Euganei: The Primordial People

Camunian woman

As covered on here many times before, the Proto-European people predate the incoming Teutons and Mediterraneans by tens of thousands of years. They are the essential "Europeans." The Italian peninsula very much fit into this paradigm, with the Euganei branch of the Proto-Europeans (aka "Alpine race). Today, the Welsh, Basques, Camunians, Valtellinese, Orobiese, Ladins, Romansh, and people from other historically isolated locales in the Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, etc., are often stubborn throwbacks to a time long past. Some of this is simply genetic, or due to the isolation, but often with more of a proclivity to hold onto old traditions.

The incoming Teutons and Mediterraneans of thousands of years ago probably came into contact with many of these primordial people who were eager to join with them, while some were ether not so enthusiastic about them or were simply more isolated... usually in mountainous regions. There is no evidence that I know of that suggests any conflict between them, but only later were there attempts to bring the "holdouts" to heel; for example, the Roman conquest of the Alps.

These images were from Davide Mazzocchi's DeviantArt site. The woman's name is Teresa.

 .

The Field of Folk Pagan Dreams II - "The Vehmic Mountain Altar"

.
Neopagan Revival

In the film 'Field of Dreams', the symbolic approximately one-third "circle altar" was the baseball field. The phantom baseball player came and went from different realms from the vast ominous cornfield. Since we know that the unusually geometric game of baseball was invented by a Freemason, is it a stretch to ponder whether or not this film from hyper-occultic Hollywood was a further take on the game's likely occult roots? It would seem to play upon many ancient spiritual traditions, including perhaps a Proto-European one. It's ironic, from my own intrinsic point of view, that I got part of this inspiration from literally a baseball field.... a "mountain baseball field" no less!

As stated in the previous posting to this, baseball is unique in that the field of play can extend beyond the fencing. In theory, an outfielder can run into the stands to catch the ball... or out to the parking lot! That "one-third circle" fans out wider and wider, longer and longer, symbolically... forever. As long as the ball doesn't actually bounce off of any object, the outfielder may catch it for an "out." Was the cornfield a way of expressing that ominous "forever" concept? Also, the game of baseball is set up in such a manner that it simply does not change. Football is constantly evolving. The three-point line in basketball has obviously changed that game. Therefore there is a somewhat ghostly aspect to baseball and it's unusual geometry.

I feel that I discovered something on that clean and warm night last September. I wasn't in any way trying to discover anything. I was just walking out onto the dark outfield to gaze at the high mountains on the other side of the valley while sipping a sweet iced tea. I felt a powerful sensation as the characteristics of the field, mountains, hills, valley, and sky slowly came into focus as something from my ancestral memory was jogged and recognized. I have stated on here many times of the folly that many people have made over the years of mixing synchronicity--even enhanced and complex synchronicity--with a mystical experience. Synchronicity is simply a connection to the universe, and it does not make anyone special. Synchronicity is an affirmation from universal consciousness that "you're on the right track." A mystical experience is usually something more than that.

 
As late as four centuries ago, groups of "native believers"--from what I could call "the six clans" of the east Lombard Alps--would travel eight times during the year to a particular mountain pass near where the Orobi Alps meet with the northern Val Camonica and the southern Valtellina. Of course, everyone didn't all go each time. Perhaps they would make the trek one of those times during the year. At least some folk pagans from each of the six valleys--the Valtellinesi, Camuni, Chiavennaschi, Orobianesi, Triumplini, and Sabbini--were present for each seasonal ritual. It was like a larger family coming together on what we now know was the last days of their traditional way of life. It was passed down to them from their Proto-European ancestors from clear back into prehistory. However, don't allow this one good example keep anyone from seeing expressions from their own Proto-European ancestors. There are examples of this from anywhere in ancient Europe; for example the Basque Country in the Pyrenees. Even in flat country, there were foothills and small mountains, for example in Poland there's a particular small mountain in a flatland region which is a central location for paganism... going back centuries. We don't know how long.


