FORGOTTEN HISTORY SERIES: THE CYGNUS MYSTERY
Review for Netflix

by Christopher Fulkerson

CF's Composition Desk

BLISS
Unusual Aerial Phenomenon Over San Francisco Bay
Photograph by Christopher Fulkerson
Copyright 1999 by Christopher Fulkerson
All Rights Reserved

 

Well worth watching, about the effects of the constellation Cygnus, "the Swan," on humanity, author Andrew Collins has personally researched his subject thoroughly and traveled the world, including North America, where he even shows interesting footage of avian images at an American Indian sacred site. The presumably preexisting stock footage of an American Indian chief in a headdress seems less reliable; who among us nowadays knows whether he's saying "this is Cygnus talking" or "Do this to dodge the draft" or "the moil is having a half-off sale?" There are (sic) "several spots around the world" where astronomical "underground facilities" are located under "over a thousand feet of solid rock," yet could all simultaneously sense a "certain burst" emanating from Cygnus's "cosmic canon" or "gunbarrel"... which is actually very well depicted, if you don't need an apple to the head to understand. (If this is more about thunderbolts, I refer to a previous class action suit.) Cygnus X-3, the "first recorded microblazer" in this galaxy, is identified as the probable source, for 700,000 years or more, of radiation reaching Earth; pointed directly at Earth, from its binary structure it jets out incredibly vast amounts of particles now called "Cygnets," that even the arriere-garde Carl Sagan thought could affect human DNA. (Apparently, if Sagan believed it, it must be straight-up science.) The implication seems to be that the characteristics of the living can be enhanced, a bit of a stretch, but sounds good to me, sign me up, I'll order a double. Mr. Collins is very articulate, though one or two of his words are somewhat ambiguous due to his dialect; somewhere near the beginning, for example, his use of the word "Orientated" rather than "Oriented" is a bit of a grind. The scientific and folkloric material is examined; an equation between Horus and Sokar in ancient Egyptian falcon lore is helpfully offered, though there is no mention of Wagner's repeated use of swan themes, and it stops short of showing you how to cook your Thanksgiving turkey. Clearly, more research is called for...anyone for seconds?

**************

Copyright 2010 by Christopher Fulkerson

Posted 4/11/2010.

HOME

PRINCIPAL WORKS

OTHER WRITINGS

OCCASIONAL ONLINE REVIEWS

WRITINGS ON CLASSICAL LITERATURE