ALIEN ABDUCTION

Alien abduction: translation

   Stories of supposed survivors of space alien abductions have some similarities with shamans’ initiation narratives in which powerful other-than-human persons or spirits abduct, dismember, and reassemble shamanic initiates, especially when they are said to insert powerful artifacts into the abductee’s body. They also have parallels in shamanic healing narratives, again particularly those in which illnesses are caused by the insertion of artifacts into people’s bodies or by the abduction of their souls. Earlier versions of comparable narratives include abduction or kidnapping by fairies, Indians, gypsies, and devil worshippers. Debate about the implications of these parallels is complicated by their entanglement with commitments to the truth or falsity of claims made.