Vehmic Mountain Altar

Valleys, including the smaller valleys, are common all over in some form. Very often there is one peak or set of peaks, which stand on one side, with smaller foothills on the other. One side is at least higher than the other in most cases. It would not take too much effort to find a place such as this close to where you live. On the "foothills" or lower elevation side, a half-circle altar may be fashioned using a few modest stones on some clearing along the midway point of the hills. The half-circle represents "the circle of nature" conflated; half of it within the earth itself, and half of it within our lives. This "half-circle altar" represents "fire," as they used to light a fire pit there. However, unless there's a large clearing that you have access to, where you can create a safe fire, you own the land, or where there's a safe place to light a tiki torch.... then this is not necessary.



Any time of the day or night is fine. I think of the night a little more. The night is magical when the weather allows. The valley below represents "water," as it is where the rainfall naturally gravitates towards. There may even be a river, stream, creek, or small body of water down there anyway. Hopefully many trees and animals as well. The "high point of the foothills," behind the altar," represents "earth." It symbolizes the ground beneath your feet; the "earth" where half of the altar symbolically is rooted. The mountain peak(s) on the other side of the valley represent "spirit," as they are earth's marvelous sculptures. They are the spiritual antennas which may interact with the moon, which in turn allows a connection with the other side.... the great vast Ur where our ancestors exist.

The sky above represents "air," as it is the wonderful ethereal glue that holds the universe together. That sky where we may humbly observe the Almother Moon, Alfather Sun, the planets of our solar system, and of course all the stars. In conclusion, there are five levels to this configuration. From top to bottom: 1) Sky and universe; 2) Tall peak(s); 3) High point(s) of the foothills; 4) Half-circle altar at the midway point of the foothills; and 5) Valley below.


Five = The Sacred Vehme (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit)

Earth - High point(s) of the Foothills, behind the altar
Air - Sky and universe
Fire - Half-circle altar
Water - Valley below
Spirit - Tall peak(s) at which the altar faces


While becoming, we discover, we already are


.

Temple of Artemis: The Sacred Temple of the Proto-European Tradition - Part 2

The forgotten Proto-European nations (Welsh, Basques, Euganeans, Maltese, etc.)

A map of European tribal nations from 9,000 years ago would have to take into account the inhabitable regions covered under permanent glaciers and somewhat less restrictive but permanent sheets of ice amid the mountain ranges separating northern and southern Europe. In other words a "small Europe," consisting of most of what is today southern Europe; as well as a much harsher but habitable "east-west trail" from the very southernmost England, down including most of France, over to Ukraine and perhaps beyond it a bit. The Alps would have been particularly harsh at that time, with the only route between southern and northern Europe likely having been by sea. All European would have been essentially the same sub-race, as they would have been prior to this glacial movement.

It should be noted that the Temple of Artemis is similar to Stonehenge, or to others such as the Ġgantija megalithic temple complex in Malta, in that it is both a symbol of the modern culture to which it belongs and to the wider very ancient Proto-European culture from which it is truly rooted. In other words, Stonehenge was not constructed specifically by the Druids; nor was the Temple of Artemis constructed specifically by the Olympian Greeks... but symbols of an earlier expression of their Proto-European ancestors. Margaret Murray was right! All one has to do is go back far enough! There was a widespread "Witch-Cult," and it easily predated the last glacial movement. There have been widespread artistic depictions of both a male Horned God (Cave of the Trois-Frères) and of a female Mother Goddess (Venus of Willendorf) going back tens of thousands of years.

The Proto-European Goddess as "The Triformis"

(durron597 - mythology.stackexchange.com - May 3, 2015)

I always thought that Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon (and Hunting, stags, etc.)... until I thought about how there's Helios/Apollo which caused me to learn about Selene. But further research revealed yet another Moon goddess - Hecate, who is associated with the moon, and is Selene's grandmother. Still further research revealed Phoebe, whose Wikipedia article is pretty sparse and is the grandmother of Selene.

