ASSAP are saddened to learn of the passing of Dr David Sivier

Dr David Sivier was a distinguished historian, folklorist, and prolific Fortean researcher whose work uniquely bridged academic history, local heritage, and anomalous phenomena. A gentleman whose work many of us will have read, I used Grok, to pull together a breakdown of his contributions and publications. 

An article I read early, which he featured heavily in his ASSAP Paranormal Webinar on Paranormal and Sci-fi imagery in UFO encounters published in July 2022, was the Psychosocial & Mythological Approach to UFOs: Dr Sivier argued against the strictly "nuts-and-bolts" extraterrestrial hypothesis. Writing for Magonia and other Fortean publications, he framed UFO encounters and abductions as modern, scientistic manifestations of deep, recurring psychological and cultural archetypes — the modern evolution of medieval and early modern encounters with fairies, demons, and angels.  Abduction Culture & Media Influence David in his analysis of abduction claims published across Fortean journals, Sivier critically examined how pop culture, science fiction, and sensationalist media fed into subconscious experiences, cautioning how pre-existing narrative templates influenced vulnerable minds. 

I recently came across an article by David whilst in correspondence with Dr Simon Young, Frank Earp and others in researching the Gnomes of Wollaton Hall. As Folkloric & Phantom Lights were a passion of his research, he extensively researched phantom light folklore, spectral phenomena, "corpse candles," and fairy light traditions, drawing structural parallels between historical British folklore and modern anomalous light sightings.

David Sivier was deeply interested in Archeology, presenting “Archaeology and Magic”, where he discussed the development of research on magic in the discipline of Archaeology. Anglo-Saxon and Norman Bristol (2002): Published by Tempus/The History Press, this remains a seminal historical reference detailing the origin of Bristol as an 11th-century royal burh, its urban growth, and regional early medieval development. His solid background as a historian gave his anomalous research its rigorous, grounded foundation. 

Fortean & Anomalous Journals:

• Magonia Journal: A key contributor during the 1990s and 2000s, writing extensively on UFO mythology, abduction phenomena, and the cultural history of the paranormal.
• Fortean Times: Contributed critical essays, reviews, and commentaries exploring UFO conspiracies, abduction phenomena, and folklore.
• 3rd Stone Magazine: Published original field and academic studies on landscape mysteries, folklore, and ancient sites (such as his work on ritual landscapes).
• Collaborative Investigations & Research: Acknowledged in major Fortean and ufological studies—including Kevin McClure’s extensive investigations into high-strangeness myths—for his sharp analytical assistance and historical context.

Dave was always open to good hearty chat, during the webinars possessing a rare capacity to analyse high-strangeness subjects with critical, that scholarly brow while maintaining a deep passion and open-minded fascination for the mysteries we all love, usually pretty fair to contemplate another position but would hold steadfast, that it's not aliens or ghosts, it's likely something else, perhaps us wearing a cultural lens, that the underlying central mystery is “other”. His work constantly highlighted how local geography, regional history, and community folklore interconnect with modern ghost stories, cryptid reports, and UFO sightings. Modern researchers frequently will agree with this conclusion, thanks to his committed efforts, through which David has laid strong foundations. 


ASSAP would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of Dr David Sivier. He will be greatly missed. 




 

Archaelogy and Magic | July 2021

 

In this highly informative and entertaining talk Dr. David Sivier traces early imagery that predates the later UFO/UAP and alien encounters of the 1940s onwards. A great overview of the topic from a rarely considered angle, this is an exceptionally interesting talk.
Paranormal and Sci-Fi Imagery in UFO Encounters | Dr. David Sivier | ASSAP Webinar


 

Dr David Sivier delves deep into the art and life of Albert Von Keller, Portalist of the paranormal
Albert Von Keller Portraitist of the Paranormal | Dr David Sivier | ASSAP webinar