Tintin Forums

I was more than a little surprised to read in the Tintin Annual 1 (about which there is this thread) about the "art" of dowsing, guidelines for how children can make rods, and the suggestion that they will be able to detect water in a mains-supply using these.

This is really quite disturbing, as dowsing has repeatedly been shown to be bunk, and there is nothing in what they claim in the book.
The swinging of the rods is the result of the ideomotor effect, not anything to do with hidden water or minerals (for more on the ideomotor effect and the whole dowsing scam, there is good information here and here).
It seems unfortunate to me that Egmont have chosen to present this rot as if fact (and it isn't mitigated by the heading of "Crackpot Inventions").

Anyway, it got me to thinking: did Hergé actually believe in Calculus's pendulum, or did he put it in as a joke - that the scientist has fallen into the trap of the irrational?

I'm not sure whether Hergé believed in dowsing or not.
On the one hand, let's remember that this is the same series that features ancient curses, giant spotty mushrooms, vengeful corpses (even if only in a dream), the yeti and extra-terrestrial life.
And considering Hergé's growing interest in mysticism, it might be fair to say he thought there 'might be something in it'.

On the other hand, isn't there a story that Hergé went home one day to find Germaine with a spiritualist medium, or something like that, and didn't take kindly to it? So I'm not sure.
Perhaps, as you say jock, arming Calculus with a pendulum was a nice little paradox - a seemingly rational and scientifically-minded person using a pendulum ?

There's a sequence in the original version of Land of Black Gold where Tintin uses some old umbrella spokes to find water in the desert ... only it leads him to oil instead.

Richard
spiritualist medium

As far as I can remember, the woman said that a portrait of Hergé by a friend was causing trouble in the house, so they put it away; this ridiculous story might have just been a polite and convenient way to explain the removal of the painting, or his friend's disfavour, though...

Richard
There's a sequence in the original version of Land of Black Gold where Tintin uses some old umbrella spokes to find water in the desert ... only it leads him to oil instead.

I was going to mention this sequence myself. I think it's the first example of dowsing in the stories (although Hergé later cut it out) and it does eventually lead Tintin to water...!

The sequence was also kept for the later 1948 magazine version which was slightly altered with Tintin mentioning Professor Calculus as his influence.

jock123
It seems unfortunate to me that Egmont have chosen to present this rot as if fact (and it isn't mitigated by the heading of "Crackpot Inventions").

I don't have a copy of the Annual to comment on this (although I should because by strange coincidence I happen to know one of the authors of the book). I think the ideas for it may have come from either Moulinsart or the authors, but I will try to find out next time I see him.

Harrock n roll :
The sequence was also kept for the later 1948 magazine version which was slightly altered with Tintin mentioning Professor Calculus as his influence.

I didn't know that ! Seems like it might have been a good idea to leave it in the final version of the book, working the new characters into the story.

[Post moved to this existing thread...]

We may remember many examples in which Prof Calculus' pendulum worked, and pointed out or guided him to the object he was looking for. I also remember in Unicorn, that it suggested to go "westwards" when the treasure was actually "eastwards" (in Europe, not in the middle of the Atlantic). So, Calculus, a renowned scientist, believes in dowsing, which happens to be a pseudoscientific form of divination. But after all, does it work well for him?
P.S.: I just got informed by Wikipedia that "In contrast to his unquestionable scientific merits, Calculus is a fervent believer in dowsing, and carries a pendulum for that purpose. Hergé himself was a believer in the subject: dowser Victor Mertens had used a pendulum to find the lost wedding ring of Hergé's wife in October 1939".