ATS Hunts For The Missing Thunderbird Picture

reply to post by jkrog08


Okay. Don't stress over it, we're not in a race.

I think the Google Books might be a good place to check, too.

didn't see page 4 -6
here's one

reply to post by Bspiracy


You didn't read the OP either. That photo is a wood cutout of a bird in a museum.

Sorry. Thanks anyway.

I must say ive always thought that the Thunderbird regularly seen on South American Totems, is simply their depiction of the Andean Condor, it is the stance, wing shape and colourful face that gives it away in my opinion.


Typical Totem

This Condor is facing the wrong way, but notice the wing shape

I remember seeing this on the Internet, some years ago. It showed some guys holding some sort of bird-like thing with a wide wingspan. I *don't* remember this looking like a pterodactyl, but more like a traditional Thunderbird. It was being held by several guys - four or five, IIRC - and it looked kind of strange. I suspected it was a fake because something didn't look right about it. But then again, how many times have I seen a thunderbird, to know the difference?

So yeah, I'm pretty sure I know what picture you're talking about, and I'm almost 100% certain I saw it online and not in a book.

It's entirely possible that whoever had it up online, just took it down, and no one had managed to plagiarize it before he removed it.

reply to post by chiron613


I think you're one of the first people I've heard to say that they saw it online.

You wouldn't have ANY idea where it could have been online, would you?

You know what I think?

I think that originally in the 1800s in America, White Western Amercans couldnt handle the concept of the amrican indian legends - in other words, they took the mythologies of the Indains literally, in a country they didnt have much concept of at the time.

The Indian thunderbird, I feel has more to do with cloud formations, thunder and lightning than it does with an actual bird, and the ability of Indian tribes to use their imaginations, or imagine those things through image based concepts - therefore, this legend has always been based around an image - that we all imagine (or want to imagine) we have seen (and the way the myth and hoaxes have helped to encourage this) mean we see what we want to see - just like those earlier frontiersmen were both frightened and mystified by these legends and exaggerated what they saw from large eagles etc.

I think, with the advent of photography, this was one of those myths that was crying out to be exploited by people makin gmoney from it in the 'freak shows' and sensational stories of the time...

I dunno, just my thoughts, but this idea of the 'missing' photo has been going on for at least 40 years. No one has found it yet, (though everyone thinks they have seen it) - and not even the Internet has turned up the lost 'legendary' photograph either. Its an urban myth... nothing more

reply to post by danny-arclight


I don't think it's possible that it's just an urban myth. If it's an urban myth, it's one that is very similar to a very real picture. There are people who claim to have seen the photo but who have no other information about it, the search for it, or the Thunderbird myths.

I think it's really sketch that the people over in Tombstone were so defensive about the article existing. Since the article turned up, I think the photo might turn up too.

Is the Thunderbird real? I withhold judgement. I think that you are right and back in the 1800s we know that the reports of dragons and such were very popular rumors.

As I said a few posts back, this image would not mean that Thunderbirds are real. It might, but I doubt it. I just want to find the image, especially since it's possibly one of the first really historical Newspaper Hoaxes. But I cannot imagine, if it ever existed, why people felt that it had to disappear.

i did see it online, as well. In fact, I could swear on a holy book that I had seen it online and so has my wife.

Unfortunately, as we moderate another forum, who knows what it was in reference to, and that forum was switched to a new server and upgraded, so much of the archive was lost.

Yeah I understand what you're saying - but part of the problem is that the missing photograph never existed - and part of this story that many people cannot get their heads round is that when its mentioned many people THINK they have seen that photo, when they havent - the photo never existed, just people believe they have seen it - I used to have a 'myths legends and folklore' book that details exactly this story of the Thunderbird and the lost photograph, and the 'collective consciousness' surrounding the belief that people have seen the photo. Whats weird about this whole story if anything, is that people believe they have seen the photo, when it really doesnt exist - this is the greater mystery than the beast itself, or the mystery lost photo - the fact that lots of people think they have seen it - in other words the legend of the photo is as much part of the legend of the beast ! sorry, but its true, in my humble opinion - neither exist, only in our imagination - and in some ways thats the best place for the Thunderbird to stay!

[edit on 7-8-2009 by danny-arclight]

[edit on 7-8-2009 by danny-arclight]

[edit on 7-8-2009 by danny-arclight]

reply to post by danny-arclight


My only question is this:

Why do people believe that they have seen the picture, if it did not exist, if it is not an important fake memory, without ever hearing about the picture before?

If you can explain that, then kudos to you.

So this is going to be a strange proposition-

But maybe it was used in an ad for something. Like... I don't know... superglue? Cereal? TV show? Book series? Something in a Nancy Drew book? Something completely unrelated. So everyone thinks that they saw it in a book or on TV because that makes SENSE, when in reality it is associated with something mundane. That could also be why it's not showing up in any searches about "Thunderbird" or "Giant bird."

What do you think? I'm just tossing ideas around.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


Also, I remember seeing the picture way before this thread..

I once(1-2 years ago) talked to one of my friends about that picture but I told him I didn't remember where I saw it.

He didn't believe me....

reply to post by Deep Thoughts


I don't think that you and others are lying about seeing the picture.

I will not settle with the "Oh the picture doesn't exist" theory until every other avenue and possibility has been explored.

That's my dedication to, and trust in, others. I really think this is WEIRD but I cannot imagine that this many people have a fake engrained memory of it.

Unless like, the Thunderbird spirit of whatever implanted it in humans. But I'm not very spiritual and I don't really believe something like that is likely.

It just doesn't seem like an important enough memory to be so strong in our collective unconscious.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by Bspiracy

 

You didn't read the OP either. That photo is a wood cutout of a bird in a museum.

Sorry. Thanks anyway.

DOH, thought I had.. musta been distracted.
most humble apologies as I can't stand it when someone else does that

b

reply to post by Bspiracy


Oh, it's quite alright. At least it wasn't the Civil War pictures again.

The mysterious thunderbird photo, everyone's seen it but nobody can find it. I personally remember seeing it in a book about Dinosaurs when I was in elementry school. It facinated me.

Old dinosaurs books anyone?

The image you're referring to was not an eagle, but supposedly a Pteranodon. John Keel wrote about how this photo mysteriously disappeared.

i'm sorry guys.
the place you want to look within your local government is the "historical society".
that's what i was trying to refer to the other night. amazing archives of photos - (i'm sure they all differ)
thx.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


Yes I saw a copy of that issue, and that is where I remember seeing it, and when you said that I did some research to find that issue, it's like it never even existed. I am currently using other sites and people I know that are very into this kinda thing, everybody I talk to remembers that photo, and a few remember where they saw but have been unable find it. I do have a question thou, when this photo is found, what will we do with it??

reply to post by ravenshadow13


Apologies if this has been posted. This article states that the photo of this bird never existed. They claim that Jack Pearl created the idea of the photo. And the legend of the photo created a false photo in the minds of the readers.

Wintersteel - Thunderbird story