According to many supporters of Search for wheat (the phenomenon in which no plants are flattened in crops to draw figures similar to circles), the first example never documented in history would have been found the August 22nd 1678 in a field of oats in England, inHertfordshire. In that year a pamphlet – that is, a brief often satirical text – in which it is told of how one dispute Between a rich farmer and a poor farmer he triggered the so -called “Devil Reaper” (Moving Devil). In fact, to show her supernatural skills, Satan would have decided to mow the oat field forming a mysterious design consisting of Concentric circlesso perfect that it is unattainable for a human being. But does this source tell of a real news case? As we will see, it is in all likelihood of an allegorical story that inspired a lasting legend should not be taken literally.
What does the devil of the reaper tell?
According to what is reported in this Short text of 5 pages In archaic English, the story is that of a rich farmer who wants collect the oats of his field. To carry out the work, a poor farmer is offered, however, who asks for one pays slightly higher than average. The farmer proposes to pay him less than the others. The poor farmer in order to work reduced his offer but, in the end, the rich farmer is so annoyed as to affirm “that the devil himself should mow his oats“.
Always according to the story, during the night the field does he illuminated As if it were wrapped in flames, But the next morning not only was not burnt but the oats was completely Makery in concentric circles. This was a tangible sign of Satan’s work and therefore the farmer, out of fear, never collected that invented one.
According to most of the authors, this text is nothing more than an allegory that criticizes the economic system of the timewhere the money It is put in front of the relationship of good neighborhood. Precisely for this reason the role of the devil is probably to represent the “divine justice“That punishes the rich avid. According to supporters of the wheat circles, the night light described in the story could instead be that of a UFO and the circle drawn in wheat would not be the work of the devil but of some alien species.
In this regard, it is good to do some clarity.
The scientific explanation
The first aspect – the most relevant – is that relating to the AVA. In fact, in wheat circles the plants usually come crushed soilwhile in the story we speak clearly of oats “cut“. It is no coincidence that the verb is used cut, translatable with “tall“or”cut“, And certainly not with”flatten“This is also well noted from the cover, in which Satan holds a sickle, used to claim crops.
The second aspect is that relating to fire: In the story it is explicitly said that the field seemed to burn and therefore this clashes with the hypothesis of a UFO that simply would make “light” on the field, without bruising it.
The third and last point has to do with the nature of the pamphlet. These texts had mostly an allegorical and satirical meaning and the fact that the oats are cut in circularly is linked solely to the will of the author of enhance the supernatural qualities of the devilgiven that such a job for the time was considered so perfect that it is unrealizable by a human being. Furthermore, in Christian iconography the meetings between demons often took place within a circle, going to strengthen theidea of evilness behind this work.
