic trick, however genuine Levitation is also thought to be possible. Some believe that levitation can be put down to a form of Telekinesis. There have also been cases of alleged Levitation relating to hauntings, spirit possession and other Ghost related phenomena.

Ley Lines
Ley Lines are thought to be alignments of ancient and sacred sites, such as Stone Circles, churches, burial grounds and megaliths, and are considered to be sources of powerful earth energies. The points where Ley Lines cross are often found to be the subject of various Ghost phenomena, as well as sightings of UFOs and mysterious lights. It has been suggested that Spirits of the deceased draw energy from Ley Lines in order to help them manifest.

LITS
Abbreviation for 'lights in the sky'. It is the official term for anomalous luminous objects in the sky, mainly at night, that are unexplained. See also: Unidentified Flying Object.

Living Fossil
A term used to refer to a creature that is still alive today, but is or was thought to have become extinct. Maurice Burton wrote that "a living fossil is an organism that has survived beyond it's era". The most famous example of a Living Fossil is the Caolacanth, which was thought to have been extinct for millions of years until a live one was caught in the 1930's.

Loch Ness Monster
Famous creature thought to live in the depths of Britain's largest lake, Loch Ness, in Scotland. The most famous sightings and photographs of the creature indicate that it is a prehistoric Plesiosaur like animal, however this is now known to be impossible, since the Loch itself formed only as recent as the last ice age. There have been numerous studies into the existance of the creature, but to date no conclusive evidence has been found. Many scientists believe that the Loch would never be able to support a population of such large creatures, while others are of the impression that what people are seeing, are little more than logs, boat wakes and other mundane things. Sightings of the monster have dwindled in recent years, however tourism continues, with visitors arriving from all over the world to see if they can still catch a glimpse of this legendary cryptid.

Loveland Frog
A completely bizarre "creature" that was sighted several times over a long period of time by a number of different people in Loveland Ohio, from 1952 onwards. The creature was often witnessed in groups. The first person to witness this unlikely creature was driving along a country road in Loveland Ohio, when he noticed some odd looking animals at the side of the road. He pulled over to get a better look and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A number of strange amphibian-like creatures were moving along the side of the road. He claimed later that one of them "took out a wand like object and produced glowing sparks". A search of the area later revealed no signs of the creatures.Nothing was seen of the strange creatures for another 20 years, when in 1972 a policeman who was driving along that exact same road, spotted an odd beast crouched down at the side of the road. A few seconds later the frog-like creature stood up to reveal it's true size, and disappeared down an embankment towards a nearby river. 2 Weeks later on, and another similar animal was found by another policeman on the same road again. This time the policeman actually took a shot at the animal, but apparently missed as it scurried away into the undergrowth. Despite all these sightings, no physical evidence for the existence of the "Loveland Frogs" has ever been found.