Pakal … A Mayan King and a God?

Perhaps Both

Pakal‘s Pose according to Traditionalists

K'inich Janaab' Pakal lived from March 603 AD to August 683 AD, he was a Mayan ruler and was responsible for the growth and expansion of the Maya city of Palenque located in modern day southern Mexico.  His name literally means “shield” in the Mayan language but he was routinely called “Pakal the Great” by the people he governed.  

During his long reign of 68 years, Mayan records indicate that he ascended to the throne at the tender age of 12; he was responsible for the construction or expansion of some of Palenque's most notable inscriptions and classic architecture that have been recovered in modern times.

His expansive construction project in the ancient city of Palenque included the famous Temple of the Inscriptions where he is said to be buried. His reign is noted for some of the most remarkable art in the Mayan empire. Simply to live to the age of 80 (remember, we're talking the 7th century not the 21^st) was a major feat in itself in those days.  So, to call Pakal’s mere existence a feat of superhuman proportions might not be much of a stretch.

In 1968, Erich von Däniken wrote the book, “Chariot of the Gods?”  In his book, Däniken suggests that extraterrestrial beings visited some of our world’s early civilizations (like the Maya) and provided them with the advanced technological information.

These civilizations in turn, considered the “visitors” to be Gods, and they were represented this in various artifacts. The scientific community generally regards Däniken’s theory and book as lacking scientific evidence. However it can be legitimately argued, that at least one of Däniken’s observations seemed to be more imaginative than the rest: the sarcophagus (casket) lid’s image of Pacal the Great that is within the Temple of the Inscriptions.

I’ll try to relate Däniken’s conclusions or observation which must literally be viewed ‘side-ways’ from views in the traditional sense.  Däniken believes Pakal’s otherworldly travels depicted on the lid of the sarcophagus are not only spiritual, but physical as well.

If the lid’s depiction is flipped 90 degrees (see above image) to the left, Pakal could be seated in what looks like a modern day aircraft: the ‘Earth Goddess’ who is thought by traditionalists to be swallowing him into the “under world” is transformed into some sort of a fuselage; his hands and feet appear to be bent in order to operate the vessel’s controls; and the swirled display at the very back may represent the vehicle’s exhaust flumes.

Mr. Erich von Däniken may just have a valid argument here.

Sources …                                                                              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27inich_Janaab%27_Pakal              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ah_Mun.jpg                                 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/2/27/20110415035736%21Ah_Mun.jpg

Lost Ships

SS Waratah and its 221 crew and passengers

were never heard from after 27 July 1909. Its

wreck has yet to be found.  She is / was often called

the “Titanic of the South”.

Ships are usually declared lost and considered wrecked after an extended period of their “disappearance time” has lapsed. The disappearance of a ship usually implies all hands aboard are thought to be lost. Without witnesses or survivors, mysteries that surround the fates of missing ships have inspired many topics of nautical lore and the foundation of paranormal zones such as the Bermuda Triangle.

Prior to the advent of global positioning and radar, lost ships were more commonplace than you may think.  Here are a few examples:

The steam service between Great Britain and the United States had only just begun when news of the “President” disaster came.  As fate would have it, her performance on the Atlantic was anything but successful. Her first voyage sailed from Liverpool on 17^th of July 1840 without incident but on the 11^th of March 1841 she left New York with one hundred and thirty-six persons on board. It is known that within two days she encountered a very heavy gale, but beyond that point, absolutely nothing is known of her. She vanished and all on board went with her. Among those passengers on-board were a son of the Duke of Richmond and a well-known comedian of the day, Mr. Tyrone Power I who was the great-grandfather of the later day American film star, Tyrone Power III.

Far more terrible was the fate of the “City of Glasgow”.  This vessel traded between Glasgow, Scotland and New York City. A beautiful craft of 1600 tons, it was thought she could withstand even the fury of the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew reached a total of seventy, and there was room for over five hundred passengers.  The ill-fated vessel left port on 1^st of March in 1854 with four hundred and eighty persons on board, and was never again heard of.

