Case file · High strangeness
Firewalkers of Beqa
The Sawau people of Beqa island walk across white-hot stones in the vilavilairevo ceremony, said to be a gift from a spirit god; Robert Fulton published an account and explanation in 1902.
1902 CE · -18.40, 178.13 · status: explained
The account
Tradition says a Sawau ancestor caught an eel spirit that granted the power in exchange for its freedom. Firewalkers observe taboos beforehand. The ceremony has long been performed for visitors.
The sceptical view
Stones and embers conduct heat poorly to brief contact, so walkers are rarely burned; the feat is impressive but physically explicable.