Daniel Dunglass Home: The Man Who Could Change The Size and Shape of His Body
by Sometimes Home was made to stand in the middle of the room back with another man for comparison as he shrank or stretched. At other times Home, closely watched by the observers, would walk around, elongating and shortening three or four times, until the trance state ceased and the spirit voice said “Good-night” to let those present knows that the evening had ended.
Daniel Dunglass Home: The Man Who Could Change the Size and Shape of His Body
By Mr Ghaz, August 14, 2010
Daniel Dunglass Home: The Man Who Could Change the Size and Shape of His Body
The 19th Century Scottish medium Daniel Dunglass Home had extraordinary gifts that seemed to overrule laws of nature. Home could, for example, regularly defy gravity. In one famous séance Home moved from one room to another by floating through the windows, three stories above the ground. He also seemed immune to heat and could handle red-hot coals without any discomfort – he even rolled his face around in the fire as if it were a basin of water.
Perhaps most amazing of all, Home could change the size and shape of his body. Before the eyes of amazed onlookers, he could grow by as much as 12 inches. His chest would expand and his arms grow visibly longer; his ribs would pull upward away from the water eight inches or more, with the flesh and muscles of his torso clearly stretching and moving.
The Long and the Short of It
Not only could Home expand, he could also contract, shrinking from his regular height of 5 feet 10 inches to little more than 5 feet. His faces became distorted, with all the features growing much larger at first, and then suddenly becoming smaller and deeply wrinkled before returning to normal size.
Two regular observers of these strange contortions were Home’s friends Lord Adare and Lord Lindsay. Adare made a detailed study of the bizarre phenomena that surrounded Home and faithfully recorded what occurred during a series of séances in all, during which Adare, Lindsay and several others witnessed the medium’s bodily elongation on 10 separate occasions.
Instructed by the Spirits:
The spirit voice said “Good-night”
The usual pattern was for Home to go into a trance and be taken over by a “spirit controller,” who spoke through him. The spirits seemed to encourage the investigators and usually announced the kind of change that was about to take place, saying, for example, “Daniel will grow tall.” This cued the investigators to move into action to ensure that they recorded every detail.
Home, in a trance, would be placed against the wall, with others stationed around him. One person would check his feet, sometimes stepping on them to make sure they remained firmly on the ground. Others would monitor Home’s arms, waist, or face while someone stood by with a pencil to mark his growth on the wall.
Sometimes Home was made to stand in the middle of the room back with another man for comparison as he shrank or stretched. At other times Home, closely watched by the observers, would walk around, elongating and shortening three or four times, until the trance state ceased and the spirit voice said “Good-night” to let those present knows that the evening had ended.
Truth or Trickery
At one of the séances, Home lay down on the floor between two other men; his head touched one man and his feet the other. As his body elongated, Home seemed to grow at both ends, pushing each of the men away from him. Using a tape measure, another observer was staggered to find that the men were now seven feet apart. Then Home began to levitate and, swaying from side to side in the air, slowly floated onto a nearby sofa.
Needless to say, there were many doubters who were only too ready to explain away these events – which they had not personally seen – as trickery or deception. But, incredible though Home’s feats seemed, they were witnessed by literally hundreds of people, including eminent scientist, cynical newspapermen, and the crowned heads of Europe. What they saw convinced all of them.
Lord Adare, Home’s almost constant companion for two years, never discovered any evidence of fraud or deceit. Although he could not provide an explanation for what the medium did, he never doubted that it was genuine.
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Post Commentrizzei
On September 27, 2009 at 3:30 am
nice read and much interesting:)
ken bultman
On September 27, 2009 at 3:47 am
I’m a cynical newspaperman but I loved the article.
deep blue
On September 27, 2009 at 4:31 am
I welcome your growing interest in the paranormal my friend. This is already a remarkable article to start with.
Christine Ramsay
On September 27, 2009 at 5:30 am
All very weird but it must be true if so many people saw it. A great article
Christine
Melody SJAL
On September 27, 2009 at 5:52 am
Never heard of him, but that’s certainly weird. Good writing.
Chris Marlowe II
On September 27, 2009 at 8:02 am
My gifts too are extraordinary, and overruling laws of nature!
Yours Truly,
the One & Only
Troll of Triond
Lostash
On September 27, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Great stuff Mr Ghaz!! I was not familiar with these events and they deserve further study now!
hollynoel001
On September 27, 2009 at 4:29 pm
interesting article have not heard of this person so this is something to check out!! thanks for the information
)
Susan
On September 27, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I had never heard of this person. Definitely going to find out more. Thanks for writing this.
Idazalee
On September 27, 2009 at 9:52 pm
This was really strange stories. very interesting read and well-researched as always. I’ve learned something new today. Thanks Mr Ghaz..:)
STEVE666
On September 28, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Another brilliantly presented article, Mr Ghaz.
monica55
On September 28, 2009 at 2:52 pm
A very informative piece.
Monica.
CA Johnson
On September 28, 2009 at 9:10 pm
This was a really good article. Daniel Dunglass Home really was a gifted man.
Momof4
On September 28, 2009 at 11:21 pm
A great article Mr Ghaz. Well done. I liked it. Thanks for sharing.
Naomi