During the 1850's there was a famous Atlantic shipping organization known as the Collins Line. Several noble vessels were constructed for that line, amongst which included the paddle-steamers “Arctic” and “Pacific”.  On the 27'th of September in 1854, the Arctic was inadvertently run into by a small French steamer off Newfoundland.  Three hundred and twenty-two lives were lost, including the managing director of the company, Mr. Collins, and his wife, son, and daughter, all of who were on board. The shock of this disaster was scarcely over when the Pacific left port, never again to be seen or heard of. She had sailed from Liverpool on 23'rd of September in 1856, and disappeared with all two hundred and forty people on board.

Just five months later on February 26^th of 1857, the steamship “Tempest” of the Anchor Line, was added to the increasing list of mysterious disappearances on the Atlantic. She had sailed with a crew and passengers numbering one hundred and fifty all told, and was never seen again.

The same Anchor Line furnished the next disappearing ship incident with the loss of the steamer “United Kingdom” which disappeared with eighty persons on board.  She departed port on the17'th of April 1868, never to be seen again.

The “City of Boston”, was next, when on the 28'th of January in 1870, one hundred and seventy-seven passengers and crew left port, well found and with every prospect of a safe and speedy trip, but instead quite simply vanished.

The “Scanderia”, sailed on the 8'th of October 1872, and nothing was ever heard of her again. She had thirty-eight persons on board.  The “Ismailia”, sailing on the 27th of September 1873, and carrying fifty-two soles on board, disappeared and left no trace of her fate.

Early in 1877 the “Colombo”, a Wilson Liner, with forty-four persons on board, commenced the voyage across the Atlantic, but never arrived.    The “Herman Ludwig”, with fifty passengers and crew was lost on September 28^th 1878. In December of the same year another vessel called the “Homer”, having forty-three persons on board, disappeared completely; and on January 8^th in 1881, so did the “City of Limerick”, she was carrying 43 persons as well. Then on the 13th of November 1881 the “City of London”, another vessel carrying forty-one all told, left port never again to be heard of.

The “Erin”, with seventy-two persons on board, was lost in 1889, nothing ever being heard of her after she left port on 31st of  December. Scarcely a year later, the “Thanemore”, with forty-three passengers and crew, came to the same end; and finally on the 11'th day of February in 1893, the “Naronic”, sailed with seventy-four aboard all told, and was never heard of again.

As we have seen, “never heard from again” accounts for these seventeen fine Atlantic steamers, carrying passengers and cargoes, with a heavy loss of life (just short of two thousand soles) ought to be enough; at least you would think as much but alas, the mysterious carnage continues as shown in 1909,

when the “SS Waratah” (often called the Titanic of the South) embarked on her second voyage, from Sydney, Australia to England by way of South Africa. She filled up with families who were no doubt anticipating a new life on the other side of the world; but what started out as a journey full of hope ended abruptly when the ship vanished somewhere between Durban, England and Cape Town, South Africa.

Sources …

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/Wrecks/never.htm           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missing_ships                 http://freaquewaves.blogspot.com/2009/05/lost-ship-ss-waratah.html

Crop Circles

A 780 ft (240 m) crop circle composed

of 409 circles. Milk Hill, England, 2001

Twenty-six countries reported approximately ten thousand crop circle formations in the last third of the 20th century. Ninety percent of those were located in southern England.   Many of the formations appearing in that area are positioned near ancient monuments, such as Stonehenge.

One of the first reports was in Lyon, France in 815 AD, yet another event recorded an image resembling a crop circle was first discovered all the way back in 1678 in England, naturally, and was called then called the Mowing-Devil. The image depicts the “Devil” with a scythe (like the cutting tool carried by the Grim Reaper) cutting a circular design in a field of oats.

Crop circles gained wide spread public attention in the late 1970s as many circles began appearing throughout the English countryside and beyond.  Currently, nearly 10,000 crop circles have been reported worldwide, including but not limited to such places as the former USSR, the UK, Japan, the U.S. and Canada.

Farmers have routinely expressed concern for the damage to their crops and local media response to the appearance of crop circles is often enthusiastic. Local residents sometimes take advantage of an increase in tourism or just visits from scientists, researchers, or individuals who are seeking spiritual experiences. Free-market commerce resulting for crop-circles have in fact become quite the cottage industry by stimulating businesses such as bus or helicopter tours of circle sites, walking tours, T-shirts and book sales.

