The Ancient Mystery of Antarctica | Grand Theories

Summary

This script delves into the rich history of polar mythology, exploring the enduring fascination with the Arctic and Antarctic as mythical lands of giants, hidden civilizations, and lost paradises. From ancient Greek tales of Hyperborea to modern conspiracy theories, the narrative traces the evolution of these ideas across centuries, highlighting their influence on literature, science, and the human imagination. The script also touches on the scientific exploration of these regions, debunking some myths while acknowledging the enduring allure of the unknown that these icy frontiers represent.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Genesis 6:4 verse speaks of giants in the earth, a concept deeply rooted in myth and influencing interpretations of the world.
• 🌐 The North and South Poles have long been associated with mystery, serving as blank canvases for mythology, legends, and fiction.
• 🗺️ Early explorers and thinkers like Pythius of Massalia and Greek historians contributed to the development of polar mythology and the concept of Hyperborea.
• 📚 The term 'Hyperborea' was used to describe a land beyond the north wind, with varying interpretations ranging from a paradise to icy regions.
• 🌟 The Greek astronomer Geminus of Rhodes and others like him contributed to the understanding of the polar regions and the concept of a magnetic mountain at the poles.
• 📖 The works of ancient paradoxographers, who recorded or invented wondrous claims, influenced the perception of polar regions and their place in global imagination.
• 📚 The Renaissance period saw the Arctic depicted as a divided land with a central whirlpool and magnetic mountain, influenced by Arthurian legends and Ptolemaic cartography.
• 🌍 Theosophy and other esoteric beliefs in the 19th century, such as those of Helena Blavatsky, introduced the idea of lost polar civilizations and a sunken Arctic paradise.
• 📖 Modern interpretations of polar mythology have shifted towards science fiction, with authors like H.P. Lovecraft and Jules Verne contributing to the genre.
• 🔍 Operation Highjump and other explorations of the poles have fueled conspiracy theories and modern myths about hidden lands and ancient civilizations beneath the ice.

Q & A

What is the significance of Genesis 6:4 in the context of the script?

Genesis 6:4, which mentions 'giants in the earth in those days,' is significant because it introduces the concept of mythical, fantastical beings that have influenced interpretations and mythologies across various cultures and historical periods.

How does the script relate the North and South Poles to mythology and human imagination?

The script suggests that the extreme and uninhabited nature of the North and South Poles has made them blank canvases for human imagination, serving as settings for mythology, legends, and fiction. These polar regions are seen as the literal fringes of the earth, where fringe ideas and pseudo-histories persist.

What is the origin of the terms 'Arctic' and 'Antarctic'?

The terms 'Arctic' and 'Antarctic' come from the Greek 'arktikos' and 'antartikos,' respectively, both derived from 'arktos' meaning 'bear.' The association with bears comes from the location of the North Star, Polaris, and the prominence of the constellation Ursa Major in the sky.

Who was Pytheas of Massalia and why is he significant in the context of the script?

Pytheas of Massalia was a Greek explorer who is credited with being the first to write about the Arctic ice and the mysterious land he called Thule. His accounts were influential in shaping the ancient Greek understanding of the far north and contributed to the development of polar mythology.

What is the significance of the term 'Hyperborea' in ancient Greek mythology?

Hyperborea, in ancient Greek mythology, referred to a land beyond the northern wind, often described as a paradise. It was associated with the Hyperboreans, a race of beings who were sometimes depicted as giants and were believed to worship Apollo in spherical temples.

How did the concept of a hollow earth evolve over time, as mentioned in the script?

The concept of a hollow earth evolved from early theories like that of John Cleve Symmes Jr., who proposed the earth is hollow and habitable within, to more modern interpretations that blend science fiction and conspiracy theories, often involving ancient civilizations or alien life forms.

What is the Heflin Manuscript and how does it relate to polar mythology?

The Heflin Manuscript is a purported document containing ancient alien theories about seven fantastical cities created by alien life forms in Antarctica. It contributes to the polar mythology by combining elements of ancient fantasies, eastern mysticism, and UFOs, suggesting that Antarctica was once a tropical paradise colonized by these beings.

How did the Operation Highjump and Admiral Richard E. Byrd's statements influence polar conspiracy theories?

Operation Highjump, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, aimed to map Antarctica and prove it was a single landmass. Byrd's statements, particularly his radio announcement mentioning the 'great unknown' beyond the pole, fueled conspiracy theories about secret discoveries or unknown enemies in Antarctica.

What is the significance of the 'Rainbow City' in the context of polar mythology?

The 'Rainbow City' is a concept from the Heflin Manuscript, described as the original cultural center of Earth, constructed of massive colored plastic blocks. It represents the idea of an ancient, advanced civilization in Antarctica and is a modern restatement of older theories about polar cities.

How does the script explain the modern fascination with pyramids or lost cities in Antarctica?

The script suggests that the modern fascination with pyramids or lost cities in Antarctica is a continuation of older myths and legends, displaced from the Arctic to the Antarctic. These urban legends are fueled by the continent's last mysterious region status and the human mind's tendency to create its own stimulation in the face of vast, empty landscapes.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Biblical Giants and Polar Mythology

The paragraph discusses the biblical reference to giants in Genesis 6:4 and how interpretations of this verse have evolved over time. It explores the association of giants with polar regions, particularly the North and South Poles, which are seen as the Earth's final frontiers. The narrative delves into the mythological significance of these extreme locations, which have been used as settings for legends and fiction due to their lack of native history and civilizations. The paragraph also touches on the influence of these polar regions on the imagination, with references to ancient Greek beliefs and the concept of Hyperborea, a land beyond the North Wind.

05:01

🛶 Pythius and the Search for the Arctic

This section focuses on Pythius of Massalia, a Greek explorer who is credited with providing the first detailed account of Arctic ice and ice flows near a mysterious land he called Thule. The text discusses the controversy surrounding the exact location of Thule, with estimates ranging from the Orkney or Shetland Islands to Iceland, and even the Arctic ice itself. The paragraph also mentions the skepticism of later Greek historians like Polybius and Strabo, who regarded these accounts as fiction, and the influence of these tales on subsequent writers and thinkers.

10:04

📚 Myths and Paradoxography

The paragraph delves into the genre of paradoxography, which involves the recording or invention of wondrous claims, often set in distant lands. It discusses the works of ancient paradoxographers like Tiffany and Antonius Diogenes, who wrote about fantastical tales set in the polar regions. The text also mentions the impact of these works on later writers, such as the Roman writer Lucian of Samosata, who parodied these tales in his own satirical works. The paragraph highlights the enduring influence of these stories on the perception of the polar regions and the development of polar fiction.

15:06

🗺️ Mapping the Arctic and the Quest for Thule

This section discusses the various attempts to define and map the Arctic, from the ancient Greek concept of Hyperborea to the medieval and Renaissance interpretations of Thule. It mentions the works of Claudius Claudianus, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Dr. John Dee, who argued for England's claim to the Arctic regions based on the supposed conquests of King Arthur. The paragraph also touches on the influence of cartography, such as the Mercator map projection, and the development of theories about the Arctic's geography, including the idea of a magnetic mountain at the North Pole.

20:07

🌍 The Arctic in European Esotericism

The paragraph explores the influence of esotericism on the perception of the Arctic, particularly the ideas of theosophists like Helena Blavatsky and Rene Guenon. It discusses the synthesis of scientific and religious assumptions with mysticism, and the belief in lost continents like Hyperborea, Atlantis, and Lemuria. The text also mentions the impact of these ideas on later spiritualist movements and the popularity of concepts like the hollow earth theory and the search for the mythical city of Shambhala.

