UFO
Denmark's quiet history of contactees is gaining fresh attention (photo for illustrative purposes). Pinterest

A hidden lineage of UFO contactees stretching back more than four centuries is coming into focus in Denmark, with researchers now arguing that extraterrestrial beings have been communicating with Europeans long before America's famous flying saucer era, revealing a strange underground tradition of telepathy, light phenomena and Space Brothers that most of the world has never heard of.

Much of this story has resurfaced thanks to Simon Hesselager Johansen, a writer and researcher for HidDenmark, a group that maps folklore, high strangeness and unexplained events across the country. What began as an interactive map of eerie sites has turned into a serious catalogue of Danish UFO history, now being discussed far beyond Scandinavia.

Denmark's Forgotten UFO Archive

Simon points to the Aarslev Enge case of 1600 as one of Europe's earliest close encounters. Farmers reported seeing what looked like a wagon without horses descending into a field, accompanied by towering figures in strange dresses. At a time when flight was unknown, witnesses struggled to explain what they saw, yet the description now closely resembles modern UFO landing reports.

Major Danish newspapers have since revisited the case, treating it not as legend but as a historical mystery that refuses to fade. For Simon and his colleagues, it proves that unusual sky visitors have been part of Danish history for centuries.

Josef Maliszewski and the Beings of Zutorn

The most compelling modern contactee case involves Polish-born Danish mechanic Josef Maliszewski. In 1951, near Sønderborg, he claimed a vast bluish silver craft landed close to his home in the middle of the night.

Maliszewski described a vehicle around 100 metres long, with folding half-moon wings, porthole windows and horseshoe-shaped landing feet. As he approached, he said an invisible force froze him in place while birds fell silent and cattle stood motionless.

He later claimed to hear a calm telepathic voice saying, 'Do not be afraid, we will not take any of them.' Moments later, smaller flying saucers emerged from the craft and hovered above it like sentinels.

Six tall, dark-skinned crew members then descended an external ramp to repair the vessel. Maliszewski said they wore seamless glittering suits, transparent helmets and breathing gear similar to navy divers. He later insisted these beings came from a world called Zutorn, predating the earliest American contact stories.

Supporters see this as one of Europe's most detailed pre-Adamski encounters, while sceptics argue memory and imagination could have shaped the tale over time.

Taxi Driver Knud Weiking and Orthon

A later figure in this hidden tradition was Danish taxi driver Knud Weiking, who claimed to channel messages from a being named Orthon. Unlike Maliszewski, Weiking did not describe physical craft but instead received spiritual and telepathic communications.

His messages echoed the Space Brother narrative popularised by George Adamski in the United States, warning humanity about war, environmental destruction and moral decline. Yet in Denmark, these ideas circulated quietly through small circles rather than becoming mass movements.

Researchers note that Weiking's account blends Christian themes with cosmic spirituality, suggesting that European contact stories evolved differently from American ones.

From Denmark to Ashtar Command

Simon Johansen argues that Danish contact traditions eventually connected to wider European movements in Czechia and Slovakia, where figures such as Ivo Benda promoted messages from Ashtar Command, a supposed galactic alliance of benevolent beings.

Another key personality, a healer known as Branjo, also claimed extraterrestrial guidance. These stories share striking similarities with earlier Danish cases, including telepathic contact, visions of advanced civilisations and warnings about humanity's future.

Throughout this research, comparisons are constantly drawn to George Adamski, whose Space Brother philosophy inspired followers worldwide. Yet Danish accounts often feel more folkloric, blending UFOs with older myths of elves, spirits and sky beings.

HidDenmark's work also highlights bizarre side details, from glowing lights over fields to supposed doomsday bunkers and even debates over what aliens might wear. Simon jokingly notes that some contactees described extraterrestrial couture in remarkable detail.

Even pop culture enters the mix. Tintin's adventure with ancient astronauts is frequently cited as a reflection of real-world beliefs circulating across Europe.

Why This Matters Now

As UFO discussion becomes mainstream, Denmark's quiet history of contactees is gaining fresh attention. What once seemed fringe is now part of a broader debate about whether intelligent non-human beings have been observing Earth for centuries.

Whether these stories are spiritual, psychological or genuinely extraterrestrial remains fiercely contested. Yet one thing is clear. Long before Roswell, Europeans were already claiming that aliens had spoken to them.

In Denmark, that conversation never really stopped.