The last 10 years has witnessed crop formations / circles with increased size and intricacy of form, some featuring as many as 2000 different shapes, as well as often incorporating complex mathematical and scientific characteristics.

In 1991, two self-professed English pranksters Doug Bower and Dave Chorley made headlines claiming they started the phenomenon in 1978 with the use of simple tools consisting of a plank of wood and a rope.  They claimed to have been inspired by Australian crop circle accounts from 1966; Doug and Dave further testified to have made more than 200 crop circles from 1978–1991 and insisted that they were responsible for most if not all circles made prior to 1987, a least in England. After their announcement, in a demonstration the two men in fact successfully made a crop circle within one hour. 

Although acceptance of their story is currently offered to explain all such events, crop circle researchers remain skeptical of many of their claims. Since their disclosure, crop formations / circles have continued to appear every year, often in greater number, size, and complexity.

These occurrences continue to be an unsolved mystery with blame including man made pranks or even advertisements of a sort, to freak weather patterns, the paranormal (including aliens and magic) or even animal activity. I expect it is yet another case of who-dun-it that may never be solved.

Sources …                                                                    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle                              http://aliens.monstrous.com/crop_circles_history.htm

“Tears of the Sun”

Gold

The history of gold begins in the remote and distant past.  Fossil studies have found that bits of natural gold were present in Spanish caves used by the Paleolithic (Stone Age) Man around 40,000 B.C. It should not be surprising therefore; that historical sources cannot agree on the date that gold was first used. One theory states that gold's recorded discovery occurred near 6000 B.C. Another suggests that the pharaohs and temple priests first used the metal for adornment in ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C.

GOLD is quite simply the oldest precious metal known to man.     There are numerous physical aspects of the yellow metal which are really amazing.  For example gold is the most malleable (able to be hammered into very thin sheets) and ductile (able to be drawn into a fine wire) of all metals known to man kind. It is so malleable in fact that a decent goldsmith can hammer one ounce of gold into a thin translucent wafer covering more than 100 square feet which is only five millionths of an inch thick. Put another way, it would be so thin that 1,000 sheets would be required to equal the thickness of one newspaper page.   Its ductility on the other hand is equally amazing. One ounce of gold can be stretched into a wire equal to 50 miles in length!   ONLY one ounce of this amazing metal is needed to plate a single thread of copper 1,000 miles long.

Additionally, Gold is also one of the heaviest metals known. It has a specific gravity of 19.3, which means it weighs 19.3 times as much as an equal volume of water. So, only one cubic foot of gold weighs 1,206 pounds; that’s more than half a ton! This most likely explains why there have NEVER been any large armed robberies of gold bullion throughout history. I mean, who could possibly carry it?

Gold was first most likely stumbled upon as shining, yellow nuggets in a stream of water. "Gold is where you find it," so the saying goes, and gold was first discovered in its natural state, in small water courses all over the world. There is little doubt it was the first metal known to early humans.   In fact the ancient  Incas referred to gold as the "tears of the Sun."

Gold, in short order, became a part of every human culture. Its radiance, natural beauty, shine, its great pliability (softness) and resistance to tarnish made it easy to work with.

When we think about the historical progress of technology, we typically consider the development of iron or copper-working as the greatest contributions to our economic and cultural progress but gold comes first.

It is the easiest of the metals to work and occurs in a virtually pure and workable state, whereas most other metals tend to be found in ore-bodies that pose difficulty in smelting or getting to; gold has always been some powerful stuff.

Although the earliest history of human interaction with gold is long lost to us, its association with the gods, with immortality, and with wealth itself are common to most cultures throughout the world.

Humans almost instinctively place a high value on gold, making it equal to power, beauty, and the cultural elite. In addition, since gold is widely distributed all over the globe, we find this same 'train of thought' about gold throughout both ancient and modern civilizations.

In the historical sense, gold, beauty, and power have always gone together. Gold in ancient times was made into shrines and idols ("the Golden Calf" for example), plates, cups, vases and vessels of all kinds, and of course, jewelry for personal ornamentation.

Gold has always had value to humans, even before it was used for money. This is easily demonstrated by the astonishing efforts made to find it. Prospecting for gold was a worldwide effort dating back thousands of years, long before the first money in the form of gold coins appeared sometime around 700 B.C.