Did the goddess who had domain of the moon change over time? Did they all sort of do it together?

************

Don't forget Achelois. . . – HDE 226868I'm still confused, i have to search up hecate for a social studies project, and my friend is searching up selene, I'm trying to say my goddess is better than hers, but now other gods are coming into this project! I understand that gaia is the mother or grandmother of hecate but are hecate and selene sisters or something since they both have the power of the moon?This all here is probrally pretty confusing, but the again, we are talking about greek goddesses! – user954

************ 

Actually the list of moon-goddesses goes on since, according to Selene's Theoi page:

Other Greek moon goddesses included Pasiphae, the Leukippides, Eileithyia, Hekate, Artemis, Bendis, and Hera (who sometimes doubled for Selene in the Endymion myth).

But let's focus first on the one you mentioned:Artemis. Her association with the moon seems relatively straight-forward: if Apollo is associated with the Sun, then his sister has to be associated with the moon.

Selene (= Mene or Luna). She is the proper Titan-goddess of the Moon, often even the personnification of the moon itself. See among many other sources, Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica:

Rising from the distant east, the Lady Selene (Moon), Titanian goddess...

Phoibe/Phoebe. The Titan Phoibe doesn't actually seem to be associated with the moon, the confusion comes from Selene being often nicknamed Phoebe (i. e. 'bright'). Phoibe was apparently a prophetess Titan-goddess and as such is supposed to have held the Oracle of Delphi at some point. From the first line of Aeschylus's Eumenides:

THE PYTHIAN PRIESTESS
First, in this prayer, of all the gods I name
The prophet-mother Earth; and Themis next,
Second who sat-for so with truth is said-
On this her mother's shrine oracular.
Then by her grace, who unconstrained allowed,
There sat thereon another child of Earth-
Titanian Phoebe.

Hecate. Now Hecate is something else I think. The different sources we have tend to contradict each other on her parentage, descendance, attributions etc. leading some scholars to think that Hecate was in fact a goddess foreign to the Greek Pantheon that was only added later (and well integrated thanks to the place Hesiod gave her in the Theogony). See for instance what Sarah Johnston says about it in 'Restless Deads':

Let us go back further, to Hecate's place of origin. There is general agreement that this was Caria, in southwestern Asia Minor, which is supported by the fact that by the Hellenistic period her precinct in Lagina was the largest of all the precincts there (in constrast, in all of Greece, only Aegina seems to have had any significant sanctuary devoted wholly to Hecate).

Caria being in southwestern Anatolia. Similarly (from the list I mentioned earlier), Pasiphae seems to have been the cretan moon-goddess and Bendis the one from Thrace.

The specific reason why Hecate was associated with the moon seems a bit complex. Originally, in Caria, Hecate seems to have been a fairly generic mother Goddess. Even in Hesiod's Theogony she is presented as having dominion over basically everything:

For to this day, whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hecate. [...] For as many as were born of Earth and Ocean amongst all these she has her due portion. The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea.

According to Sarah Johnston in 'Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature' (which I haven't been able to find and thus read so I might be misrepresenting her idea here), the association came relatively late (1st Century AD) from the fact that at some point Hecate was seen as a "liminal" goddess, an intermediary between two worlds (hence also probably the association between Hecate and witchcraft), which is a quality that was supposedly shared by the Moon.

So to summarize, the difference between Selene and Artemis is that one is the moon while the other is just associated with it, and on top of that one is a Titan while the other is an Olympian; Phoebe has nothing to do with the moon; and the others are foreign/regional goddesses integrated a posteriori into the Greek Pantheon.