25:09

📖 The Hollow Earth and Polar Fiction

This section delves into the history of the hollow earth theory and its influence on literature, particularly the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne. It discusses the narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym and the concept of an ancient civilization in the Antarctic, as well as the later works of H.P. Lovecraft that modernized polar mythology. The paragraph also touches on the popularity of these themes in American pseudoscience and fiction, and the enduring appeal of polar myths and legends.

30:09

🛰️ Operation High Jump and Polar Conspiracy Theories

The paragraph discusses the United States Naval Antarctic Developments Program, also known as Operation High Jump, and its impact on polar mythology. It mentions the statements made by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Jr., which fueled conspiracy theories about unknown lands beyond the poles. The text also addresses the influence of figures like Amadio Giannini, who promoted the idea of an infinite earth and the existence of a secret land beyond the South Pole. The paragraph highlights the persistence of these theories and their roots in earlier myths and legends.

35:10

🏔️ The Reality and Myth of Antarctica

The final paragraph addresses the reality of Antarctica and its geological history, which supports some of the ideas proposed by earlier theorists. It discusses the existence of a landmass beneath the Antarctic ice and the continent's past as a tropical region. The text also debunks modern claims of pyramids and lost cities in Antarctica, attributing them to natural formations and the human mind's tendency to create patterns. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the enduring nature of polar myths and the magnetic reality of the poles.

Keywords

💡Giants

In the context of the video, 'giants' refers to the mythical beings mentioned in Genesis 6:4, which have been a subject of fascination and interpretation throughout history. The video explores how these giants have been associated with the polar regions, possibly due to their remote and mysterious nature. The concept of giants is used to illustrate the human tendency to fill unknown or unexplored territories with fantastical elements.

💡Polar Regions

The polar regions, specifically the Arctic and Antarctic, are central to the video's narrative. These areas are often seen as the Earth's final frontiers, filled with mystery and untapped secrets. The video discusses how these regions have been a canvas for various myths, legends, and fringe theories, from ancient civilizations to modern conspiracy theories.

💡Mythology

Mythology is a key concept in the video, as it explores the stories and legends that have been created around the polar regions. Myths serve as a way for humans to explain and give meaning to the unknown, and the video highlights how mythology has persisted and evolved over time, reflecting cultural and historical influences.

💡Pytheas

Pytheas of Massalia was a Greek explorer who is mentioned in the video for his accounts of northern Europe and possibly the Arctic. His writings contributed to the early understanding of the North and the concept of Thule, which became a symbol for the unknown and distant in ancient literature and geography.

💡Hyperborea

Hyperborea is a term used in the video to describe a mythical land beyond the North Wind, which was believed to be a paradise by ancient Greeks. The concept of Hyperborea is an example of how ancient civilizations imagined and idealized distant, unexplored lands, which later influenced the way polar regions were perceived.

💡Theosophy

Theosophy, as discussed in the video, is a spiritual movement founded by Helena Blavatsky that sought to synthesize religion, philosophy, and science. It played a role in shaping modern esoteric beliefs about the polar regions, including the idea of lost civilizations and ancient wisdom being preserved in these areas.

💡Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump was a U.S. Navy mission to Antarctica, mentioned in the video as an example of how modern exploration has fueled conspiracy theories about the poles. The operation's objectives and the subsequent cancellation due to weather conditions have been interpreted by some as evidence of hidden discoveries or secrets in Antarctica.

💡Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are a recurring theme in the video, particularly in relation to the polar regions. The video discusses how these theories, often based on a mix of historical myths, scientific speculation, and political intrigue, have persisted and evolved over time, reflecting human curiosity and the desire for hidden knowledge.

💡Polar Mythology

Polar Mythology refers to the collection of myths, legends, and stories associated with the Arctic and Antarctic. The video explores how these mythologies have been shaped by various cultures and historical periods, and how they continue to influence modern perceptions and interpretations of the polar regions.

💡Hollow Earth Theory

The Hollow Earth Theory, mentioned in the video, is a pseudoscientific idea that the Earth is hollow and habitable within. This concept has been a part of fringe science and literature, and the video touches on how it has contributed to the rich tapestry of polar mythology and the human imagination.

💡Antarctic Treaty

The Antarctic Treaty, referenced in the video, is an international agreement that regulates the activities of nations in the Antarctic region. It is an example of how modern international cooperation and scientific exploration have shaped the way we interact with and understand these remote areas.

Highlights

Genesis 6:4 mentions giants in the earth, a concept that has inspired various interpretations and mythological associations.

The North and South Poles are considered the final terrestrial frontiers and have been a canvas for mythology, legends, and fiction.

The Arctic and Antarctic regions have been seen as a menagerie of mystery and truth, with a pseudo-history of ideas once respected.

The word 'Arctic' and its antipode 'Antarctic' have Greek origins, with associations to bears and the North Star, Polaris.

Ancient Greeks hypothesized an equal frozen region to the far south, which became known as Antarctica.

Pythius of Masalia was the first Greek sailor to explore Northern Europe and write about the Arctic ice and ice flows.

The concept of Hyperborea, a land beyond the northern wind, was both a paradise and a source of fiction in ancient times.

The Roman historian Tacitus reported a Roman fleet sighting Thule, which became a point of contention and fiction in later periods.

The philosopher Plato and Aristotle theorized about the Arctic and its southern mirror, influencing later writers and paradoxographers.

The Renaissance period saw a resurgence of interest in the Arctic, with explorers and cartographers contributing to its mythology.

The 18th century saw the French examining the Arctic through both critical and fictional lenses, with works like Casanova's 'Icosamaron'.

Theosophy, a 19th-century spiritual movement, incorporated elements of polar mythology, including the idea of Hyperborea.

Theosophist Helena Blavatsky proposed a cataclysmic history of the world, with Hyperborea as a real continent destroyed by a flood.

The concept of an ancient Arctic continent has persisted in modern pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Operation Highjump, led by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Jr., aimed to map Antarctica but was cut short due to weather.

Conspiracy theories about the poles, including secret bases and ancient civilizations, continue to circulate in popular culture.

Modern scientific knowledge has revealed that Antarctica was once a tropical landmass, lending some credence to theories of ancient polar regions.

The North and South Poles are seen as both the origin and end of the world, with a unique tradition of rejected knowledge throughout history.