As a matter of fact, gold gave rise to the concept of money itself: It was convenient, private, and permanent. Gold (and silver) in standardized coins came to replace barter arrangements, and made trade much easier.

Perhaps even more unbelievable than its physical characteristics is its scarcity. It is well known fact that the entire world's holdings accumulated during all of recorded history to the present is only about 120,000 metric tons (1 metric ton = 2,240 pounds or 1000 kilograms).  This is indeed a very small volume of material to have had such great an influence on so many people since even before biblical days. The total world's holdings of the rare metal could be transported by a single solitary oil tanker; that's if the famous insurer, Lloyds of London, would accept the insurance risk on this priceless cargo. The actual value of such a priceless cargo would be approximately $1.4 TRILLION!

Today, the world's annual gold mine production increases the total holdings by only 2.0% per year. That's an average increase in the world's gold supply of only 2,000 tons per year. In a similar comparison of say steel production just in the United States, there are approximately 10,500 tons of American steel made per hour (not year). So you see, gold is indeed quite rare!

Sources …

http://www.onlygold.com/tutorialpages/historyfs.htm                                                                http://www.gold-eagle.com/gold_digest/history_gold.html                       http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=15832&picture=three-golden-bricks

For a Real Nightmare

Visit Here:

Adult Detention Facility

600 Old Frankfort Circle

Lexington, KY USA

Note: although this post is a little longer than most, it’s all true!

Do you have any idea what “getting a speeding ticket fixed” means? Well in short, if you are unlucky enough to get a moving violation on the roadways such as speeding over the posted limit, and in turn, you or someone that you know has certain influence with the ‘powers that be’ within the local court system, this influence is often used to get the ticketed violation removed from the local court record which when implemented successful allows you to continue without further a-due.    

No court appearance and no points taken from your driver's license which is a big help in keeping your insurance rate (most states require at least liability insurance) as low as possible, yep, it's a big benefit to not having to make that time consuming court appearance in which your are expected to plead guilty for the violation.  Additionally, there is no fine for the offence which is yet another savings.   

If you have never considered this little ticket fixing scheme, be aware that it is one of the many 'good old boy' programs used to obtain votes for court officials and is widely used regularly within small to medium sized jurisdictions within Kentucky.

Sounds like a really neat concept … Right?   Occasionally that influential friend fails some how to effectively purge the ticket from the system.   In this case, it is unlikely that you have a clue that the ‘ticket fix’ didn’t take … In such cases the sitting judge has the legal right or obligation to execute a ‘Bench Warrant’ for your arrest in the event that you are ever stopped or sited again by a law enforcement officer.  When or if that occurs, the officer of the law is to take you directly to jail.  

Unfortunately, I am guilty of taking advantage of this little ticket fixing scheme upon several occasions in my "checkered" past.  On one occasion back in the year 2000, the ticket fix evidently did not work for me.  I had the misfortune of learning this the hard way this past early Saturday morning (9-24-11) at 12:10 AM, eleven years later.

I was returning from a marathon mediation meeting (regarding a civil action) that lasted from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM in Charleston, West Virginia; a 3 + hour drive from my residence in Lexington, KY.   Within 3 minutes of entering the streets of Lexington, a Fayette County Metro Police Officer pulled me over because as he put it “it looked like you bobbled just a bit” for which he immediately cited me with a warning notice for Careless Driving.

I expect that the officer was obliged to run a check in the computer system to see just how bad an outlaw he had stumbled upon, because when he came back with my warning notice, he immediately demanded that I get out of the car and step onto the side walk near the rear of his car.

The officer proceeded to tell me that there was a Perry County Kentucky “Bench Warrant” within the system for my immediate arrest. I of course suggested that this was surely some type of error to which he replied “it could be sorted out at the Fayette County Detention Center” that was located just across town. I was then cuffed as if I was some sort of convicted felon and hauled to the jail.

In rout he proceeded to tell me that he initially thought that I was most likely intoxicated as it was in the AM on a weekend.   I will give him a least one human compassion point as he (upon my request) called my wife to inform her where I was with a brief account of where he was taking me. But I will take that point away because he also had my car towed which cost me $105.00 for my wife and Step-son to recover later that afternoon.

