Doppelganger (dop·pel·gäng·er/ˈdäpəlˌɡaNGər/): an apparition or double of a living person.
Not to be mistaken with an identical twin, a doppelganger is an unexplained phenomena where you have a double of no direct relation. This double can be human, or apparition in nature, but is both unusual and creepy. Unlike Elena and Katherine from The Vampire Diaries, the tale of Emilie Sagee and her doppelganger may have some truth to it.
The story of Emilie Sagee is brought to us by Robert Dale-Owen in his book, “Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World,” published in 1860. The story was originally related to him from Julie von Guldenstubbe, the daughter of Baron von Guldenstubbe. Julie had been a student at the boarding school where Emilie worked as a teacher.
Emilie Sagee was born in 1813, in Dijon France. In 1845 she taught at a boarding school called Pensionat von Neuwelcke in what is now Latvia. At the age of 32, Emilie was known to be popular with both her students and colleagues, who would describe her as engaging and bright. But there was something different about Emilie.
One day as she was teaching a class of 17 girls, she was writing on the chalkboard when suddenly an entity appeared. This entity looked exactly like Emilie, and stood beside her, performing the same exact actions as the unknowing teacher. The students were confused and didn’t know what to think.
Before long, this doppelganger was spotted again, sitting beside Emilie, who was eating her lunch in quiet. This became a fairly regular occurrence, even happening when she was helping a student dress up for an event. As she was fixing the dress, her doppelganger appeared, and upon seeing the two, both working on her dress, the girl fainted immediately.
Perhaps one of the most popular sightings was when Emilie could be seen gardening while they were in a sewing class with another instructor. When the instructor stepped out for a few, Emilie walked in and took a seat in her place. Not an unusual occurrence, until one of the students noticed that Emilie was still outside in the garden.
Feeling brave, a few of the students tried to touch the doppelganger in their classroom. WHat they found was that their hands could go through her, only sensing what seemed like a bit of tension, or pressure. Like they could grab something, but nothing was there.
When the doppelganger was present, the students noticed that their teacher looked particularly stiff, and tired, perhaps even weak.
The students told their other teachers, school administrators, and eventually their parents. When nothing was done to remove Emilie from her position as a teacher, parents began to remove their daughters from the school. When enrollment had dropped significantly, the school had no choice, relieve Emilie of her duties as a teacher, or lose their school.
Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the first time this had happened to Emilie. She was well aware of her doppelganger, although she had never seen her. She had previously lost 18 teaching positions for the same reasons, but was such a fine teacher that she always received a wonderful review when others called regarding her performance.
Is there any truth to this story? That is really up to you to decide. When trying to track down definitive facts about Emilie Sagee, there isn’t one that can claim this story is real. Although there was a woman born in Dijon France, in 1813 by the name of Octavie Sagee, there can be no assurances that it is the same woman. While it wasn’t uncommon for women to change their names as they came of age, we have no real evidence. The school, too, cannot be accounted for definitively. Considering the time and location, so many languages were used, and schools were called by various names, it cannot be tracked down.
Perhaps the most interesting piece of evidence to counter the case of Emilie Sagee is the number of witnesses that have come forward. Out of 42 students, only 1 spoke up about the phenomena.
Did Robert Dale-Owen fabricate the story? Did Julie von Guldenstubbe make up a tale and give it to Robert, knowing he would believe it? Was Emilie Sagee and her doppelganger real?
Now, have you heard of Doris Bither and “The Entity”?
You can read an excerpt from the book, “Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World,” here.
