Mysterious underground tunnels and cities

Hello my loyal readers, this week after doing my weekly research on myths and legends I have found out a very fascinating article on underground cities and networks around the world that I really wanted to share with you all.

This article is very interesting as it talks about the existence of underground tunnels and even whole cities which are often found in various myths and legends. Some of these underground cities have been discovered while others still remains unknown to the world. It challenges this idea that myths and legends are just part of fiction and superstition and relates the tales to our physical world.

This article explores the myth and legends from over the world that refer to underground world and what archaeologists and researchers have found out about those mysterious worlds. According to ancient myths and legends those underground sites were often associated to the underworld, it could either be a place for the dead, one for evil creatures or a heavenly place. One of the example that is given in the article is the legend of Akakor found in South America, which was the legend used in the ‘Indiana Jones and the crystal skulls’ movie. What is interesting about this is the fact that a jungle guide called Tatunca Nara claimed to have seen this underground city and described it in details. In this legend it is said that the underground tunnels were built by Gods from the solar system known as ‘Shwerta’.

The article does not only describe the legends and their locations, it also points out that there are not only mythological accounts of these underground worlds but also accounts from people all over the world from recent history. The example of the discovery of Hitler and the Nazis is given in the article. In some documents it was recorded that the Nazis discovered an entrance to the interior of earth in Antartica. The various myths and legends surrounding underground cities or tunnels have been analysed and studied by many archaeologist and researchers to help them on their quest to find those mysterious cities that they think really exist. This shows that myths and legends are not only considered as tales but also as serious source of information for researchers to discover ancient sites and artifacts.

To find out more about those fascinating underground cities read throughout the article and you will also find more information on the link at the end of the article that leads to the second part.

http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe-asia-americas/underground-cities-and-networks-around-world-myths-and-reality

Reference for photo:
 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derinkuyu_Underground_City_9760_Nevit_Enhancer.jpg

   

What is interesting about myths and legends?

Myths and legends is a very interesting topic as it relates to what is unknown or supernatural and it is part of human nature to be interested in the unknown. As Peyton (1969) explains myths and legends are often associated with the supernatural. Various myths and legends were created through time such as the different gods and goddesses of the Greeks, the skulls of crystals of the Mayans, the pyramids of the Egyptians and also in our modern era the millions of urban legends. On my blog I will be writing about many myths and legends from different periods in time and also from different cultures.

People always associate myths and legends to the supernatural but what is fascinating is that it is also a complete record of the history of different cultures. In the past men created myths and legends to satisfy this need to explain everything that surrounded them and what they could not understand. It was a way for them to feel less lost in this universe where many things were scary and unknown to them and it was also a way for them to express their religious beliefs. “Important here is the fact that myths and legends represent man’s desire to explain his fundamental ideas about natural phenomena, supernatural occurences, the goodness and order of the universe,” (Peyton, 1969).

Have you ever thought about the academic facet of myths and legends? Myths and Legends are captivating tales that have been retold again and again through time and that fills people with wonder, but they are not seen as such by intellects. These stories date through several eras back but in our modern time there are various field of studies related to this topic. Those working in this field such as historians or archeologist do not see myths and legends as simple imaginary tales, they see the historical background behind it and analyse the different stories in depth. They strive to prove that there is a part of truth in every myths and legends. They use this partial truths as clues to find various artifacts to help them solve mysteries of the past. An example is the constant search for the lost city of Atlantis.

Perhaps one day with all the clues left behind by anicient cultures in myths and legends explanations to all that’s unkown to humanity such the existence of a higher power will be found. 

Why Myths and Legends?

Myths and Legends are fascinating. How I got interested in this topic? I love reading and I am also fascinated by archaeology which is what brought out my interest in myths and legends. Legends involve heroic characters or fantastic places while myths are stories based on tradition or legend, which has a deep symbolic meaning. I am interested in various legends and in the mythology of Greece, Rome, South America, Asia and Egypt.

Myths and legends are not only stories that entertains people imaginations, behind every story is the footprint and history a culture left behind for future generations. According to Shahan (n.d) throughout time various cultures used myths and legends to record their values and history; so that their culture would not be forgotten with time. It was a way for them to immortalize their existence. This is what I see when I read about myths or legends, I do not only see the stories as tales with imaginary characters, I see the symbols and meanings that gives an idea of the history and way of living of cultures from the past.

What first comes to people mind when thinking about myths and legends is that they are stories that are not based on reality, but every tale is at least based on reality and partial truths. If we think about ancient civilizations and how they were ahead of their time we could ask ourselves if there was really a higher power which was at work throughout history. For example, the Mayans and their temples, the crystal skulls, the Egyptians and the pyramids all those form part of myths and legends but they really existed at a point in time. How could such civilizations which did not live in the era of technology that we live in today build such formidable structures and objects. Did they have the help of Gods or another power beyond our imagination. What is for us nowadays only stories was in the past real beliefs for ancient cultures. Whatever the past culture we look at they all believed in gods and superstitions; and nowadays in our modern era people still hold different beliefs. Whether those beliefs and superstitions are real or not depends on the opinions and way of thinking of people. This is what I find very interesting about myths and legends as it borders on the verge of reality and imagination. What I want to transmit to people is this idea that those stories does contain a partial truth or a part of reality.  

Reference for photo: http://www.staffordshirearts.co.uk/2013/05/26/myths-legends-beckon-young-performers-in-staffordshire/

The Legend of Prometheus

Prometheus and Epimethius who were imprisoned in Tartarus for not fighting with the Titans were given the task to create man. Prometheus shaped man out of mud then Athena breathed life into his clay figure. Epimethius was then given the task to distribute gifts to all the creatures of earth such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur and wings. Unfortunately by the time he got to man Epimethius had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. Which is when Prometheus, who loved man more than anything, gave them the gift of fire. As punishment for stealing fire from the gods, Zeus had Prometheus chained to a rock on the Caucasus Mountain where he was condemned to suffer while an eagle pecked at his liver. The eagle came each morning to peck at Prometheus's liver all day long then left in the evening and by night the liver would have repaired itself to renew the torment again the next day. Zeus decreed that Prometheus should suffer until two conditions were met. The first, that another immortal offered to die in his place and the second that someone killed the eagle. After a thousand years, a wounded centaur called Cheiron offered to take Prometheus's place. When he arrived at the rock, Zeus turned Cheiron into a constellation of stars, while the Greek hero Heracles killed the eagle, ending Prometheus's agony.

Interesting Book

Myths and Legends by Philip Wilkinson is a book that i personally recommend to all those who are interested in this topic. This book contains a large variety of myth and legends that originated from continents such as Europe, West and Central Asia, South and East Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. What is really captivating with this book is that it is filled with beautiful images alongside each story helping its readers to immerse themselves in the different stories. I got many interesting myths and legends from this book that i will share with you from time to time on my blog.