I am a few months beyond 60 years old, as well as, unable to neither speak clearly nor maintain my proper balance when standing (therefore I can only barely walk when assisted by a cane); the result of 3 previous strokes, craniotamy and a massive heart attack… plus I have never before been in jail; in fact I can not recall even visiting someone in jail … So I had no idea what to expect.  For the most of you who fit that description as well, trust me there is no fun in it; the remaining few who have been incarcerated know what I mean.

By 12:45 AM I had been thoroughly searched, and was requited to surrender $20.00 in cash for what they called a processing fee, they also took my little life threatening hand held calculator, and my really sharp lead-pen. At that particular point in time I was allowed to keep my bill-fold which by then only contained around $29.00 along with my debit card, credit cards, driver’s license, and Medicare Health Card. From there, I was sent up the corridor to what I will call a ‘holding area’ to await the next step in the adventure.

At 4:30 AM I found myself having my blood pressure taken by a ‘staff nurse’, having mentioned to an earlier (by about 10 minutes) questioner that my health condition required BP medication.

At that particular time, my blood pressure was 195/ 130 (normal is 120/70) so the nurse ask what medication I normally took, which I shared with her and she suggested that I go back to the holding area, and just relax since my BP was rather high, she indicated the need to check it again within a short while.

By 7:30 AM I was taken to a “holding cell” along with several other offenders and kept there for just under 2 hours after which time I was taken back to the holding area I first mentioned above.

Within the next 30 minutes I was taken back to the very same holding cell; from there I was searched yet again and was required to surrender my shoes, belt, and my bill-fold (from which the officer in charge made a big show of counting what little cash I had remaining). They proceeded to demand that I either tear the pocket off of my t-shirt or surrender it altogether. I opted for sacrificing my t-shirt pocket in order to keep my under-shirt.  Myself along with the other “criminals” were then required to trade-down our clothes for matching one piece jump-suits and were then paraded to a jail cell with, as I recall, 8 or 9 other inmates.  By now the time is 9:15 AM, Saturday.

Good things, they say, come to those who are patient, because at approximately 11:00 AM a male nurse appeared to re-check my blood pressure --- it was 195/ 144, he then ask me what type of medication I typically required, which I informed him was .1 MG of Clonidine and I further stressed that a larger dose had previously rendered me unconscious as well as very sick to my stomach.

Later that day (5:00 PM) the same male nurse re-appeared with three .1 milligram tablets of the Clonidine medication and demanded that I take all three pills or take nothing at all.  I again stressed that an over-dose of the medication may render me unconscious as well as make me very sick.  Yet his position did not change …“take all 3 or nothing at all”.

Since my BP was beyond dangerously high I took all three.  By 11:00 PM I was very ill and convinced one of the other inmates to get a guard to come speak with me (I could not perform this simple task because I was unable to stand).

A Guard did arrive shortly there after at which time I requested that he have someone contact the doctor about allowing me to take only .1 MG instead of .3 MG of the medication I needed.  I further told him I thought the hard part of my adverse reaction was past.

I guess the guard didn’t know what the term adverse means because at 5:00 AM the male nurse re-appeared with the three little pills demanding that I take all three.  I ask him to first check my blood pressure (it was 134/ 94) so I refused to take the medication, as I did not consider that BP to be life threatening.

Twelve hours later at 5:00 PM it was again dangerously high and after a debate regarding .1 MG verses .3 MG I again took the 3 little pills.

At 9:15 PM on Sunday the 25^th of September of 2011 I was placed into the release process; almost everything that had been in “safe holding”; my bill-fold, calculator, lead pin, etc.; was returned, each neatly sealed inside a clear plastic container.  Everything that is, except my meager bit of cash.  When I received the items, like a big dummy I expected that the little bit of cash was surely inside the bill-fold.

At this point, I was told by another officer that before I could be released, I would need to be fingerprinted. Yipee!  When I ask why this was necessary he said state law required it, but if I didn’t want to be fingerprinted I could return to a cell until such time that I come to consider it a "really neat" idea.

Today, Monday September 26^th  I learned through an attorney who I had contacted in Perry County KY that the “powers that be” in Perry County had notified the Fayette Detention “powers that be” to release me on Saturday afternoon with instructions to contact the Perry County District Court via telephone to see if and when they wanted me to appear in the Perry County District Court … He further said the fine would be $68.50 if they elected to require me to appear at all.

