The Collector (write to the Collector )
The Collector is as curious as he is evanescent.
While he is very much a real person, it is impossible to determine
whether his duties have been handed down from one individual to
another for generations or if, in fact, one and the same person has
succeeded in slowing down the ageing process by a subtle alchemical
principle.
It is true that the museum closely guards the secret formula for a
long-life elixir in its secret vaults, as well as a time machine.
An extreme sensitive, he cannot bear extended physical contact
with his fellow men, as their lack of soul makes his head spin;
hence his isolation from the world. Nevertheless, he can detect potential sensitives
amongst the urban fauna; he then recruits or
protects them, assisted by the Curator of the Surnateum. You will never
be able to
find him, but the Curator can.
He has a rather odd sense of humour. The little he has allowed us
to publish about him can be summed up in a few lines:
- Following in the footsteps of Professor Rhine at Duke University,
and passionately interested in the occult and secret knowledge, he
created the secretive Foundation for the Exploration of Dreams,
also known as the Institute. The Museum of Supernatural History is
the archaeological wing of the Institute. Another section of the
Institute focuses on detecting 'sensitives' and developing their
unusual capabilities. The S&D (Search and Destroy) Section
rectifies any experiments by which veer out of
control within the museum's various departments.
- He uses his wealth to fund this research and refuses to be
bothered by charlatans of the paranormal who are prepared to
engage in the most underhanded and despicable acts in order to
obtain a drop of 'magic power'. Sometimes his sense of humour
creates great enmity.
- He can write supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
without making a single mistake and he can also pronounce antidisestablishmentarianism.
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The Curator: Department of
Research,
Investigations, Documentation and Reactivation of Haunted Antiques (write
to the Curator)
Christian Chelman is the current Curator of the Surnateum.
A graduate of the ISEPK (Institute for Secret, Esoteric
and Parapsychological Knowledge) and the Foundation for the
Exploration of Dreams, the Curator is sometimes called upon to stand
in for the Collector. His duties include mastering the forces contained
within the objects housed in the Surnateum and expanding the
museum's collections.
A cross between Indiana Jones (the
hero created by Italian cartoonist Sergio
Toppi) and
the cursed antique dealer in Friday the 13th, Christian Chelman
is totally dedicated to studying magic in all of its forms. For
years, he has been exploring the most unknown aspects of conjuring
and prestidigitation, as well as the magic practised in Antiquity,
by secret societies and amongst the so-called 'primitive' peoples - all on
behalf of the Museum of Supernatural History.
Attracted by forbidden knowledge, fascinated by human myths,
legends and superstitions,
he digs up strange stories, rescuing them from oblivion. Like Schliemann,
who discovered Troy in the late 19th century, the Curator and his
co-workers track down forgotten legendary objects buried under the
dust of centuries. His unusual personality opens many doors,
including those to occult libraries, demonic collections, lairs of
cursed magicians and vile dives. His black belt in judo and expertise
in close combat techniques help him successfully conclude certain
transactions that may have got off on the wrong foot. One can never
be too careful!
After being possessed by a formidable voodoo entity (the Trickster Eshu/Loki)
during a shamanic ritual, his personality is now forever split in two
- Chelman/Youki - and is very hard to control.
Over the course of numerous voyages, meetings and research trips,
he has amassed a unique collection of magical artefacts on behalf of
the museum,
irrefutable proof of the presence of the supernatural and the
fantastic within our societies.
As the collection is not currently open to the public, this
virtual museum gives you a chance to look at these extremely rare
items.
Christian Chelman is the author of various books and articles on
conjuring, magic and the fantastic,
que de la
filiation
sémantique
entre les
mythes
du
Graal
et certains
rituels
initiatiques
contemporains.
Capricornian Tales was published in 1994 in the United
States, Rhésus
(with artist Yves Swolfs) was published in 1999 in Brussels and Légendes Urbaines in Paris in
1999.
Hauntics is in the pre-publishing phase in the United
States.
Christian Chelman designs shows for the event organisation
industry and gives seminars on conjuring and communication. He
served as the technical adviser and created most of the effects for
a televised mental magic special.
In 1993 he won the prestigious MacMillan competition in London,
elevating him to the ranks of leading contemporary conjurers.
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Secret Expeditions, Stagecraft
(write to
Nicolas Stevens)
Nicolas Stevens studies stagecraft at the La Cambre School of
Visual Arts in Brussels.
As he has not been trained in advanced combat techniques, Nicolas
sometimes travels with his twin brother, who is kind enough to be
attacked in his place.
Well known for never forgetting to take out repatriation insurance
whenever he travels abroad
(allowing him to travel in economy class on the way out, but in
first class on the way back), he is the very picture of caution.
Specialising in cryptozoological research, he has many discoveries
to his credit, including bringing back the Nepalese shaman's kit
displayed on this site.
He also helped the Curator fight a particularly vicious 'vampire'.
Nicolas Stevens is the Chief Investigator and designer of this
site - even though his computer was apparently delivered with a
highly efficient 'crash and burn' programme.
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Curator of the Museum of Cryptozoology
(write to G.A. van
Horn )
G.A. van Horn, an art historian and archaeologist, is the
honorary curator of the Museum of Cryptozoology. In addition to his
conventional museography work (restoration of whale skeletons for
the Grande Galerie at the Muséum de Paris, a sperm whale model for
the Maritime Museum of the Azores, designer of exhibitions, etc.),
he carries out bibliographical research and is a keen enthusiast of
lost archives and secret cabinets.
A curator of a wide range of collections (Alexandre Humboldt-Fonteyne,
Victor Huysenaer, Adrien Lepoutre, etc.), he is often out in the
field. Although he is a hard man to track down, he keeps us informed
of his progress.