Transcripts

genesis chapter 6 verse 4 begins

there were giants in the earth in those

days

it's a verse famous for its notoriety an

element of almost alien mythology

turning up in the foremost pages of the

bible this wording here from the king

james version

an inspiration that there were

fantastical giants on or maybe in the

earth according to these scant few

references across the early pages of

scripture interpretations differ in the

extreme

but as a total image of the world grew

these giants fell away myth falls away

to undiscovered country

or as the bible says the stranger comes

from a far country what countries are

further than the ice bound north and

snow bound south the icy lands at the

north and south pole are the final

terrestrial frontiers frontiers make

good settings for mythology legends and

fiction

no surprise the north and south poles

are white canvases to be drawn upon the

extreme poles have no natural

civilizations they have essentially no

native history and thus they seem to

have no past

the arctic and antarctic can act like

literal ice boxes of mythology symbols

and ideas

tradition for short

maybe there in the earth there are

giants

perhaps

the image of the polar regions is then a

menagerie of mystery and truth a

pseudo-history of ideas once respected

that were dummied out from popular

consciousness

the literal fringes of the earth keep

fringe ideas alive in their icy vaults

the arctic regions seem like the veil

between the bonds of the earth and the

promise of space and the pole star

beyond

despite its inhospitability mystics east

and west have long described the color

of the arctic as a verdant green

it is a fertile field in imagination the

poles have their own associations the

attraction of the north and the

repulsion of the south

the furthest land that is what the

greeks called the ends of the earth

in the first century seneca the younger

wrote his play medea a tale of the

legendary sailor jason's spurned wife

medea a princess of the far-off country

of colcus

on stage cetica's chorus proclaims this

to the audience

there will come an age in the far-off

years when oceans show unloose the bonds

of things when the whole brought earth

shall be revealed when tethys shall

disclose new worlds and tool not be the

limit of the lands it is called seneca's

prophecy it may be the earliest use of

the term new world or worlds here seneca

speaks about a land beyond the northern

tule or thule a land regarded as

everything from a paradise to a place of

empty night throughout history

this is the mystery of the furthest

lands

and the world beyond even that

[Music]

