Ancient Texts and Writing on Atlantis
In Meso- and South-America, Aztecs and Mayans are said to have mentioned
Atlantis in "Chilam Balam", "Dresden Codex", "Popul
Vuh", "Codex Cortesianus", and "Troano Manuscript". Then
the sky would fall, it would fall down upon the earth, when the four gods, the
four Bacabs, were set up, who brought about the destruction of the world."
According to the former, the fourth of these worlds, or "Suns," was
destroyed by a great flood of water (Seler 1923, p. 40).
The Mayan "Popol Vuh" ("The Collection of Written
Leaves") says: "Over a universe wrapped in the gloom of a dense and
primeval night passed the god Hurakan, the mighty wind. He called out
"earth," and the solid land appeared. The chief gods took counsel;
they were Hurakan, Gucumatz, the serpent covered with green feathers, and Xpiyacoc
and Xmucane, the mother and father gods. To supply the deficiency the divine
beings resolved to create mannikins carved out of wood. But these soon incurred
the displeasure of the gods, who, irritated by their lack of reverence,
resolved to destroy them. Then by the will of Hurakan, the Heart of Heaven, the
waters were swollen, and a great flood came upon the mannikins of wood. There
was heard a great noise above their heads, as if produced by fire. Then were
men seen running, pushing each other, filled with despair; they wished to climb
upon their houses, and the houses, tumbling down, fell to the ground; they
wished to climb upon the trees, and the trees shook them off; they wished to
enter into the grottoes (eaves), and the grottoes closed themselves before
them. . . Water and fire contributed to the universal ruin at the time of the
last great cataclysm which preceded the fourth creation."
Also the "Popol Vuh", speaking of the first home of the
Guatemalan race, says that "black and white men together" lived in
this happy land "in great peace," speaking "one language."In
"The Myths of Mexico and Peru" (1913), Lewis Spence says: "Ere
the earth was quite recovered from the wrathful flood which had descended upon
it there lived a being orgulous and full of pride, called Vukub-Cakix
(Seventimes-the-colour-of-fire-the Kiche name for the great macaw bird). In
short, it is evident that he was a sun-and-moon god of prehistoric times. He
boasted dreadfully, and his conduct so irritated the other gods that they
resolved upon his destruction. His two sons, Zipacna and Cabrakan (Cockspur or
Earth-heaper, and Earthquake), were earthquake-gods of the type of the Jotuns
of Scandinavian myth or the Titans of Greek legend. These also were prideful
and arrogant, and to cause their downfall the gods despatched the heavenly
twins Hun-Apu and Xbalanque to earth, with instructions to chastise the trio.
The Aztec book, "Codex Chimalpopoca", translated by Abbé Brasseur
de Bourbourg, says:
"This is the sun called Nahui-atl, '4 water.' Now the water was
tranquil for forty years, plus twelve, and men lived for the third and fourth
times. Even the mountains sunk into the water, and the water remained tranquil
for fifty-two springs."
In Europe, Holland, the Frysian book - also one of the oldest books ever
found - "Oera Linda Book". Qoute: "During the whole summer, the
sun hid itself behind the clouds, as if unwilling to shine upon earth. In the
middle of quietude, the earth began to quake as if it was dying. The mountains
opened up to vomit forth fire and flames. Some of them sunk under the earth
while in other places moutains rose out of plains. Many people were swallowed
up by the earth, and others who had escaped the fire perished in the
waters."
"Younger Edda" (also known as "Prose Edda" or
"Snorri's Edda") is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also
contains mythological stories. According to "Gylfaginning", from
"The Prose Edda" of Snorri Sturlson, translated by Arthur Gilchrist
Brodeur in 1916, "King Gylfi ruled the land that men now call
Sweden".
"King Gylfi was a wise man and skilled in magic; he was much troubled
that the Æsir-people were so cunning that all things went according to their
will. There dwelt the gods and their kindred; and many tidings and tales of it
have come to pass both on earth and aloft."
In the Introduction of the book, one can read: "The beginning of the
book is a summary of the Biblical story of the Creation and Deluge, followed by
a rationalized account of the rise of the ancient pagan faith, according to
which the old gods appear, not as deities, but as men."
In Greece, I will mention Plato, Plutarch, and Herodotus for now, even
though Diodorus, Aristotle, Marcellus, Proclus, Crantor, Homer, Hesiod,
Herodotus have mentioned Atlantis in a way or another. We should also mention
Solon, the great law-giver of Athens 600 years before the Christian era. In his
book, "The Life of Solon", Plutarch (45 - 120 AD) says:
Now Solon, having begun the great work in verse, the history or fable of
the Atlantic Island, which he had learned from the wise men in Sais, and
thought convenient for the Athenians to know, abandoned it; not, as Plato says,
by reason of want or time, but because of his age, and being discouraged at the
greatness of the task; for that he had leisure enough, such verses testify, as
Plato, willing to improve the story of the Atlantic Island, as if it were a
fair estate that wanted an heir and came with some title to him, formed,
indeed, stately entrances, noble enclosures, large courts, such as never yet
introduced any story, fable, or poetic fiction; but beginning it late, ended
his life before his work."