... but I'm afraid I didn't find anything interesting on Achelois – plannapus

************

Thanks! I've upvoted, but I'd like to see a little more discussion on what Hecate's relationship is with the moon in particular before I accept. – durron597

************Theia is the sister of Phoebe wich makes Phoebe Selene's aunt , Artemis's mother Leto is the daughter of Phoebe wich makes her Selene's cousin. Leto had a sister named Asteria who bore Hecate wich makes Hecate Artemis's cousin . Selene was believed to be the moon itself in ancient greeks , Artemis and Hecate juste came later to be associated with the moon, also Hecate's mother Asteria was also Selene's cousin . Hecate and Artemis where not associated with the moon for nothing cose they're mothers Leto and Asteria where closely related to Selene !.

pedro

************

Can you please add some references or links? – kenorb

************

Hecate, Artemis and Selene are one in the same. Artemis is known as the Goddess of the Triple Aspect because she has three identities. Artemis is the virgin goddess of the hunt (Earth form), Selene is goddess of the moon (sky form) and Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft and the underworld (cthonian/underworld form). We can see this in depictions of Artemis wearing the "horns of the moon" on her crown, or images of Hecate as a three-faced goddess. It is possible that at some point they were separate deities and their stories became confused by later Greeks and Romans but our current understanding is of the three as different aspects of one.

Source: Classics 430 class at University

Josie

************

"Our current understanding is of the three as different aspects of one." I'm going to need to see a source for that statement, because as far as I am aware that statement is incorrect. – Hamlet

************

According to Theoi.com (theoi.com/Olympios/ArtemisGoddess.html#Selene) the Artemis-Selene-Hecate triad comes from Roman-period poetry, not from Greek myth. – solsdottir

************

I was taught the same. – tox123

.

Göbekli Tepe documentary

Gobekli Tepe - National Geographic
 
Angels N Demons
 
11,500 year old man-made structures discovered in Turkey.

Göbekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe ("Potbelly Hill") is an archaeological site at the top of a mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of modern-day Turkey, approximately 12 km (7 mi) northeast of the city of Şanlıurfa. The tell has a height of 15 m (49 ft) and is about 300 m (984 ft) in diameter. It is approximately 760 m (2,493 ft) above sea level.
 
The tell includes two phases of ritual use dating back to the 10th – 8th millennium BCE. During the first phase, pre-pottery Neolithic A (PPNA), circles of massive T-shaped stone pillars were erected. More than 200 pillars in about 20 circles are currently known through geophysical surveys. Each pillar has a height of up to 6 m (20 ft) and a weight of up to 20 tons. They are fitted into sockets that were hewn out of the bedrock. In the second phase, Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), the erected pillars are smaller and stood in rectangular rooms with floors of polished lime. The site was abandoned after the PPNB-period. Younger structures date to classical times.

The purpose of the structures is not yet clear. It was excavated by a German archaeological team under the direction of Klaus Schmidt from 1996 until his death in 2014; Schmidt believed that they had been early neolithic sanctuaries.

Göbekli Tepe - Proto-European or True-Mediterranean?

Of course, the land now known as "Turkey" was only associated with Turkic people when they invaded the region about 900 years ago. Prior to that, this land was part of Europe (Byzantine Rome). Before Roman influence, it was Greek in the west, and apparently Keltoi in the east. However, due to its proximity to the great ancient Middle East civilizations, such as Phoenicia-Canaan, there is no way to determine if this early civilization that Göbekli Tepe was part of was coming from Europe or the Middle East.

There's no way to determine the answer at this time. We still don't truly know if the ancient Greeks were Proto-European or True-Mediterranean. My guess was that the ancient Greeks were basically of True-Mediterranean origin, as the Olympian pantheon replaced the early Proto-European pantheon revolving around the Goddess Hecate. This would show that the True-Mediterraneans migrated westward, perhaps preceded in the east by a small Teutonic migration which resulted in the Celtic (Keltoi) culture.