Since, even while I draft this evenings post, I continue to have an upset stomach, a more severe case of dizziness and what seems to be a more pronounced case of blurred vision; I elected to go visit with my local doctor.  He determined that the “side effects” would most likely be short term but he did change my prescription to a different medication.

So if you ever need a speeding or parking ticket “fixed” in Perry County Kentucky, just send me an e-mail … I know this guy who will take care of it for you for free!

Home

Mermaids

Real or just fantasy?

A mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish is considered to be a Mermaid. There is a male version that is known as a "Merman" and generally speaking, two or more are known as "Merfolk".

The first known mermaid story appeared in Assyria, as early as 1000 BC.

A popular Greek legend turns the sister of Alexander the Great into a Mermaid after she died.   She lived in the Mediterranean Sea and when she encountered a ship, she asked sailors on board only one question: "Is King Alexander alive?” to which the correct answer was: "He lives and reigns and conquers the world".  This answer pleased her so much she would then magically ensure calm waters and wish the ship and crew good sailing. Any other answer would force her into a fury which would result in a terrible storm, with certain doom for the ship and all the sailors on board.

In the common mermaid story, a mermaid falls in love with a mortal man, who may accept or reject her. If he accepts her, she may in turn drag him underwater, where he quite naturally drowns. Whether this is due to out right meanness on the part of the mermaid or perhaps that she is unaware that human mortals cannot live underwater changes from story to story.

Legends of the mermaid include everything from folk tales, to myths or poetry in modern times. But you can be sure that such stories that derive from such places as the Middle East, Africa or the Americas (for example) are actually thought to be much more than just legends by some people today.   

When the British or English mention Mermaids in their folklore stories, they are not treated with kindness. In fact they consider the mermaid to be a bad omen; a sure sign of an upcoming thunderstorm or hurricane, is best foretold by the sighting of a Mermaid.  In short, the seeing of a Mermaid meant death and destruction for all the sailors aboard an English ship or boat.

There have been several well documented historical sightings by such explorers as Christopher Columbus.  He reported sightings of Mermaids in his travel logs.  He wrote that he saw three (3) mermaids which were playing some type of game in the water. By his account, the mermaids were not as pleasing to the eye as ancient texts and literature had indicated them to be; further, he testified that they had a face that resembled a human but only one of the three had “distinctive” human like facial features.

Yet another sighting by Henry Hudson (1565-1611), the famous English explorer of the Hudson Bay area and beyond, also reported seeing a Mermaid along the coast of Russia, near the North Pole. He said that the Mermaid, after attracting the attention of the whole crew within his expedition boat, gazed solemnly upon all the sailors that had gathered  to have a better look-see. He reported that she had long, flowing black hair, white skin and the fully developed breasts of a woman.  However he made no mention of a terrible storm to follow the sighting as English lore would typically have it.

Then as recently as August 2009, an Israeli town off the Mediterranean Coast offered a prize of one million Dollars to anyone who could prove the existence of a Mermaid off its coast; it seems dozens of local citizens had reported seeing a mermaid leaping out of the water like a dolphin and doing aerial tricks, no less, before returning to the depths. Guess what?  The prize is yet to be awarded.

Historically, as sea goddesses of a sort, mermaids are said to inherit the sea's qualities. The sea can be gentle and nurturing or violent and deadly. These contradictory qualities are seen in mermaids to this day: both, beautiful and cruel; tender and loving as well as spiteful and destructive. It could be said that such qualities are nothing short of man kind’s view of Mother Nature. The Mermaid is truly a fantastic creature but may only be nature herself.

Sources …

http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/legend-of-the-mermaid.html            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid                                                             http://www.mermaid.net/mermaid                       
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/h/hudson.shtml        http://www.mermaidscuba.com/mermaidimages2.shtml

Easter Island’s Moai

^{Easter Island Moai}

Moai, or mo‘ai, typically refer to the huge human like figures or statues carved from stone that are located on the Polynesian island of Easter Island. They were placed there sometime between the years of 1250 AD and 1500 AD. The Island is located in the South Eastern Pacific Ocean and was annexed by Chile in 1888 as what is called a ‘special’ territory.