Plato (427 - 347 BC) begins his book:
"Critias. Plato continues:
You can read the full work of Plato's "Dialogues" here.
As one deducts, Atlantis was sunk by the will of Gods, through flood(s) and
earthquake(s). Ignatius Donnelly, in his book, "Atlantis, the Antediluvian
World" (1884), mentions an old sacred book of Babylon. "Cronos (Ea)
appeared to him in his sleep, and announced that on the fifteenth of the month
of Daisios (the Assyrian month Sivan--a little before the summer solstice) all
men should perish by a flood. The same story appears in Mesopotamia.
"There was a time when Enlil, the most powerful of the Gods, was
displeased with mankind and decided to send a flood that no living being could
survive. But the verdict seemed to harsh to Ea, a fellow-god, who forewarned
his favorite mortal, Utnapishtin, in a dream. (according to "Cradle of
Civilization", Time Life Books) The story of the flood exists in all Near
Eastern Cultures, as for Hebrews, they are mentioned as "Hibru"
existing among other populations before they have formed their own state.
Conclusion: Since all these old civilizations mentioned Atlantis in a form
or another, or the destruction of an Atlantis-like island and a big flood, it's
hard to imagine that they've all been lying or re-telling a story told to them.
People in those times were pretty interested in their stories and tradition was
everything. The survivors of the destruction scattered and landed on the
closest areas from the sunk island. II. Is Atlantis Lost Indeed?
Herodotus, in his "History", Vol.1, has a few passages about
"Atlantis".
"184. From the Garmantians at a distance again of ten days' journey
there is another hill of salt and spring of water, and men dwell round it
called Atarantians, who alone of all men about whom we know are nameless; for
while all taken together have the name Atarantians, each separate man of them
has no name given to him. Usually Herodotus, when referring to the countries or
cities, 'outside the Pillars of Heracles' usually talks about the western
coasts of Africa and Europe that open to the Atlantic Ocean. Even though he was
Roman, he spoke Greek so perfectly that he was called 'honey-tongued'. In his
work, Varia Historia (Various History), he talks also about natural wonders and
strange local customs. "If one believes Theopompus, Midas, king de the
Phrygians, discussed one day with Silene (Silene was sun of a nymph, and for
this reason, though it was by his birth of an order lower than the gods, as
them, nevertheless, he was immortal, and extremely above the condition of the men).
After having discussed various things, Silene called to Midas:
It produces very large animals and men of a size twice higher, which are
not those of our climates: as their life it is not limited to the same space of
time as ours; they live twice longer. All die in the war, not by iron (iron
cannot do anything to them), but struck by stone blows or blows of stick. What
Silene added is much more astonishing still: 'In this country, he says, the men
that one distinguishes by the name of Meropes, are Masters of several large
cities: on the borders of the territory which they live in is a place called
Anoste (without return), which resembles a pit, and is neither enlightened, nor
dark; the air which forms its atmosphere, is mixed with an obscure red. Two
rivers run in the surroundings; the river Pleasure, and the river Sorrow, thus
they are named: their edges are covered with trees, the height of a large plane
tree. Maps
The first map is Benincasa map (1482), one of the maps studied by Columbus
when he set sail for the Indies. At the map's origin seemed to have been a
couple of old maps. Right below, Ptolemy's map, published in Strasbourg in
1513. Below you have Athanasius Kircher's map (1669). Kircher was a Jesuit
German priest, who lived between 1602-1680. He published "Mundus
Subterraneus", a book containing a map of Atlantis according to ancient
Egyptian maps. Some claim that Kircher's island looks like the Antarctica on
Piri Reis' map, and like nowadays Antarctica without the ice. The inscriptions
on the continents say: "America, Atlantic Ocean, Atlantis, Africa,
Spain". In the upper corner: "Site of Atlantis, now beneath the sea,
according to the beliefs of the Egyptians and the description of Plato".
Being based on Egyptian maps, in Kircher's map north becomes south. The
question being asked by the Atlantis believers is if it is more likely to look
for Atlantis on an island that moved thousands of kilometers south to reach
Antarctica's position now and mostly ignore Plato's story, or to search for it
in the Azores, where the tops of the volcanoes are still on land.
