A Mysterious Air-Battle and UFO-Sighting in Stralsund, 1665

UFO sightings and strange aerial phenomena are global and span all ages. Several unusual events occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries, and one of them—the Stralsund event of 1665—was especially well documented by Erasmus Francisci. He published several accounts of a mysterious air-battle in the sixth chapter of his book: Der Wunder-reiche Uberzug unserer Nider-Welt, Oder Erd-umgebende Lufft-Kreys, Nach seinem natürlichen Wesen, manchfaltigen Eigenschafften, Nutzen, und Würckungen, natür- und unnatürlichen, feuer- und wässerigen Erscheinungen, … erklärt. Nürnberg 1680.

Introduction

The excerpt you can read below this introduction comes from the sixth discourse of Erasmus Francisci, titled “Von den Wunder-Erscheinungen in der Lufft und den zauberischen Lufft-Fahrten” (“On Wondrous Appearances in the Air and Magical Flights”), included in his massive work Der Wunder-reiche Überzug unserer Nieder-Welt, published in Nuremberg in 1680.

Francisci (1627–1694) was a Baroque scholar, translator, moralist, and collector of marvel narratives. His work belongs to the late 17th-century tradition of so-called Wunderliteratur—compendia that gathered strange, frightening, or extraordinary events from newspapers, pamphlets, eyewitness testimonies, and older chronicles. These texts were not neutral reporting in the modern sense. Rather, they offered moral and theological reflections on divine providence, omens, and the role of the demonic in the world.

The sixth discourse deals specifically with phenomena “in the air”: celestial signs, aerial battles, phantom armies or ships in the sky, and what Francisci calls “magical flights.” In the early modern world, such phenomena were not understood as physical curiosities but as prodigia—signs bearing moral or political meaning.

The account of the alleged aerial sea battle above Stralsund on April 8, 1665 fits squarely within this framework. Francisci quotes and compares various printed sources and testimonies, yet his ultimate interest lies less in empirical verification than in interpretation. He reads the event as a possible omen of the naval wars that soon broke out between England and the Dutch Republic, drawing in other European powers as well.

At the same time, he concludes with theological caution. He considers three possible explanations:

1. The phenomenon was a genuine divine portent.

2. It was a sensory deception permitted by God.

3. It was a demonic operation: the devil shaping the air, projecting forms, or even staging phantom battles in order to deceive humankind.

This last possibility is characteristic of late 17th-century demonology, in which the air was regarded as a medium through which spiritual forces could manifest. Francisci’s text thus stands at the intersection of natural observation, omen literature, and demonology—a worldview in which heavenly phenomena could be physical, symbolic, and spiritual at once.

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Excerpt from the Event of Erasmus Francisci, in “Von den Wunder-Erscheinungen in der Lufft

…// When the flagship—the leading vessel—of both fleets (the Herz Adlerhaupt der beyden Flotten) was mentioned in the account of that sea battle, I was reminded of the battle said to have been seen in the air near Stralsund in Pomerania in 1665 by several fishermen.

These six men had put out onto the Baltic Sea on April 8 at two o’clock in the afternoon to fish. From the north they saw a great swarm of birds approaching. The birds circled for some time, gradually drew together into a single mass, and finally transformed into a warship sailing in from the north, followed by countless others of the same kind.

After these ships had maneuvered back and forth for a while, an equal number of warships appeared from the west, steering directly toward the first fleet. A fierce battle ensued, producing so much fire and smoke that the fishermen could scarcely make out anything except the two largest ships—one to the north, the other to the west.

Eventually the northern fleet was driven back and disappeared, while the western fleet remained in place.

Shortly thereafter two more fleets appeared: one from the east and one from the south, though with fewer and smaller ships. The earlier fleets engaged again so violently that the smoke from the cannon fire darkened the sky and obscured all sight. When the smoke cleared somewhat, it became evident that the western ship had been driven back and had lost its masts and sails. On its deck stood a man dressed in black, holding his hat under his right arm and resting his left hand on his hip.