the word arctic and its antipode

antarctic come from the greek arcticos

derived from arctos for bear in greek

the association with bears comes from

both the northern regions and the north

star polaris location to the north

the prominence of ursa major in the sky

lent its positive association of

strengths to the north

in opposition the ancient greeks

hypothesized an equal frozen region to

the far south antarctica

the greek root is antarticos or

anti-artic

antarctica held both negative linguistic

and magnetic associations in contrast to

the northern arctic

arctos was a vague concept in antiquity

the term boreal was preferred to gesture

to northern regions greek mythology

spoke of a hyperborea or a land beyond

the northern wind quite literally the

term hyperboreos meant pertaining to the

regions of the far north hyper meaning

far here

while often described as a paradise

beyond the north wind the actual content

of hyperborea was disputed between

stories and regions

some took it to be a paradise where the

tribes of hyperboreans worshipped apollo

in spherical temples others assumed it

was the icy regions of scandinavia

either way

since hyperborea was unreachable those

empty limits were filled by fiction

the first to challenge or provide father

for the fiction of the north was pythius

of masalia

he left an important book from around

330 to 320 bc

on the ocean

now lost the later references attested

was a treatise on the ocean and an

account of his expedition

as a greek explorer of lowly obscure

origin he was hailed and derided as both

liar and hero

why was he the first greek sailor to

prod northern europe well pythius was

the first to write it down and he was

also the first to circumvent the

carthaginian monopoly in the western

mediterranean sail beyond the pillars of

hercules strait of gibraltar and break

the bonds of the atlantic

pythius delivered to greece the first

report of arctic ice and ice flows near

a mysterious land he called tule or

maybe pronounced thule or thule or tile

there are many possible pronunciations

the greek astronomer geminus of rhodes

preserved one excerpt from pythius's on

the ocean where he claimed it seems that

these messelia came also to these far

northern regions at least he says in his

treatise on the ocean

the barbarians showed us the place where

the sun sets for it happened that in

these parts the night becomes extremely

short sometimes two sometimes three

hours long so that the sun rises a short

while after sunset

where in what was this tool or thule

it was clearly northward an unclear

frontier region but obviously an island

of some kind

pythius claimed his tool was six days

sale north of britain and near the

frozen sea

a description that gives the exact

location of tulle some flexibility

conservative estimates place pythius's

landing among the northern orkney or

shetland islands north of britain or

scotland liberal estimates believe he

sailed as far as iceland

the most extreme and likely impossible

claims believed pythius reached the

arctic ice itself

the placing of this tool will become a

controversy throughout antiquity and

even into the late roman empire

later greek historian polybius and

geographer strabo did not believe these

claims from on the ocean they regarded

it as outright fiction on the level of

the hyperborean tales

plenty the elder's natural history from

the mid-first century takes a more

neutral tone than them on the topic of

britannia it reports the most remote of

all that we find mentioned is hull in

which as we have previously stated there

is no night at the summer solstice when

the sun is passing through the sign of

cancer well on the other hand at the

winter solstice there is no day

here the location becomes metal again as

the natural history locates tulle in

some reachable distance of the arctic

sea

at one day's sail from tule is the

frozen ocean which by some is called the

cronian sea

the roman historian tacitus would report

a roman fleet sighted thule but by the

end of the first century tacitus's thule

was likely not the same as pythius's

tool

or the idea of what tool exactly was

by then the island was abstracting into

complete fiction in the pythian or

pythian odes 500 years earlier pindar

prior to pythius had skewered this

controversial north with the line but

neither by taking ship neither by any

travel on foot to the hyper-boring folk

shalt thou find the wondrous way

the philosophers reckoned with these

hyperborean folk both plato and

aristotle's earths accounted for the

arctic and its southern mirror both

theorized the far north and far south

should be the coldest regions on the

planet

though both also claim the equator would

be uninhabitable due to intense heat

either way plato in aristotle's world

view made it a ready habit to attack the

fiction writers and

paradoxographers who regularly inflated

claims of northern wonders

the paradoxographers were a kind of

writer in the ancient world who recorded

or invented wondrous claims their

regular settings being distant lands

hard to prove or disprove due to their

distance

one point of contention was the reality

of hyperborea

herodotus well known for

indiscriminately recording any claim in

his histories repeated the hyperboreans

lived northward of the scythians in the

asian steppe and kept griffins which

guarded gold

supposedly

aristotle counted this by saying these

griffins were simply vultures who

hoarded gold

and the more extraordinary hekatius

abellas according theodoros of sicily

reported the hyperboreans were a titan

race descended from the titans of

olympus

perhaps giving them the proportions of

giants due to their bloodline but

descriptions of the hyperboreans vary

if the skeptical hecateus believed any

of these extraordinary claims is unclear

these stories were repeated by later

writers though intermixed with elements

of actual truth

such strange distortions can be

attributed to the ancient greeks

distaste for pure fiction as it were

ancient fiction had to be prefaced with

some element of pseudo-history in either

setting or character paradoxographers

laundered wonderful tales as history to

avoid the bias against pure fiction or

to just make a buck on the global public

an intermingling which would long color

the perception of the polar regions and

tiffany's of virga was the most

notorious of the ancient

paradoxographers regarded as a

questionable tale teller even during his

life and tiffany's name became

synonymous with unbelievable stories

in the 4th century bc he published the

apista or unbelievable things

a major document of the

paradoxographer's genre of fantastical

tales

the lost and tiffany's apista presented

his stories as undeniably true which

lent them an heir of credibility

because of that his apista was

referenced as legitimate and parodied

for centuries after his death

the main derivative of antiphony's

apista was antonious diogenes the

wonders beyond tool from the 2nd century

a.d

a pseudo-historical romance about

fabulous adventures beyond ultima tool

into the realms of sun and moon

unfortunately the wonders beyond tool is

lost too

a common issue which repeats here much

of the writing and writings that

reference each other are lost

the wonders beyond tool remains only in

synopsis by the christian photios of

constantinople

antonius through a complicated story

within a story in his novel claimed his

work came from ancient sources recovered

from stone tablets

it was likely sarcastic sarcastic or not

the roman writer lucian of samosata

antonius's contemporary would parody the

wonders beyond tool with his own

adventures beyond tool the true

histories

otherwise known as a true story it is

obviously not

lucian was well known for his sarcasm

the issue with lucian's story is the

material it is mocking unbelievable

things and antonius's the wonders beyond

thule are lost so scholars are somewhat

lost in interpreting it either way the

true histories was intended as an

extended parody of the paradoxographers

like pythius account it commences with a

journey beyond the pillars of hercules

into the atlantic

and next involves phenomenal events as

varied as ascending to the heavens

through a whirlwind wars between the

peoples of the sun and the moon and

journeys to the islands of paradise

which involve meeting both homer and

odysseus

it concludes with the promise of a

sequel which was never published another

swipe by the ancient post-ironic lucian

at the gullibility of the public

how fictional factual or historical and

tiffany's antonius and lucian intended

their works to be is its own issue

it seems to have mattered a little to

later writers many took them unknowingly

or very well knowingly as fantastical

fact

they would cohere as a very early core

of polar fiction in imagination

by the fourth century the latin poet

claudius claudianus known today as

claudian was referring to tool

we wither so ever thou goest thee we

will accompany even as far as tool lying

icebound beneath the pole star or to the

burning sands of libya

tool or thule here is still inconsistent

and vague claudius seems to take tool to

be a poetic name for scotland as he goes

on to say it was warm with the blood of

picks and next refers to an ice-bound

hibernia ireland

the reference was confusing for later

scholars of this polar mythology

so by the end of the fifth century and

collapse of the roman empire tu ultima

was not much better defined

hyperborea became thule which was still

vaguely gestured to as simply the north

the inward focus of the middle ages

would end polar interest in earnest for

about the next thousand years

only north exploration and colonization

of iceland greenland and finland would

skirt the hem of polar regions

scholars though in the period would

settle on the identification of tulle as

on the edge of the known world probably

iceland or beyond that

the english chronicler geoffrey of

monmouth attested a tool under the name

atlas which he wrote of receives its

name furthest from the sun because of

the solstice which the summer sun makes

there

a cohesive effort to define the arctic

only resumed in late 1570s with the work

pretenici imperia limits or limits of

the british empire

a mystical and fantastical manuscript

fitting for the british alchemist

sometimes con artist dr john d a

favorite of queen elizabeth

why d argued for the british empire's

rightful claim to the arctic regions

how d produced his own claim that king

arthur yes the king arthur of camelot

himself had conquered the arctic giving

england a rightful rule of the north

while these claims seem baseless and

they essentially were in fact john d was

well learned and connected enough to

produce an actual argument for his

position

it bordered on forgery perhaps but was

competent enough for what he desired

these three major sources were the work