11,500 years ago would put this time in the middle of the last glacial movement. This would mean that half of Europe was covered by a massive sheet of ice. The Proto-Europeans lived in the southern half of the continent, and I'm guessing perhaps also in what is now the Maghrib and in the northern Caucusus. This would have been about 6,000 years before the Sumerian civilization to the east. This is such a long time that it would seem beyond the orbit of the progression of civilization as we now know it. 

Somewhat adding to the confusion is that Göbekli Tepe is located on the southeast edge of what is now Turkey, close to what later was known as the Phoenician civilization. However, this was more than 8,000 years before Phoenicia-Canaan. Too long to tie the two in any manner, or to any particular ethnic type. We probably can at least say that Göbekli Tepe was Indo-European.

The Göbekli Tepe ruins are an unearthed group of temples, far from being fully excavated. Only a fraction of it has been uncovered. An older group of circular temples, discovered with ground penetrating radar, are estimated at about 14,000 years old. If we look at the individual temples, I counted ten T-shaped outer pillars and two T-shaped inner pillars, they look as though they could be a type of technology used to harness an energy or power. They were very well constructed. 

Another factor to consider that this would not have been today's sunny Turkey It would have resembled the climate of Scotland. Given all of these particulars, especially the compression of this people into southern Europe at that time, I would lean towards this being a Proto-European construction. Their is evidence of some advanced technology and understanding from these peoples; Stonehenge and the Nebra sky disk come to mind. Lastly, why did they eventually bury these temples and pillars?

AndrewCollins.com
 
'Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods' (Collins; 2014)

Pictorial Representation Of Göbekli Tepe Found (Andrew Collins)

.

The Druidic Temple of Mona

I'm currently reading the book 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History' (Ruickbie; 2004), and I keep finding myself wanting to put excerpts here which are very applicable; which I did recently with the Greek legend of Medea. I found another which I can't resist. To start with, after the first chapter regarding the "Old Religion" as it existed prominently in pre-Olympian Greece (and after), chapter two is entitled 'East of Midgard: Witchcraft, Magic, and Religion Amongst the Pagan Tribes of Northern Europe'. He talks about the Germanic and Gaulish tribes, and it's fascinating to ponder the interaction between these two similar cultures. It also shows how the "Old Religion" existed within the ancient Odinic German societies. It's obvious to me the cultural overlap between the magical traditions of the proto-Europeans and the incoming Teutons. For example, the Druidic traditions developed as the two merged together; and the later Germanic invasion in the east reflected the more Teutonic spirituality.

In the subsection 'The People of the Oak', based mostly on the works of the Roman historian Tacitus, the Druids are shown to be nothing less than the "doctors, poets, priest and astronomers" of the Gaulish culture. When the Roman Emperor Claudius outlawed "Druidry" in 43 CE, it took about fifteen years to wipe it out by force. Since it was an oral tradition, little is known about it today. A few small reminders exist today, such as the mistletoe during Christmas; although it had an entirely different significance to the Druids. "...the Greek philosopher Dio Chysotomus (c. 40-112 CE) compared them to those other great mystical castes of ancient times, the Persian magi, Egyptian priests and Hindu brahmin." Apparently some Alchemists believe that the Druids were part of some type of "mystery school network" which existed from Greece and Egypt, to Phonecia, to Persia, to India, and even to China. It took years of training to become a Druid or Druidess.

Although so little is known of the Druids, it was beautiful to read about how they held court in special "sacred groves" of oak trees. I imagined groves of grey barked oak trees in Lake County, California where I spent summers when I was a child. It was almost like the oak trees possess a certain nurturing energetic quality. Even today, when I'm in some special remote place--morning, day, late afternoon, twilight, or evening--with nobody around, I find it incredible that nobody is there to enjoy the priceless feeling, sights, mood, and tranquil energy. Perhaps the Druids knew something that we don't know? I wanted to put in one more small but important excerpt that validates something that I've suspected for a good while now:

"Julius Caesar had broken their (the Druids) power in Gaul by 58 BCE and in 60 or 61 CE the Roman legions laid wast to their holy sanctuary of Mona (Mon) on the island of what is now called Anglesey (Wales). Tacitus describes how black-robed druidesses urged on the Celtic warriors and cursed their Roman attackers with great shouts and screams. The Romans were terrible in victory and having won the field of battle, destroyed the sacred groves and massacred the druids. As a spiritual and political force they were finished and gradually declined into obscurity."