While the two fleets faced each other—one to the north, the other to the west—a mighty ship advanced from the south, spewing flames from both sides (that is, from its cannon) for a long time, and unleashing thunder and lightning in numbers beyond counting.

At last the northern ship also vanished, while the western one remained. Then something fell from the sky: a round disc, about the size of an ordinary hat and the color of the waning moon. It seemed to hover directly above the principal church of Stralsund. The fishermen, overcome with fear and dread, could bear the sight no longer.

Duke D. Schäfer recorded these events in his work on Swedish memorials. In the printed newspaper I read at the time, “south” appeared once in place of “west,” and there were other minor variations—differences I could demonstrate from collected weekly reports.

According to the so-called “Registrator of Europe,” the six fishermen testified under oath on April 8, 1665, that while herring fishing about two miles from the town near Barhöft, they saw around two o’clock in the afternoon a great swarm of birds appear from the northeast. The swarm circled for a time, gathered into a mass that at first resembled a long gallery or corridor, and then transformed into a large warship from the north, followed by so many others that they could not count them.

After some time, large ships appeared from the south, steering toward the northeast. The fishermen saw a dreadful eruption of smoke and fire and were frozen with fear. The smoke was so dense that they could discern only two large ships, one to the south and one to the north, firing continuously at each other as though with the heaviest artillery.

The northern fleet eventually withdrew and seemed to disappear, while the southern fleet remained. Soon the northern fleet reappeared and advanced upon the southern. Two additional fleets then arrived, one from the west and one from the east, smaller than the previous ones.

Again the fleets engaged, and because of the sheer volume of fire and smoke, nothing could be seen. When the smoke lifted, the southern fleet retreated. The fishermen clearly saw that on one of the southern ships the masts and spars had been shot away. They also saw a man in brown garments, hat under his right arm and left hand on his hip, standing on deck and looking toward the crew. They saw the sailors moving about and the flags flying, though they could not determine their nationality.

Thereafter a great ship emerged from the west, projecting eight long beams from each side, from which smoke and flames continually burst. Numerous small vessels, such as yachts, sailed between the fleets.

Around six o’clock the northern fleet vanished from sight, while the southern remained. Shortly afterward, from the middle of the sky appeared a flat, round form like a plate, as large as a man’s hat and the color of the moon during an eclipse. It seemed to hover directly above St. Nicholas Church and remained there until evening.

Unable to endure the terrifying spectacle any longer, the fishermen returned to their huts. In the days that followed, they suffered severe trembling and pain in their hands, feet, heads, and other limbs. Many learned men have since reflected upon this event.

I read of this at the time in the common printed newspapers, but to be honest, I placed little faith in it. I thought the fishermen had perhaps “fished” it from the air—or from their imagination. Yet after the sea was later stained with so much blood, the account seemed more credible to me.

It cannot have been an idle rumor, for Duke Schäfer included it in his Memorabilia Gentis Suecicae. He supposed it to have been an omen of the war that broke out that same year between the English and the Dutch, in which the French and Danes also became involved, and from which Sweden did not remain entirely untouched.

I do not reject that interpretation, but I fear the sign may also have pointed ahead to later and even more terrible naval wars, in which English, French, and Dutch fleets repeatedly clashed and filled the sea with human blood.

As for what the disc-shaped form above Stralsund was meant to signify, one may perhaps conjecture when recalling that in 1670 St. Nicholas Church—especially its tower—was struck by lightning, and how severely the city later suffered during wartime, much of it set ablaze by Brandenburg firebombs.

Finally, I do not wish to deny the truth of such events. Yet it seems to me that the devil may blind people, so that they believe they see or hear something. Or he may shape the air in such a way that it presents various forms. Or—thirdly—he may indeed send forth a host of his servants into the air or upon the water, to produce such clamor and stage such phantom battles.//…

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This article is part of VAMZZZ’s ongoing exploration of occult traditions, folklore, and esoteric history.

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