of previously mentioned jeffrey of

monmouth and summaries of two mysterious

14th century works inventio fortunata

and justi

arthur's achievements sometimes also

known as arturus justin

inventio fortunata was a description of

the north pole and that just day arturi

was an account of king arthur's

colonization of the north pole

dee claimed that england's enemies left

purposely vague by him had destroyed

these works because of their importance

to the country

dee believed england had rightful rule

to the entire atlantic arctic circle at

the least

which included iceland perhaps known as

tool groenland a phantom island which d

assumed to be greenland wyland or

winelandia an anglicization of the norse

of inland estariland or northern canada

in some respect atlantis which

de-equivocated with the americas the

septentrano islands an old name for the

north atlantic isles which included

svalbard and perhaps as far east as

novaya zemlya and russia

these regions have imprecise names and

are essentially phantom islands because

d derived them from the cartography of

the time

all these claims were produced anyways

so england could lay claim to the

northwest passage a supposed trade route

rumored to circumvent north america via

arctic waters for asia

where did dee acquire these summaries

though

from a source no less reputable than

gerardus mercator himself of the

mercator map projection the dutch

cartographer exchanged now damaged

letters with d around 1577 it was

mercator who introduced d to the

questionable descriptions of the

inventio fortunata which mercator

claimed to have read

but only in summary

yes in summary mercator's information

was itself a summary of a summary dee

had developed theories from what was

literally third hand information

mercator did not have any copies of

either enventio fortunata or just

dayartori those had been lost by the

1500s what mercator had read was a

summary which he had also lost after he

loaned the book out to a friend

his excuse was literally i lost my copy

he accredited it to a mysterious

personage named jacobus or jacobus noyen

an older edition of knox of herzogenbush

who as mercator related travelled the

world like john mandeville but described

what he saw with better judgment he

wrote in the belgic belgian language

the ideas about the northern regions

which some time ago i extracted from him

follow word for word save for where the

sake of brevity or speed i have

translated into latin one if not always

his words i have retained his meaning

jacobus was a legendary traveler like

the fictional john mandeville who

traveled europe asia and africa but not

the arctic

that jacobus wrote about from the

inventio fortunata which according to d

was actually by a wandering english monk

from the 1300s jacobus had just cribbed

his description from the monk's writings

the inventio fortunata is the greatest

and most persistent work of

paradoxography it is from which mercator

and these descriptions of the far north

arrive

due to the proclaimed source material

the renaissance arctic was filled with

cliches of far offland's common and

medieval european historiography

dee's arctic is a divided land a ring

divided into four unequal portions

divided by in-drawing seas or channels

between them

the lands crusted with impenetrable

mountains surrounded a massive whirlpool

often called a maelstrom and a mountain

at its exact center the in-drying seas

and whirlpool were believed to circulate

the earth's waters

d perhaps influenced by arthurian

legends of a magnetic castle in the

north notes that the mountain at the

center is made of lodestone mercator

describes it in latin as the rupes negra

or black rock then a common but now

forgotten trait of adventure stories

these black rocks or magnetic mountains

were believed to pull the nails from

boats

renaissance cartography inspired by

ptolemy placed one at the north pole to

account for why compasses were drawn

north

mercator and d were not the first to

publish such ideas

in 1507 the flemish cartographer

johannes roysh published his map of the

world

royce's map followed the design of a

mountainous expanse for separated lands

in drawing seas and a northern magnetic

mountain

so similar if not the exact same as d's

royce though named these four lands

eronfe hyperbori europe and insula

deserta

the two insula deserta essentially mean

insular desert or wasteland which were

uninhabited russia's hyperbore europe

was the greek hyperborea and connected

to scandinavia iranfei is the most

mysterious of royce's creations unlike

the rest of the map it has no clear

origin in history or mythology

and later adopters of his ideas so

perhaps d and mercator believed it was

inhabited by a race called aramaphe or

aramfi

perhaps equivalent to the legendary

one-eyed aramasby said to be the enemies

of the hyperborean griffins

so maybe these were giants too it's kind

of hard to tell what his intentions were

the mercator d maps then perhaps

inspired by russia's ideas included

their own inhabited regions of the

arctic

both giants and pygmies featured in d's

1580 map the mystic believed beside

english colonists left over from king

arthur there were ancient cities

scattered across the north pole

homes of fantastic peoples among the

mountains in his own version of oromfay

the inspired by infertile fortunata

declared the northern reaches of

grokland or groenland greenland were

inhabited by men 23 feet tall though

never directly called giants by d

the parallel is obvious

d also declared that pygmies or tiny

peoples inhabited this north

these pygmies though may be more factual

than his 23 feet tall people a

possibility is mercator misinterpreted

the scralings of inland as described in

norse accounts as small people

these populations which mercator

explained to dee john d then mistook to

live in the far north dee's north pole

was a very lively place

all of this was questionable in the end

even for the time

most doubted the manuscript of inventio

fortunately ever existed

but inventio fortunata seems to have

been real in some form

other european scholars of the era

independent of d and mercator such as

battalion de las casas referenced the

work as trustworthy to some degree the

existence of jacobus neuen of

herzogenbush is questionable though

whatever the first form of the material

later known as invento fortonata it was

likely originally brought to norway in

the 13th century by a refugee from

greenland

its contents became distorted until they

ended up in the hands of mercator and d

this image of the arctic persisted well

into the 18th century

by 1701 the london periodical the

athenian mercury was answering why does

the needle and the sea compass always

turn to the north with the most received

opinion is that there is under our north

pole a huge black rock from under which

the ocean issueth in four currents

answerable to the four corners of the

earth or four winds which rock is

thought to be all of lodestone so that

by a kind of affinity it draws all such

like stones or other metals touched by

them towards it

in the 1700s the french would be the

first to examine the arctic in both a

critical and fictional lens

the european adventure giacomo casanova

would write much about the arctic in a

fictional side of his memoirs ikosamaron

1787

a tongue-in-cheek tale about the inner

earth beyond the arctic and its strange

inhabitants in which casanova adopted

ideas from the renaissance

interpretation of the arctic beside

being one of the earliest tales of

hollow earth fiction casanova's eco

samaran involved an entrance to the

inner earth through the northern

maelstrom

it was an early fantasy of a jungled

inner earth akin to jules verne's later

1864 novel journey to the center of the

earth

there was much scientific interest

directed towards the arctic by french

intellectuals the early naturalist

george luis leclerc de cal de buffalo

would propose a theory on the natural

creation of the earth outside religious

scripture the count de beaufol's

scientific theories accounted for the

creation of the arctic bouffant believed

as the hot earth-cooled post-creation

the arctic would have been the first

region inhabited by life

while buffalo's theory simply theorized

life would have first emerged in the

inhabitable arctic regions buffalo's

contemporary young sivan bay elaborated

on it as fact bailly was a prominent

french revolutionary leader of the

tennis court oath and later mayor of

paris

though jean souvent bei's arctic

theories seem far from scientific today

bay's ideas combine buffalo's cooling

earth hypothesis with his own concept of

ancient astronomy bay proposed these

speculations in works such as a history

of ancient astronomy 1775 discourse on

the origin of the sciences and peoples

of asia 1777 and a treatise on indian

and oriental astronomy 1787

while not as extreme as later ancient

advanced civilization theorists jealousy

von bay's theory of ancient astronomy is

the early model for them essentially

they believed all major civilizations of

the world egypt chaldea meaning

mesopotamia here china and india were

descended from a single mysterious

perhaps advanced according to some

source civilization how did he reach

this conclusion bailly believed

astronomy his specialty the most ancient

science was first developed by a lost

civilization all science culture and

religions were derivatives from that

civilization

after its destruction according to

bailly's conclusions its descendants the

ancient scythians step tribes migrated

south and established cultures in

eurasia where did bei locate this lost

original civilization in siberia on the

arctic rim directly according to him on

the 49th degree around scandinavia bay

believed mentions of the hyperborean

paradise were memories of this lost

civilization hyperborea he also

confabulated with a true atlantic

atlantis believing they were one in the

same ancient memories simply intermixed

them

now highly questionable jealousy

lombay's ideas were competent enough for

the time though marred by speculation

with little back in fact while bae's

ideas withered on the vine his

conceptual influence did not the

parisian intellectual kept up a

correspondence with his countrymen the

philosopher voltaire

voltaire was not convinced of bay's

belief in a northern garden of eden he

was though convinced by bailly's

concepts in abstract as challenges to

establish scholasticism

mainly the catholic church's insistence

of humanity's origins in the middle east

as wherever the garden of eden was

located

a tenant martin luther had already

challenged during the protestant

reformation with the declaration the

deluge great flood had permanently

hidden the gun by changing the face of

the world bae and voltaire both believed

that reason instead of religious

traditions could locate the true origins

of humanity unfortunately bae was

