The Talpa Poltergeist case centres around Eleonore Zugun, born on 24 May 1913 to a farming family in Talpa, a small village in southern Romania. Her life became the focal point of a series of inexplicable phenomena that captured international attention in the 1920s. The events surrounding her are a captivating blend of psychological intrigue, paranormal claims, and rigorous scientific investigation, making her case one of the most intriguing in the history of paranormal studies.
Eleonore’s life took a dramatic turn in February 1925, when she was just eleven years old. An incident involving a coin she picked up, despite being warned it was “the Devil’s money,” is often cited as a psychological trigger for the anomalous events that followed. After spending the money on sweets and refusing to share, her grandmother scolded her, saying she had “swallowed the Devil” and would never be free of him. The next day, stones began flying against the house and broke windows. Small objects near her shifted, jumped, and flew on their own. These phenomena repeated three days after her return to Talpa, causing her family considerable distress.
The family’s anxiety led them to place Eleonore in the Convent of Gorovei monastery, hoping for some form of exorcism, but the disturbances persisted. She was then sent to a mental asylum for observation. However, it was not until a local newspaper report caught the attention of a German spiritualist organization that Eleonore’s case began to receive serious investigation. Fritz Grunewald, a renowned German engineer and parapsychologist, was tasked with examining the phenomena. He managed to remove Eleonore from the asylum and back to the monastery, where he observed the events firsthand. Grunewald was convinced of the paranormal nature of the phenomena but unfortunately died before he could write a full report. His notes were published posthumously.
In September 1925, Eleonore came under the care of Zoe, Countess Wassilko von Serecki, a Romanian-speaking Austrian aristocrat with a background in parapsychology. Wassilko had previously exposed fraudulent mediums and was well-equipped to investigate Eleonore’s case. She documented numerous incidents and corroborated Grunewald’s findings, publishing a booklet on the early stages of the case.
The phenomena associated with Eleonore included rapping sounds, spontaneous movements of objects, apports (the appearance and disappearance of small objects), bite marks, weals, and abrasions on her skin, and automatic writing. These events were witnessed by numerous individuals, including scientists and investigators.
Rapping sounds were infrequent and occurred on furniture near Eleonore. However, unlike typical séance raps, these were not used to communicate with any entity, as they were spontaneous and unpredictable. Spontaneous movements of objects were common, with reports of books moving off shelves and objects being thrown across rooms without visible cause.
Apports were another significant aspect of the phenomena. Objects would disappear from one location and reappear in another, often near Eleonore. These events were documented by Wassilko and other investigators, who noted that locked doors did not hinder the movement of these objects. One notable incident involved a silver shilling that disappeared from a guest’s pocket and later appeared in Wassilko’s apartment, a coincidence discovered days later.
Skin marks and abrasions on Eleonore’s skin were a later development. These included punctures and bite marks that appeared without any apparent cause. In some cases, the moisture from these marks was analyzed and found to contain micro-organisms different from those in Eleonore’s saliva, though doubts remained about whether it was indeed saliva.
Automatic writing was also observed when Wassilko asked Eleonore to attempt it. The writings purportedly came from an entity named “Dracu,” sometimes promising to produce phenomena.
In January 1926, Eleonore was subjected to further investigations in Vienna under Wassilko’s care. Over 3,060 incidents were recorded by Wassilko, with 884 corroborated by other witnesses. Among these witnesses were Wassilko’s family members, staff, and visiting scientists.
British paranormal investigator Harry Price observed Eleonore on several occasions, both in Vienna and at his London laboratory. He published detailed reports of the phenomena, which he believed could not have been caused by Eleonore herself. Price noted that the phenomena seemed to intensify when Eleonore was in an angry mood and that they never occurred while she was asleep.
In addition to Price, other notable investigators included Carl Zimmer, a German zoologist, and Albert Schrenck-Notzing, a prominent German psychical researcher. Although some records from these investigations are missing, a film was made in Munich documenting some of the phenomena, including skin marks and abrasions.
The phenomena began to decline dramatically after Eleonore’s first menstrual period on 14 February 1927, when she was thirteen years old. The last recorded incident occurred on 17 June of the same year. In March of the following year, Eleonore returned to Romania.
Eleonore was described by Wassilko as healthy, intelligent, and having an excellent education for her background. However, she was also noted to be stubborn and occasionally sulky, with a childlike demeanor despite her age. Her relationship with Countess Wassilko was particularly close, and she was deeply affectionate towards her.
After returning to Romania, Eleonore led a relatively quiet life. There is limited information about her later years, but it is known that she married and had children. Despite the intense scrutiny she faced during her youth, Eleonore managed to build a normal life, away from the paranormal events that had once defined her. Her case remains a fascinating study in the realm of paranormal investigation, with many questions still unanswered about the nature of the phenomena she experienced.
