The Swedenborg Whale

Science News: Prehistoric Whale Discovered On The West Coast Of Sweden

ScienceDaily (June 8, 2009)

The skeleton of a whale that died around 10,000 years ago has been found in connection with the extension of the E6 motorway in Strömstad. The whale bones are now being examined by researchers at the University of Gothenburg who, among other things, want to ascertain whether the find is the mystical "Swedenborg whale".

There are currently four species of right whale. What is particularly interesting is that the size and shape of the whale bones resemble those of a fifth species: the mystical "Swedenborg whale", first described by the scientist Emmanuel Swedenborg in the 18th century.

"Bones from what is believed to be Swedenborg's right whale have previously been found in western Sweden. However, determining the species of whale bones found in earth is complicated and there is no definitive conclusion on whether the whale actually existed, it could equally well be a myth," says zoologist Thomas Dahlgren and his colleague Leif Jonsson.

DNA tests conducted

To determine the species of whale that has been found Thomas Dahlgren has conducted DNA tests that are to be analysed in conjunction with researchers at the Natural History Museum in London. The whale bones are interesting in several respects. The fragments of bone were collected in a clay deposit and remains of marine organisms that today are also endangered species were found around them.

"The hunt for the large whale species, which led to the extinction of the Atlantic grey whale and perhaps the Swedenborg whale, may also have caused the extinction of a large number of species that are dependent on whale carcasses for their survival," says Thomas Dahlgren.

Preserved in clay

The whale bones are thought to be around 10,000 years old and were found 75 metres above sea level, but in a site that at that time was located out on the coast. It is conjectured that the bones have been preserved for such a long time as they were surrounded by fine, oxygen-free clay. The largest whale bone, approximately 2.5 metres long, is part of a jawbone. Among the smaller bones is a vertebra. Discussions are underway on whether the bones can be put in order and potentially put on public display.

Facts about the Swedenborg whale (Balaena Swedenborgii)

The whale species is believed to have existed in the North Sea from the period when the inland ice melted until about 8,000 years ago, and subsequently to have died out. Ten collections of bones from the species have been found in the west of Sweden. However, there is speculation that the bones have been mistaken for other species, and that the Swedenborg whale never existed. Source: Swedish National Encyclopedia

Adapted from materials provided by University of Gothenburg.





Whale cartoon: http://cidutest.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/whalesongs.gif

Swedenborg & the Paranormal

If you looked at the Google home page a few days ago you would have noticed their logo had been playfully altered to show a UFO hovering over the letters while it beamed up the second letter O in "Google." For other creative past Google logos, see http://www.google-logos.com/category/official-google-logos

Clicking on their UFO logo revealed a searchlist of numerous things paranormal. One of the items of note was a LiveScience countdown list of the current top ten unexplained phenomena - see http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/top10_unexplained_phenomena-1.html

The listed top ten unexplained phenomena are (more details on each at their site):

10. The Body/Mind Connection
9. Psychic powers and ESP
8. Near-Death Experiences and Life After Death
7. UFOs
6. Deja vu
5. Ghosts
4. Mysterious Disappearances
3. Intuition
2. Bigfoot
1. The Taos Hum

I think that Emanuel Swedenborg is often unfairly singled out in the popular mind as being an authority on the paranormal. While it's true that he enjoyed considerable paranormal gifts, I think he would have been the first to dismiss the importance of these as pursuits in their own right.

Swedenborg was primarily interested in his later life in exploring and recording honestly and faithfully the things he was given to see and experience about the spiritual world and realm of the soul. His former scientific achievements and fame for his intellectual capacity in fields at the forefront of science of his day, plus his service to the Swedish House of Nobles, the Swedish king and to the Board of Mines should serve as testament of his sanity.

But then I also think of the value of Swedenborg's material in helping put into a healthy perspective what are regarded as the important outstanding questions of our time. Swedenborg presents a vast cosmology and framework of a plausible harmonious and orderly reality which allows these questions to exist without the need to go into scientific denial and his work even goes a long way to answering them (well, perhaps all except items 7, 2, and 1).

By comparison, even a more orthodox scientific community listed the top unanswered science questions. On 18th November 2006, the reputable New Scientist magazine decided to celebrate their 50th birthday by tackling "the truly big questions" with the help of some of the leading lights in science. They titled their piece The biggest questions ever asked.
See http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19225780.068-the-biggest-questions-ever-asked.html

The questions posed in the New Scientist were:

1. What is reality?
2. What is life?
3. Do we have free will?
4. Is the universe deterministic?
5. What is consciousness?
6. Will we ever have a theory of everything?
7. What happens after you die?

These seem to complement the unsolved mystery list mentioned above rather nicely. And if you study Swedenborg's writings, my guess is that you would probably agree that Swedenborg goes a long way in helping put such question into a healthy perspective which can provide some very satisfying answers or at least a very clear framework for deciding the importance of such matters.

Anyhow, happy pondering.