The word Mòn meant "Moon" to the ancient Camunni. In the Camunian dialect, Al Camònega means "Val Camonica," and "mòn" is present in many words in the Lombard language and Camunian sub-dialect of Brescian; likely always having some tie-in to an old phrase with a moon-connection. There is a Camunian village called Monno in Italian, but was actually called "Mòn" in the Lombard language. It literally meant "Moon," and perhaps was the site of some forgotten temple to the moon goddess. Also, as I am somewhat ashamed to admit, the word "Mòna" in Camunian--which was very likely the actual, now forgotten, ancient local name of the moon goddess--is a vulgar and slanderous name for a woman.

I have long suspected, based on what little information I have come upon regarding ancient mostly central European languages, that the proto-European word for moon was "mòn." Also, more importantly, the word for the ancient moon goddess was "Mòna." Lombardy was once part of Cisalpine Gaul, and the ancient Camunni were a very ancient proto-European people. The Welsh, like Basques and Camunians, are also a very ancient proto-European people. Wales is where this "holy sanctuary of Mona" was located. It seems to suggest that the words and spiritual concepts of Mòn and Mòna were of pre-Celtic proto-European origin. In other words, the European-wide "Old Religion." Going back to the last glacial movement, where the northern two-thirds of Europe was covered by a mile high sheet of ice, this goddess had a common origin.

The Gaulish Mòna, the Greek Hecate, the Roman Diana, the Venus of Willendorf, etc., were all of a common origin if you go back far enough. People just can't wrap their minds around the fact that the true-Mediterraneans and original Teutons arrived later. Before there were Greeks, Germans, English, etc., there was this type of "European native" and their spiritual tradition. The origin of the "Old Religion." Of course, even before Christianity, it was being merged, marginalized, and sometimes altered. For example, there was likely Alchemical influence during the Middle Ages. The word "mòn" became "moon," and the Roman-Latin "Luna" and "Lunar" replaced it in scientific and spiritual reference. Also, the "horned god" was the "father god" of the Old Religion all over Europe from Cyprus to Scotland.

Cernunnos and Mona were later local manifestations of this "god and goddess" in Gaul. Much earlier manifestations of this same "god and goddess" were "The Sorcerer" and the "Venus of Willendorf." When we go back the far in time, we must suspend our idea of geography somewhat in order to comprehend that time period. So have we finally solved the problem of finding an ancient "European name" for the Almother? Regional names, such as Hecate, only seem to confuse the issue. As for the Alfather of the Old Religion, the late Stewart Farrar used the name "Karnayna," although I don't know at this time if this was based on any ancient word or concept. I had discussed in that earlier article the problem with adopting names from local traditions, since people often just can't separate that particular locale with the larger concept. 

"Heathen" is a good working example of the "reappropriation" of a word to fit a larger concept; while the word "Asatru" has run into problems, as people can't seem to forget it's regional Icelandic roots. It then becomes "an Icelandic religion" in some people's minds. The name "Mona" would be a good candidate for reappropriation, since it is generally just a given name and a word present in non-Indo-European languages due to it's simple pronunciation (likely to develop in various languages). "Máni" was a Norse, and probably Saxon, "moon goddess." Máni means "moon" in old Norse and Icelandic. In this somewhat parallel northern tradition, there was a "sun god and moon goddess" called "Máni and Sól." This seems to clearly show the proto-European tie-in within Norse paganism.