guillotined during the reign of terror

before he could convince voltaire of

anything much

voltaire had after all already declared

prior to bailly in 1761 that it was

india which was home of the most ancient

and purest religion in the crater of all

civilizations

the existence of india and china

complicated the question of human

origins in europe

it was voltaire's indo and cynophilia

which led him to locate the origins of

civilization on the banks of the ganges

not the euphrates or nile river voltaire

like bailly believed in astronomy as an

original science

in voltaire's schema astronomy and

culture spread outwards from india it

was a theorem which will tear his

influence and the enlightenment would

spread his brief time in prussia in the

court of king frederick the great would

proliferate this idea to his prussian

contemporaries and through them later

german philosophy

in the quest for the garden of eden

metaphorical or not early german

philosophy found the perfect union of

religion science and philosophy

the prestigious name brought to the

question of human origins ignited a

search many later giants of philosophy

would venture their own guesses

immanuel kant would broach the question

of human origins in his philosophy

lectures while he never produced a

concise published theory

kant seemed swayed that humanity

originated in tibet

the mountains of tibet were as kant put

it mankind's ark his logic was that as

the biblical flood receded the first

civilizations would have emerged in the

tibetan highlands as voltaire with india

kant believed all primordial culture

spread out of tibet he went further than

voltaire and contemplated that the

original tibetans had populated the rest

of asia and then the world

looking for biblical foundations the

philosopher believed the hebrew

patriarch abraham of the old testament

was equivalent to the hindu brahma

simply because they rhymed

then while not the garden of eden

exactly kant's tibet was the original

civilization in his ideas

moving slightly to the west kant's

student johann gottfried proposed his

own theory of human origins besides his

notes on kant's ideas

herder agreed humanity originated in the

asian highlands but he believed the

garden of eden was in kashmir herder's

cashmere theory was based on the concept

humans would have first emerged in the

mountains he supported this idea by

claiming that a central east asia shown

the greatest human racial diversity of

the old world that to era suggested all

of humanity diverged from the

populations of the area herder's beliefs

then would create a very early basis for

later biological research into human

origins

hegel yes that hegel proposed his own

religious interpretation of human

origins hegel's theory boiled down to

the idea that human religion emerged in

the far east developed as its bred

westward then was fulfilled in the

religion of the prussian state remember

he was a prussian

philosopher hello saw chinese taoism as

the basic magic religion of humanity

from which all religion grew in varying

forms the development of religious

complexity in hegel's philosophy was a

chain one could follow back to human

origins basically across eurasia

what do these german divergences have to

do with the arctic or antarctica con er

and hegel's ideas by way of french

influence would clear the ground for the

science of comparative mythology

a scientific craze that would sweep

europe and the americas around the

mid-1800s

nowadays comparative mythology is more

literary than scientific but it was an

early field of anthropology

the belief cross-referencing mythology

and symbols could help create a

scientific view of history mainly

through reconstructing primitive myths

in its conceptual phase it was believed

to be a critical field to finding the

origins of humanity while an interesting

process it was a faulty questionable

tool based mostly on speculation

it resulted in some strange conclusions

european discovery of antarctica in the

1700s then the rush for the arctic in

the later 1800s would not help

the most famous advocate with the most

bombastic theory was reverend william

fairfield warren in 1885 with his book

paradise found the cradle of the human

race at the north pole

a 500-page argument advocated nothing

less than the origins of humanity at the

north pole

his theory was far less absurd for its

time than it appears now though william

f warren was not a nobody either but the

first president of boston college

he developed his ideas well before the

hypothesis of continental drift and

believed there was a frozen tropical

continent below the arctic ice so he was

working on some different logic than

scholars are today

warren proposed this submerged eden was

equivalent to the ancient greek

hyperborea all mythological references

to earthly paradises or foggy cultural

memories of this land and all

mythological symbols of spears and poles

unknowing references to the magnetic

poles of the earth even proposed

mythological giants were if the first

men were of the stature and strength and

longevity is supposed how certainly

would traditions of the fact linger in

the memory of mankind long after its

exile from its earlier and happier home

an attempt perhaps to explain away

earlier references to giants in the

north and give an origin to the garden

of eden

geographically

warren's paradise found made sense for

the 1800s then

he believed humanity had descended down

the sides of the globe and across earth

warren's book did have some what would

be called today scientifically founded

information

one was his belief in land or ice

bridges as he quoted another authority

in this field writing of the theory that

continuous land once connected europe

and north america at the north

another was warren's belief in the

importance of migrations and human

prehistory and radical shifts in global

climate regions though somewhat extreme

in his vision

even writing a poem on his somewhat

fantastical environmental

interpretations when the sea rolled its

fathomless billows across the broad

plains of nebraska when around the north

pole grew bananas and willows and

mastodons fought with the great

armadillos for pineapples grown in

alaska

paradise found would quickly fall out of

the public consciousness despite its

limited appeal but decades later would

re-emerge as a major document of the

intellectual fringe

so warren's book briefly refocused

arctic interest in the united states

but in europe the arctic was coming

under mystical eastern influence

this was due to the indology and german

philosophy after extended contact with

asia in the 1800s

the european oriental societies which

sprung up were importing and translating

large amounts of hindu and buddhist

scripture cross-pollination between

these ideas would produce a very strange

intellectual mixture

the first modern philosopher to broach a

mystical interpretation of the arctic

was the french proto-socialist charles

foyer freya's utopian beliefs called for

total harmony across the world which

would bring about total equality

once accomplished foie believed this

harmony would turn the arctic and

antarctic into a boreal and austral

crown of the earth perhaps meaning the

aurora borealis would reign over the

world for thousands of years

this popular european utopianism of the

early 1800s would mix with the growth of

spiritualism and faux eastern mysticism

as the 1800s went on

it was mainly the influence of tibetan

buddhism translations of the kala chakra

tantra and other mystical buddhist

scriptures would popularize dharmic

cosmology and european thought

but as asia became more reality and less

a fantasy this buddhist magic as it was

symbolically and literally called was

focused in other directions often as an

alternate or challenge to established

churches

the practice of comparative mythology

would dig its teeth into the

classicalism and buddhist mysticism in

vogue at the time

the importance of the north and south

pole in european esotericism emerges

here relying on the kala chakra tantra

scholars began to examine the ancient

helnick view of the world against the

buddhist image

one topic of importance was mount meru

or the axial mountain of the hindu and

buddhist universe

mount meru according to strings of

dharmic literature is the mountain at

the center of the sifa dipa or white

island deepa also translated as

continents sometimes mount meru in the

civil depa according to some sat at the

center of the four or seven lotus

petal-shaped continents of the world

it was at the head of lake onotata

awandit which was the source of the

world's water a black mountain above a

maelstrom at the center of a white

island it may or may not have actually

been black though

european mystics and scholars associated

mount meru with the rupus negra or

magnetic mountain of medieval

renaissance lore

here was a strong bone of comparative

mythology later mystics declared that

these myths and their varying

translations were drawn from the same

source

the traditions of yamashivan bay's

so-called ancient civilization were soon

revived in questionable spiritualist

circles

the overflow of religious information in

europe would run off into this chic

spiritualism of the mid and late 1800s

the amalgamation of the theosophical

society was a result in 1875

beliefs promoted by the russian mystic

helne petrovna blavatsky a synthesis of

scientific and religious assumptions of

the 19th century coupled with outright

mysticism chris riley describes the

patrick's spiritualism of theosophy

wisdom of god as a spiritual location of

byzantine complexity theosophy may be

understood as unique bricolage of

spiritualism ancient mythology eastern

religion and the legendarily turgid

mystical novels of edward bowler linton

most of the time demean balotsky's

incites a simple parlor room buddhism

but her pseudo-spiritual theosophy was

the next link in the chain of odd polar

beliefs blavatsky adopted strains of

comparative mythology between east and

west to account for her cataclysmic

history of the world according to

blavatsky's visions legendary continents

like hyperborea atlantis and lemuria

were all real each inhabited by

different age of humanity though maybe

not humanity as biologically understood

today

she believed each age of humanity was

destroyed by a cataclysm like the

biblical flood the first two were the

polarian on mount meru and hyperborean

which according to bolvatsky was the

arctic which in ages past surrounded the

original ocean on the top of the world

this arctic ring continent once again

dee's medieval lore re-emerges here was

blavatsky's equivalent to bayes original

civilization

which she claimed was the same as the

hindu period of man ventara or a

imperishable sacred land this distorted

hyperborea was the sunken eden of

theosophy

as jocelyn goodwin described bolvatsky's