G.A. van Horn does not practice any known martial art, as he finds
them of very little use against the tentacular creatures he
regularly he comes across in abandoned conservatoires. A naturally
non-violent man with the soul of a philosopher,
he quite rightly feels that the judicious use of formol or ether
against a polymorphous attackers is the wisest course of action.
He is the author of Alexandre Humboldt-Fonteyne: La Collection
Interdite, published under a pseudonym by Éditions
Labor, as well as a number of small volumes on Jack the Ripper,
the Elephant Man and the Secret des
Glaciaires.
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Maintenance, Graphic Design and Technology
(write to Benoît Drager)
Benoît Drager is the Surnateum's scientific technician.
Born on Halloween in 1969, he graduated with a degree in plastic arts
from a leading Brussels art college, and subsequently supplemented
his training with courses in stage design. Nobody is better at restoring artefacts found in an advanced stage of
decomposition and dilapidation. He helped designed part of the site,
including the logo.
Capable of transforming a hairdryer into a jet-powered moped (but
more often the opposite), he restores infernal machines, redesigns
talismans obliterated by the ravages of time and manufactures
formidable tools whose purpose is not always clear - including an
amazing impossible puzzle designed to drive puzzle-lovers mad!
An extremely imaginative man, he was the one who managed to get the temporisoscope
back in working order.
Calm under all circumstances, he does not practice any martial
art, but he can run very fast.
He found - but then almost immediately lost - an extremely rare
grimoire of cannibal recipes from New Caledonia highly sought after
by the Surnateum, but this lapse can be excused as he himself very
nearly ended up on the menu.
He is currently designing the layout for the Compendium Sortilegionis,
the natural continuation of the Liber Oneiromicon.
Benoît is also an Investigator.
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Restoration, Research and Documentation
(write to Christian Bréard)
A walking encyclopaedia, Christian Bréard has the knack of
being able to find hopelessly unobtainable manuscripts and
unbelievable documents. Fascinated by the American Civil War,
his only regret is that he will never be able to travel in the temporisoscope
as his size simply will not permit it.
A specialist in fastidious and delicate restoration work,
his knowledge of antique weapons is formidable, although
admittedly halberd combat technique is of little practical
interest to the Surnateum's explorers.
He is a friendly chap who never turns down an invitation to join a
brawl when the occasion arises. Sometimes used by the S&D Section.
He also serves as an Investigator.
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Search and Destroy (write
to Steve Goossens)
Steve Goossens leads the S&D Section at the Surnateum. A black
belt in karate, an excellent marksman and a skilled diver, he
sometimes resolves the apparently unsolvable problems unleashed by
the Surnateum's sometimes careless staff
(Department of Invocations.) He is the only one who has dared to
take on the Curator in hand-to-hand combat, purely out of
intellectual curiosity and as a form of friendly jousting.
Upon his discharge from hospital, he set about advancing his
martial arts knowledge - and was so successful that he was offered
the chance to head up this section and the training of young
sensitives.
His motto: "Shoot first, exorcise later!"
He is also an investigator and Assistant to the Collector at the
Institute.
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The Librarian (write
to the Librarian)
The Department of Forgotten Knowledge and Cursed Books is the
preserve of the Librarian. A veritable walking card catalogue, Emmanuel Priels
specialises in the study of languages which have been extinct for
more than 1,000 years. Demotic, Syriac and Flemish hold no secret
for him. And while he does not practice any martial art, he is
nevertheless capable of putting any attacker to sleep by reciting -
by heart and in a stultifying monotone - the Paris or London
phonebook; he can also freeze assailants in their tracks with his highly
disagreeable snigger. His acute observational skills allow him to,
among other things, decode any doctor's prescription.
Gifted with a nearly eidetic memory, he can find virtually any
information in less than a minute.
He is an invoker and responsible for preparing rituals.
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Information Technology and Virtual
Mysteries
(write to the Virtual
Cors@ir)
Xavier Vinh-Phuc Hang, easily confused with the celebrated Dr Fu
Man Chu, is responsible for the website management and the virtual
conservation of rare documents. As the only staff member who knows
anything at all about IT and telecoms, he spends his leisure hours
creating voracious bugs and dangerous viruses, alongside which anthrax
is a sad joke. He does not really like being called a 'pirate',
preferring the term 'virtual corsair'. If you give him any trouble,
you'll find your electricity and telephone bills reaching gargantuan
proportions for no apparent reason. Don't hesitate to contact him
if you have any questions or comments.
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Sara Doke, lady of letters
(write to Sara )
Sara - a writer, journalist, adventurer and
modern-day Amelia - is a repository of knowledge who would be sorely
missed if she were not part of the Surnateum.
An initiate of strange rites, such as the cult of the Spider Lady,
she has a predilection for frequenting the most fantastic spots on
earth in search of mysterious and unknown sisterhoods.
She handles journalistic duties and obscure inquiries on behalf of
the Surnateum.
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Public Relations (write
to Duc Nhien)
Duc Nhien recently joined the team as our Public
Relations Officer.
(biography under construction)
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Associates
The Museum of Supernatural is also honoured to work with the
following associates:
Karl 'Othello' Bosc lives in Paris and has his own
collection of strange and haunted objects. A hunter of legends, this
gifted sensitive tirelessly and successfully tracks down
hauntiques in the French capital.
The Surnateum also has highly developed Fraud and Cheating Section
whose work focuses on exposing false magic and scams of all kinds.
François Odonnet and Pascal Chunlaud are the
French correspondents of the Surnateum and the Institute.
François Odonnet designed one of the tests for detecting
sensitives still used regularly by the Collector.
He is currently restoring a hauntique related to werewolves.
(write to François Odonnet)
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