Easter Island is best known for the 887 statues / Moai that are found in various places throughout the island. The statues were a huge mystery to early European explorers in 1722 primarily because the statues were so very large. The tallest one erected being 33 feet (10 meters) tall and weighing in at approximately 82 tons.  

No one could initially conceive how the simple island natives could have possibly transported the large figures from the quarries located on the island to where they are erected.  When the theory was first submitted that trees were most likely used as “rollers” to assist in the transportation effort, it was quickly pointed out the there were no trees to be found anywhere on the entire island.

The mystery grew even more when it was pointed out that the quarries where they were constructed displayed the appearance of having been abandoned abruptly; a large number of stone tools were found lying about the site; and several completed moai were outside the quarry still waiting to be transported.

Local folk lore’s oral histories recount how a variety of people were able to use divine power to command the statues to walk.  One of the earliest such accounts tells of a king named Tuu Ku Ihu was able to move them with the help of the native god Makemake. Another legend tells of a local woman who lived alone on the mountain, as being able to “order” the statues about at her will.

Most scholars currently support the theory that the primary method of transport of the moai was possibly attained by "walking" them upright (some assume by using a rocking process), as opposed to laying them flat on a sledge (a method used by the Easter Islanders to move stone in the 1860s) because the sledge process would have required an estimated 1500 people to move the largest moai that had been erected. Then in 1998, it was suggested fewer than half that number (750 workers) could do the job by placing the sledge on lubricated rollers made from trees.

If you’re wondering why a lubricated roller would even be considered as being used on a treeless island, here’s the answer: pollen analysis throughout the island has established that the island was almost totally forested until 1200 AD.  But, for reasons unknown, tree pollen simply disappeared from record sometime before 1650 AD; the statues stopped being carved and transported near that time as well.

The fact is that no one knows exactly how the moai were moved across the island, but the procedure almost certainly required human energy, ropes, and possibly wooden sleds and rollers, as well as leveled roadways across the island; an alternative may require the belief in magic.

Sources …                                                                                               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai                                                http://www.philipcoppens.com/easterisle.html

The Nommos

Are the Nommos beings

the real source of the worldwide

mermaid legends?

The term Nommos is derived from the Dogon word meaning, “to make one drink.” The Dogon is a tribe of people located in the West African country of Mali which is the larger part of the ancient Mali Empire. The Nommos are usually described as amphibious, fish-like creatures, having both male and female characteristics. Dogon folk art represents the Nommos as creatures with a humanoid upper body as well as having legs and feet, with a fish-like behind or tail.

The description alone seems “so far out there” or strange it begs to be true.    They are also referred to by the Dogons as “Masters of the Water”, “the Monitors”, or "the Teachers”.

The Dogon reportedly shared with two French anthropologists a belief that the Nommos were former inhabitants of a world from the Sirius star system. The Nommos arrived (they reported) by way of the sky “in a vessel which brought forth much fire as well as the sounds of thunder”. After arriving, the Nommos are said to have created what sounds like a small lake of water, and then jumped head first into the water where they preferred to stay as opposed to dry land. Legends explain that the Nommos preferred an environment of water in which to live.

During the 1970s, a book by Robert Temple titled The Sirius Mystery tells of the traditions and beliefs of the Dogon tribe concerning Sirius and the Nommos. In The Sirius Mystery, Temple contends that the Nommos were extraterrestrial inhabitants of the Sirius star system who traveled to earth at some time in the distant past, and that they shared knowledge about the Sirius star system as well as our own solar system with the early Egyptians, who, according to the Dogon peoples, are their ancestors. This particular argument (among others) is supported by some who insist that the great Sphinx has a typical Negro facial appearance.

It is of some significance as well to note that the Nommos creatures also appear in Babylonian and Sumerian mythology, therefore lending more creditability to the reported folklore of the Dogon Tribe.

As for the making of the mermaid legends, I expect that the Nommos being or creatures are a better source than anything else. Christopher Columbus even claimed to have seen at least 3 mermaids “playing” with each other on one of his many voyages, but he said the ones he witnessed were not very attractive.

Sources …

http://tgsfree4allinfo.blogspot.com/2011/08/dogon-tribe.html        

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nommo                                                 

http://www.unmuseum.org/siriusb.htm                               

http://www.mermaidscuba.com/mermaidimages.shtml                        http://www.mermaid.net/mermaid