hyperborea is ambiguous in this regard

it is geographical being situated at the

north pole yet it is immaterial meaning

that one will probably not find it if

one looks for it with their mortal eyes

blavatsky's synthesis was impactful for

better or worse theosophy would cohere

into the first major branch of european

esotericism in the 19th century it was

not without later opponents who sought

to preserve other pre-modern forms

the second branch of european

esotericism would come from the

controversial pen of the french mystic

rene guenong

going on was a constant critic of the

theo's office even penning the attack

the theoso historia

theosophy history of a pseudo-religion

his attacks on fads of spiritualism and

faux buddhism were common advocating his

perennial philosophy above debased

mysticism as he saw it

whale's beliefs in tradition of east and

west veered more towards the symbolic

but not without their indulgences such

as a belief in the subterranean paradise

of shambhala

similarities between granola's

metaphysical tradition and blavatsky's

theosophy are due to drawing from the

same source materials

goyal's writings on tradition as he

called it are complex close system but

one of his own making based on the bones

of things like mythology mystical

literature and some forms of hinduism

why not look towards the arctic through

the ever popular lens of the late 1800s

to him meru the axial mountain should be

equated with the symbolic polar axis

meru was the common center of the world

or the seven divas which surrounded the

white land he regarded common

conflations of atlantis and hyperborea

as pointing towards the primordial

traditions of the north atlantic though

granola never exactly specified if he

believed them to be literally real or

simply symbolically real a symbolic

spiritual well which all cultures drew

from a western equivalent to hinduism in

india

one of gwynell's famous popularizations

was the equivocation of greek

mythological eras gold silver bronze and

iron with the hindu yugas or ages

universal periods of rise and decline

though here modified to guenor's own

symbology he overlaid the eastern

cyclical universe of reincarnation on

the western linear timeline of creation

and apocalypse

no consensus would be reached on these

ideas but bolovatsky and gwynel were

consequential in their own rights

one of blavatsky's disciples was the

russian orientalist helena rarick and

her husband the artist always in exile

nicholas rarick friends of the

theosophical society at its peak though

not exactly followers of the doctrine

nicholas rarick was well known in the

early 1900s for his own tibetan

buddhist-derived mysticism and paintings

of central asia which you have been seen

taking a distant note from immanuel kant

the couple went searching for the

origins of humanity in tibet and

attempted to find the mythical buddhist

city of shambhala a secret pure city

which existed either in tibet or inside

the earth itself

they found nothing but nicholas rarick's

artwork and helena's writing did much to

mystify buddhism in the west

the raric family's wake was tangible in

europe america and asia

in india emerging indian nationalism was

receptive to the sympathetic orientalism

of europeans

belgangadar talaq one of the fathers of

modern india would do much to nativize

the myths the west had projected on to

india

in 1903 he published the arctic home in

the vedas it is exactly what it sounds

like

a theory of northern arctic genesis from

an indian perspective

callak quoted heavily from william f

warren's paradise found and he was much

convinced by warren's hypothesis

to add to this chillac contributed his

own symbolic mythological analysis of

the vedas hindu holy scripture to the

conclusion

combed hindu scripture for references to

a primordial arctic paradise

mainly in references to northern

paradises and long nights he even

identified the arctic as the original

home of the anthropological indo-aryans

statements which would soon be

politicized

as noted balganda heart was not a fringe

intellectual born of the first leaders

of the indian independence movement

his influence would be very

consequential across both spiritualism

and politics

theosophy and perennial philosophy were

a potent mixture in the political

radicalism of pre-1940s europe

in italy a theosophist by the name of

arturo orgini an early neil pagan of an

authoritarian bend would introduce later

self-described super fascist julie

savola to gwen all's works evola would

adopt some of gwynell's concepts but

diverge in his own belief after falling

out with rodini a menagerie of fringe

concepts would fuel evolve's mystical

militaristic ideological beliefs

a hyper right-wing mysticism opposed to

theosophy's spiritual left wing if one

can even apply such terms here

wherever diverged was in his open

incendiary political involvement his

grounding belief in an ancient arctic

continent where lived the first humans

in a society based around a warrior cast

it was much the same in germany where in

1918 the notorious tool society was

founded esotericism racialism and

fascism would mix to world-changing

results the nazi and antarctica myth has

been covered elsewhere though the major

promotion of a chilean diplomat post

world war ii miguel serrano a man so

taboo and perplexing nothing sufficient

can be said about him needless to say

serrano's beliefs no matter how

confounding were an offshoot of this

polar mythology in a strange strange

form

in the united states the polar

traditions found a better home in early

pseudoscience and fiction rather than

mysticism like in europe the border

between both was blurry there the old

world obsession provided plentiful raw

material for american writers

on april 10th 1818 john cleve sims jr

published his number one circular it

proudly declared about the earth to all

the world i declare the earth is hollow

and habitable within containing a number

of solid concentric spheres one within

the other and that it is open at the

poles 12 or 16 degrees i pledge my life

in support of this truth and i'm ready

to explore the hollow if the world will

support and aid me in the undertaking i

ask 100 brave companions well-equipped

to start from siberia in the fall season

with reindeer and slaves on the ice of

the frozen sea

i engage we find a warm and rich land

stocked with thrifty vegetables and

animals if not men on reaching one

degree northward of latitude 82 we will

return in the succeeding spring

endearingly absurd and basically

pseudo-scientific even at the time

but sims circular is one of the earliest

documents advocating a scientific hollow

earth theory

it was predated by the german priest

athanasius kirkers mundus subterraneus

subterranean earth in 1664 and the

english scientist edmund haley in

philosophical transactions of the royal

society in 1693

kirker's work proposed a subterranean

land which circulated the earth's waters

and winds

he also thought dinosaur bones were the

bones of giants there again are giants

haley an influential thinker was the

first to propose the concentric earth

model or the idea the interior of the

earth is like a nesting doll with

multiple earths

it's unclear if sims read either volume

either way he never got his expedition

though the united states congress

entertained the idea for a brief moment

though never accepted as mainstream

sim's proposal was a fringe fantasy for

authors to chew on

edgar allen poe would come to learn of

sims hollow earth theory by way of sims

companion the editor jeremiah and

reynolds

poe tackled the mysterious pore regions

in his only novel the narrative of

arthur gordon pym of nantucket 1838

a tale of the cursed descent to the

south pole aboard whaling ships through

impossible cannibalistic tribes strange

weather phenomena and to the oceanic

wasteland of antarctica itself

before the postscript alludes to

southern antarctic civilization arthur

gordon pym encounters a gigantic

shrouded figure in the antarctic fog

it has never made clear what the figure

is due to the cliffhanger ending but it

can only be assumed poe was alluding to

the myths of giants in polar regions or

the figure was some sort of unknowably

vast ancient ruin

in his 1897 french fan sequel to the

narrative the sphinx of the icy regions

jules verne describes the figure as a

sort of sphinx of ice this sphinx at the

center of the south pole is highly

magnetic and pulls metal towards it it

is that which traps and kills arthur

gordon pym

a modern form of the rupus negra or

magnetic mountain in fiction

the trope of unknowably ancient polar

civilizations would enter the mainstream

decades later by way of the antarctic

fringe in hp lovecraft's at the

mountains of madness

1936

which would modernize polar mythology

away from the fantasy of giants to the

science fantasy of aliens

though the story was predated in concept

by lovecraft's own 1921 short story the

nameless city though that takes place in

a desert

at the mountains of madness is about an

expedition to impossibly vast antarctic

city of the decayed elder things and

their chagas servitors

it would become the later model of

ancient alien science fiction stories

well-read it is doubtless lovecraft was

familiar with bae's original

civilization the symbolic darkness of

antarctica and his own admitted

influence from poe

lovecraft's influence on the antarctic

mythology was immediately obvious

in the 1940s the self-proclaimed true

account the heflin manuscript supposedly

began to circulate containing early

ancient alien theories the manuscript

was about the seven cities of antarctica

seven fantastical cities created by

alien life forms sometimes called

martians or the celestial ancestors of

humanity antarctica which they colonized

when it was a tropical paradise is

referred to in writing as motherland of

the world

it's a shadowy interplay of everything

from ancient fantasies of hyperborea

william f warren's polar paradise this

time imposed on antarctica to

blavatsky's faux eastern mysticism

it's all present in the heflim

manuscript alongside ufos

one of these cities was referred to as

the rainbow city for its rainbow design

because it was constructed of massive

colored plastic blocks

this rainbow city was the original

cultural center of earth but is

surrounded by impenetrably high ice

walls there's your flat earth connection

it can now only be accessed by

subterranean tunnels which connect the

seven cities

subterranean tunnels and ancient

antarctic cities of course be major plot

points of lovecraft's at the mountains

of madness

rainbow city itself is a largely

original concept but one could point to

earlier mythological associations of

rainbows and paradise its plastic

construction seems an idea purely out of

the 1940s united states though

the identity of the heflin manuscript

author is unclear the heflins who

