Artistic interpretation of two alleged Ebens based on descriptions associated with the Project Serpo story. Their appearance and physical differences are speculative and are not supported by verified biological evidence.

Encyclopedia Entry: 008Also known as: Eben, EBE, Serpo beings, SerponiansClassification: Alleged extraterrestrial intelligenceReported homeworld: SerpoReported star system: Zeta ReticuliEntity type: Small humanoidStatus: UnverifiedPrimary tradition: Project Serpo and government conspiracy narratives

Overview

Ebens are alleged extraterrestrial humanoids best known from the Project Serpo story. The narrative claims that the United States government established contact with beings from a planet called Serpo and participated in a secret exchange program with them during the twentieth century.

According to the story, a team of American military personnel traveled to Serpo and lived among the Ebens for several years. The account describes Eben biology, society, language, technology, religion, and interactions with the human visitors.

The Project Serpo material first gained widespread attention through anonymous emails distributed to a UFO discussion group in 2005. No authenticated government records, physical evidence, or independently verified witnesses have confirmed the alleged exchange program.

Name and Terminology

The name Eben is commonly said to be connected with the initials EBE, meaning Extraterrestrial Biological Entity. EBE has appeared as a general label in UFO literature and alleged government documents, but it does not identify a scientifically recognized species.

Within the Project Serpo narrative, Eben became the name of the specific beings said to inhabit Serpo. Some later writers refer to them as Serpo beings or Serponians.

The different labels are not used consistently. Mystera Headquarters uses Ebens as the primary encyclopedia name because it is the term most closely associated with the Project Serpo tradition.

Development of the Modern Tradition

Elements resembling the Eben story appeared in UFO conspiracy narratives before Project Serpo was published online. Claims involving recovered extraterrestrials, secret government communication, and an exchange program were reportedly circulating by the 1980s.

The modern Project Serpo story began receiving public attention in November 2005. Victor Martinez, moderator of a private UFO email discussion group, distributed messages attributed to an anonymous person claiming to have knowledge of a classified government program.

The messages described an alleged exchange between the United States and the Ebens. Bill Ryan later created a website to collect and publish the material.

Researchers have connected portions of the story with Richard Doty, a former special agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations who has been associated with disputed UFO documents and disinformation claims. Critics cite this connection, anonymous sourcing, contradictions, and the absence of evidence as reasons to consider Project Serpo an elaborate hoax or modern legend.

Reported Appearance

Descriptions generally portray Ebens as small humanoid beings. Reported characteristics include:

A height of approximately 4 to 5 feet

Large heads in proportion to their bodies

Gray, gray-brown, or pale skin

Large eyes

Small noses and mouths

Thin limbs

Four-fingered hands in some accounts

Upright movement and a generally humanoid body structure

Some portrayals make Ebens resemble the beings commonly called Grays. Other accounts give them more humanlike proportions, smaller eyes, or brown skin.

Descriptions of male and female Ebens are limited and inconsistent. Some versions claim that the sexes could be distinguished by subtle differences in body shape or facial structure. Any such distinction remains unverified and should not be presented as established biology.

Reported Origin

Ebens are said to originate from a planet called Serpo in the Zeta Reticuli star system. Zeta Reticuli is a real binary star system located approximately 39 light-years from Earth in the constellation Reticulum.

Project Serpo descriptions claim that the planet experiences illumination from two stars and has environmental conditions different from those of Earth. Accounts mention high temperatures, unusual daylight cycles, elevated radiation, and differences in gravity.

Although Zeta Reticuli is real, astronomers have not confirmed a planet called Serpo or an inhabited world within the system. The environmental descriptions in the Project Serpo releases also contain inconsistencies that have been cited by critics.

The Alleged Exchange Program

The central Project Serpo narrative claims that contact with the Ebens developed after the 1947 Roswell incident. According to the story, a surviving extraterrestrial helped establish communication between Earth and Serpo.

A group of twelve American military personnel was allegedly selected and trained for an interplanetary exchange mission. The team was said to have departed Earth in 1965 aboard an Eben spacecraft and traveled to Serpo.

The length of the mission varies between versions. A frequently repeated account states that the team remained on Serpo for approximately thirteen years. Some members reportedly died during the mission, some remained on the planet, and the surviving members returned to Earth in 1978.

The number of participants and their reported outcomes are inconsistent across different releases. No participant has been publicly identified through independently authenticated military records, and no government agency has confirmed that the program occurred.

Reported Biology

Project Serpo accounts portray the Ebens as biologically adapted to a hot planetary environment. Reported characteristics include:

Vulnerability to extreme cold

Longer life spans than humans

Different digestive and nutritional requirements

A mostly plant-based diet

Reproduction involving two biological sexes

A different understanding or measurement of time

Possible genetic similarities with humans

Some versions claim that Eben bodies or biological samples were examined on Earth. No authenticated specimen, medical record, genetic analysis, or laboratory report has been released for independent study.

