The mine is in the middle of the valley, with the entrance / exit of the shaft down by the river Hesja. This mine was in operation until 1933 when the mining company went bankrupt. It's clear traces of the activity to this day.
In 2013, Italian Jader Monari presented a theory intended to explain (some of) the lights in Hessdalen, namely 'Hessdalen as a giant battery'. The theory goes in short; tension is believed to occur as a result of various minerals located on either side of the valley; copper on the east side, and iron / zinc on the west side. The Hesja River - which flows in the middle of the valley - is thought to function as an electrolyte in that sulfuric acid leaks into the river from the abandoned sulfur mine down by the river bed. (http://www.itacomm.net/PH/2013_Monari_et-al-en.pdf)
It's a neat - albeit contentious - theory. It has been criticized from several places;
- I do not think such a battery can explain the phenomenon. The distance is too large, says Bjørn Samset (Norwegian physicist). - Another question is whether the electric field has enough energy to make the gases glow.
Monari emphasizes that the theory is intended to explain light of the (apparent) plasma type, and NOT craft-like lights with an inner structure that has also been observed in Hessdalen.
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BUT; - sulfur is also often mentioned in classic UFO reports:
A randomly selected example in this way:
Greenville SC, 2008:
[... It was triangular, dark and metallic, very sleek and smooth, with three white lights at each vertex and a concave red light, and it seemed blurry because the darn thing was wobbling a bit. I forced myself to look at the road and was surprised to find an unnatural glow around myself and the car, and as it grew brighter, I brought my eyes up and caught it above my windshield and I craned my neck and promptly began to panic because the craft was now above my car, silent ...] [... It was at this moment I smelled, yes I know .... sulfur .... something like sulfur, so strong I held my hand over my face .. .] (Source: http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/064/S64416.html)
Sulfur odor has also been reported in Hessdalen in connection with sightings:
[... they saw a big bright light above the hill south of Vårhuskjølen. When they were in the middle part of Hessdalen, they could see the mountain Finnsåhøgda behind the light. There were some "wires" with light beneath the big light. They got the impression that the light was following the car. When they were at Skogås place, they went through a cloud which smelled like sulfur. They stopped at the local store and went back. Then the cloud and the light were gone. (Source: hessdalen.org; observations 1996).
The question is whether UFOs can be linked to the physical, concrete occurrence of sulfur - such as in Hessdalen, where there is not just one, but several old, abandoned sulfur mines, - OR - is there another, deeper connection?
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An article I found online speculates on this; "UFOs, Do They Smell? The Sulfur Enigma of Paranormal Visitation" (https://www.conspiracyarchive.com/UFOs/ufosulphur.htm) - and makes
moreover, parallels to other paranormal activity:
"UFOs and most paranormal occurrences are often attended with a strong smell of sulfur, and the light produced by them is of a high energy quality, accompanied by a sulfurous complexion."
And worth noting:
"Lightning and thunder are attended with a strong smell of sulfur, and the light produced by them is of a sulfurous complexion."
Is this a clue somehow?
"In Immanuel Velikovsky's unpublished work In the Beginning, there's a chapter called 'The Transmutation of Oxygen into Sulfur' in which he tries to explain the origin of the sulfur smells of lightning. Velikovsky suggests that sulfur is actually made from the air by the passage of an electrical discharge."
- Could these paranormal events be the result of intelligences manifesting matter through dimensions? Certainly this would require a tremendous amount of energy. Then the tell tale sign of sulfur smells could be the effect of this energy 'entering' or 'exiting' our dimension.
Finally, a list of paranormal phenomena associated with the smell of sulfur according to the article:
- The Tricksters: Of the Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico peyote ceremonies. Also in Celtic lore (fairies, gnomes, sylphs etc.)
- The Men in Black
- Sasquatch (Pacific Northwest), Yeti (Asia), The Skunk Ape (Southeastern U.S.), Momo (Missouri Monster)
- The Greek Gods of Mythology
- Succubi, Incubi, and various demonic manifestations during occult workings
- Poltergeist, ghosts, spirits etc.
- UFOs, Aliens, Space Brothers etc.
- The Chupacabra of Puerto Rico and South and Central America