supposedly first privately published the

manuscript are obscure

they appear to have existed but if they

actually had anything to do with this

rainbow city myth is unclear and seems

unlikely

by now all this modern paradoxography

should sound rather familiar

it repeats itself

so step away for a moment

in 1946 1947 american naval officer rear

admiral richard e byrd jr attempted to

put a conclusive end to the mystery of

antarctica in the united states naval

antarctic developments program 1946-1947

better known today as operation high

jump high jump was bird and supporting

officers effort to map antarctica the

main objective beside establishing a

scientific base in antarctica was to

prove the polar continent was one

singular landmass

a question which byrd's earlier

expeditions to marie birdland named in

honor of his wife had been unable to

conclusively answer

though in february 1947 the operation

would be canceled and recalled due to

intense antarctic weather the event

would be popularized in the american

consciousness by the 1948 documentary

the secret land which chronicled the

research operation high jump and the

secret land of antarctica

the secret land the documentary would

establish for bird a reputation as the

greatest latter-day american explorer

though unfortunately now rather

forgotten in popular consciousness

rear admiral bird's statements on radio

and in papers would prove a ready fodder

for mysticism and conspiracy

in his radio announcement from

antarctica on february 1947 at the

conclusion of operation high jump bird

declared i'd like to see that land

beyond the pole that area beyond the

pole is the center of the great unknown

then upon his return to united states

added the present expedition has opened

up a vast new land

believers in polar fringe theories

taking this to suggest bird had

discovered more in antarctica than was

obvious either some greater land mass or

discovery of an unknown enemy there

neither is true

the idea misconstrues birds other

parallel warnings from the secret land

and contemporary interviews about polar

warfare in a hypothetical future

conflict a topic that highly concerned

bird

this land beyond the pole and vast new

lands to which birderford is the

region's operation high jump was unable

to explore due to early cancellation

bird would later return to antarctica in

1955 1956 anyways with the international

expedition operation deep freeze one

the land beyond the pole myth would

remain popular though the largest

proponent of this land beyond the pole

was one f amadio giannini seemingly no

relation to the american banking magnet

of the same name an incredibly bizarre

but influential figure in early american

conspiracy circles who believed in what

was essentially an infinite earth his

own pet theory

prior to birds sitting out with

operation high jump janine warned bird

that upon moving beyond the south pole

his plane would be sucked into another

world

rear admiral byrd ignored giannini but

amadio giannini did not ignore bird

later in 1959 giannini would publish his

thesis world beyond the poles physical

continuity of the universe to explain

his infinite earth theorem

it did a poor job but it perpetuated

several ingrained myths around operation

high jump and the arctic

giannini though he contradicts himself

in the book described his belief that

space yes the space in the sky was part

of the earth

all the planets were other land masses

on the universal ocean in his view earth

was like two infinite planes that met at

the poles

maybe or maybe it was a sort of tube

one could travel to other planets by sea

or air someone then could then cross

this boundary by moving across the poles

janine's theories were confounding

exceeding even the logic of flat earth

and it's unclear if they even made sense

to him

his earth maybe looked something like

the interior of a hollow candle with a

celestial and terrestrial surface the

atmosphere or space between them it's

hard to parse

beyond the book's perplexing

descriptions it went on to popularize

several myths about the reality of the

north and south pole

or simply became fodder for other

experts

all of genie's claims are questionable

he was only entertained by the public

because paranormal magazines such as

flying saucers found him amusing

one of janine's assertions was bird had

made a secret expedition to the north

not south pole in 1947. there he reached

beyond the known limits of the earth

it never happened it was another bit of

the man's fiction like infinite earth it

seems giannini conflated bird's

controversial 1926 north pole flight in

1946 1947's operation high jump

others later in the 1960s would assert

genini was correct by pointing to a

supposed secret diary of bird from 1947

but this was a forgery bird had

published his own explorers diary but

only one

this second diary which records a

mystical experience in the north pole

was written by a walter siegmeister

their references to sigmeister as a

member of the german fool society but

this is bunk

siegmeister a russian jew and later

naturalized as raymond w bernard was a

new age mystic

the scene in the second secret diary

where byrd meets a secret master

straight out of theosophy at the hidden

land beyond the pole is an almost 141

rip-off of a scene from the 1937 film

lost horizon

a movie where a british agent on an

accidental expedition meets a high llama

in the lost tibetan city of shangri-la

with all the interest in reinvigorated

global exploration at the time it is

clear sigmeister's main inspirations for

the forgery or adventure movies faux

eastern mysticism and his own commitment

to his new age beliefs siegmeister or

bernard's expansion on the older

theories of giannini were as faulty as

the source material

it would have been impossible for bird

to reach the north pole in february 1947

anyways due to the near total darkness

of the arctic winter

bird never made any secret flights to

the north pole none that can be

obviously proven at least

when asked to support any of his own

claims by the press giannini would

always respond you can find all the

information in the new york times that

then shut the door on polar mythology

for now

it's not in the new york times

all modern claims and conspiracies of

the arctic in antarctica are largely

recycled ideas from this more than 2 000

year history of rejected knowledge

what of claims of pyramids or lost

cities in antarctica

nothing new there are modern

restatements of jaundi's claims on

arctic cities inhabited by giants or

pygmies as almost see von bailey's

theories of an original civilization in

the far north

though today such myths have been

displaced to the south pole

there are two reasons for such urban

legends popping up in antarctica

one because it is the last mysterious

region on the globe and two antarctica

now seems more likely hyperborea or

atlantis it is a graveyard of both

continents and legends

what of nephilim or giant aliens people

claim to witness across the polar ice

point again to royce mercator and these

maps

the modern giants have been reskinned

with elements of biblical eschatology

and conspiracy or simple science fiction

the final far country on earth is

antarctica a place which history and

mythology can be freely projected

popular conspiracy and really culture in

general believe there has to be

something in all that ice

even if they are just a random images of

giants on google maps governmental

conspiracies related to the united

states other major powers and a new

world order are common as well

those have a far different heritage

though and are only believed by an

ardent fringe

travelers can freely enter and exit

antarctica only citizens of signatory

countries on the antarctic treaties need

permission from their governments or the

ports themselves

technically there are only 42 signatory

countries on paper

what is going on in antarctica and to a

lesser extent the modern arctic then

it is a buildup of a unique tradition or

lineage of rejected knowledge throughout

recorded history there is an anti-human

image about vast ice sheets when the

human mind lacks sensory input it begins

to create its own for stimulation

the north and south pole are mental

canvases

peridolia the mind conjuring images and

randomness is common to both arctic and

antarctic formations

those pyramids they're probably nunitics

or glacial islands the ones that

resemble pyramids are actually called

pyramidal peaks or glacial horns these

nuditics are the result of land judging

above ice sheets which is then worn down

by erosion famous mountains like the

matterhorn were formed by the same

process

it results in the semi-pyramid

formations that some see as ancient

ruins

recognizable shapes but they are not

impossible for nature to form on its own

unfortunately no verified south pole

ruins yet

though maybe edgar allen poe and hbill

of craft will end up being right one day

in other ways though these lost

traditions have been vindicated to a

degree by modern knowledge of antarctica

in the last hundred years it has become

clear there is a landmass below the

antarctic ice

a graveyard of landforms that drifted

southward the dropped parts of

continental drift

this patchwork continent beneath the

stone ice was probably once tropical in

the remote past but it was definitely

not a paradise this was long before

humans as well but it was able to

support its own native life so it is

still unlikely the only shivan bay's

original civilization would have existed

in antarctica but it does somewhat

vindicate william f warren's belief in a

tropical pole

though on the bottom of the earth

instead of the top

while in no way proves any polar

mythology it does show some advocates

were not totally wrong-headed in their

beliefs

there was then once a place beyond the

wind

it was the south wind though not the

north

this then is why the arctic and

antarctic are both totally new and

utterly ancient

unsettled but not unnoticed by human

history

they are omphalos or the world naval

both origin and end

and original emptiness as it were the

last frontiers were the leftover fringe

beliefs of long ago can still endure

ice keeps anything warmed over or rotten

in ready condition

do not mind the common cabin fever

the magnetic reality of the poles will

surely outlast whatever odd stories we

give them

check me

just to chill a little bit because this

is a longer video so it took a little

more time and effort i do have a patreon

you can support if you want to see

longer videos like this one and i do

have a twitter anyone can follow for

updates i usually don't make that known

but those are there in case you want to

use them okay thanks everyone

i would like to give a thank you i

cannot pronounce to my supporters

frasier and the gel samini family

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