Reported Society and Culture

The Project Serpo material presents Eben society as communal, orderly, and relatively peaceful. Reported cultural characteristics include:

A population distributed among settlements and a central community

Shared resources and limited personal property

Cooperation rather than economic competition

Strong family or communal relationships

Respect for elders

A central spiritual belief system

Limited crime and social conflict

Leadership without a government resembling those of Earth

Some accounts describe the Ebens as emotionally restrained but capable of compassion, loyalty, and grief. The alleged human visitors reportedly experienced difficulty understanding Eben customs, privacy, timekeeping, and social behavior.

These descriptions originate from the anonymous Project Serpo releases and have not been independently verified.

Reported Religion and Beliefs

Ebens are said to recognize a creator or universal spiritual force. The Project Serpo narrative describes ceremonies, communal gatherings, and respect for deceased members of their society.

Later interpretations sometimes connect Eben beliefs with human religions or suggest that Ebens influenced events in Earth’s religious history. These additions vary between sources and are not supported by historical or archaeological evidence.

Similarities between Eben spirituality and human religious ideas may reflect the cultural background of the people who developed or transmitted the story.

Reported Abilities and Technology

Accounts attribute advanced technology to the Ebens, including:

Interstellar spacecraft

Communication across immense distances

Energy systems unfamiliar to humans

Advanced medical knowledge

Artificial environmental control

Devices controlled through touch or biological interaction

Detailed astronomical navigation

Technology allegedly capable of manipulating gravity

Some versions of the story claim that the human team returned with Eben devices for examination. No such device has been publicly demonstrated or submitted for independent scientific testing.

Ebens are also sometimes described as telepathic. Other accounts state that they used spoken language, translation devices, gestures, or a combination of communication methods.

Relationship to Grays

Ebens are frequently compared with the extraterrestrials commonly known as Grays because both are described as small humanoids with enlarged heads and unusual eyes.

Some writers classify Ebens as a type of Gray. Others consider them a separate species with different skin coloration, behavior, anatomy, and cultural characteristics.

The Project Serpo narrative generally portrays Ebens as cooperative hosts rather than the secretive abductors found in many Gray alien accounts. Mystera Headquarters therefore maintains separate encyclopedia entries for Ebens and Grays while recognizing the visual and narrative overlap.

Connections to Roswell

Project Serpo is closely connected with the Roswell UFO tradition. The releases claim that at least one extraterrestrial survived a crash in New Mexico and later assisted the United States government in contacting the Eben civilization.

The official United States Air Force position is that debris recovered near Roswell was associated with Project Mogul, a classified balloon program designed to detect evidence of Soviet nuclear testing.

No verified evidence connects Roswell with the Ebens, Serpo, or an extraterrestrial exchange program.

Evidence and Interpretation

No publicly authenticated evidence confirms the existence of Ebens or Project Serpo. The story relies primarily on anonymous online messages and later publications based upon those messages.

Major concerns include:

Anonymous original sources

Contradictory dates and participant totals

Scientific and astronomical inconsistencies

No independently authenticated government documents

No verified physical evidence

No publicly confirmed members of the alleged exchange team

Connections with individuals associated with disputed UFO information

Changes made to the story as it circulated

Supporters sometimes argue that inconsistencies resulted from intentional disinformation intended to protect a real classified program. This explanation cannot be independently tested and does not provide evidence that the central story is true.

Researchers may interpret Project Serpo as a hoax, conspiracy narrative, internet legend, disinformation story, or modern form of UFO mythology.

Mystera Headquarters Classification

Mystera Headquarters classifies Ebens as an unverified alleged extraterrestrial species originating primarily from the Project Serpo conspiracy narrative.

The Ebens are cataloged separately from Grays because Project Serpo attributes a specific homeworld, society, history, and relationship with humanity to them.

Editorial Notice

This encyclopedia entry documents claims, beliefs, reported experiences, and cultural traditions concerning alleged non-human intelligences. Inclusion does not constitute proof that the beings or events described are real.

Descriptions of Eben appearance, biology, origin, society, abilities, technology, and contact with humans are attributed to their respective sources and should not be interpreted as established scientific facts.

Sources and Further Reading

UAP Observatory, Project Serpo timeline

Robert L. Hastings, “Operation Bird Droppings” and the Serpo Hoax

UFOs at Close Sight, critical examination of Project Serpo

Project Serpo: Fact or Fiction?, archived article

Project Serpo releases and commentary

CIA Reading Room, search results concerning Paul Bennewitz and UFO disinformation

United States Air Force, The Roswell Report: Fact Versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert

Benjamin E. Zeller, “At the Nexus of Science and Religion: UFO Religions”

Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial and Non-Human Intelligences, Entry 008

Published by Mystera Headquarters

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