This tie-in is not Odinic, but a regional Norse connection to the Old Religion, which I have long suspected. I could not be certain, since "Norse witchcraft" could have developed on it's own. It is much more likely an older holdover, with Odinic influence. The author of 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows' is Leo Ruickbie from the UK.

.

Nebra sky disk: Proto-European religio-science

Nebra sky disk

The Nebra sky disk is a bronze disk of around 30 cm diameter and a weight of 2.2 kg, with a blue-green patina and inlaid with gold symbols. These are interpreted generally as a sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars (including a cluster interpreted as the Pleiades). Two golden arcs along the sides, marking the angle between the solstices, were added later. A final addition was another arc at the bottom surrounded with multiple strokes (of uncertain meaning, variously interpreted as a Solar Barge with numerous oars, as the Milky Way, or as a rainbow).

The disk is attributed to a site near Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt, in Germany, and associatively dated to c. 1600 BC. It has been associated with the Bronze Age Unetice culture.

The disk is unlike any known artistic style from the period, and was initially suspected of being a forgery, but is now widely accepted as authentic.

The Nebra sky disk features the oldest concrete depiction of the cosmos worldwide. In June 2013 it was included in the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register and termed "one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century."

**************************************************

It should be noted that the disk, although a part of "German history," is also a part of "Proto-European history." Whomever constructed it was probably not Teutonic, but rather a Proto-European ancestor of modern Germans; and would also tie into the larger ethnic stock of that time period. If you click the above link, there are images of what appear to be beautiful ceremonial bronze swords which were found with the disk. This would all seem to tie into Proto-European spirituality, and the disk is just as important and relevant a clue as was the Venus of Willendorf.

I believe that from about 1000 BCE and clear back 30,000 years or more, this could be seen as basically the culture of one particular stock of people. That would include certain very ancient modern survivals, such as the Welsh, the Basques, or the Camunians. That would include archaeological finds, such as megalithic temples of Malta, Stonehenge, or Göbekli Tepe in what is now Turkey. This was a culture, as with other civilizations, in which science and spirituality were "one." In other words, the truths regarding nature, the earth, and sky were regarded as sacred. Today, we have the closed-minded science vs. closed-minded religion Hegelian dialectic forming a permanent road block to genuine truth.

At one point the cultural offshoots of this Proto-European stock, very different than anything we could recognize as the "nations" of modern times, lived south of the mile-high sheet of ice which covered most of the British Isles and about one-third of France, Germany, and Poland. Most likely they also inhabited the land which is today known as the Maghrib. This ethnic type was neither Teutonic nor Mediterranean.




.

Origins of Druidry, Wicca, OTO, Thelema, AMORC, Golden Dawn, Theosophical Society

An interesting video about modern semi-secret magical orders, and their common origin from a female perspective within this subject. AMORC stands for The Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, more commonly known as the Rosicrucian Order. Their headquarters is an Egyptian museum in San Jose, which anyone can visit (Rosicrucian Park). At the beginning, there's an interesting part about "Freemasonic Druidry." Generally, I think she hit the nail on the head with this. I would disagree with a few minor points.

The serpent symbolizes feminine-oriented knowledge and wisdom; and the male-oriented eagle allegorically takes this wisdom away for it's own purposes. However, I think there is at least some grey area.. historically-speaking.


From the video:

"In ancient times, all the tribes were matriarchal. There may have been kings, and priests, but only the queen or the priestess made him one by annointing him. It was these roles who were the spiritual leaders of the tribe. The ones who were seers, alchemists, astronomers, shamans, magicians, teachers of the esoteric and the exoteric, philosophers, midwives, herbalists, peacemakers, law keepers. These were the priestesses of old, and they all came from the noble serpent families. This was before old Patriarchal religions were invented. It was long before some of the teachings were taken by eagles and turned into religions and cults..."


Websites associated with this video:

Temple of Theola YouTube channel

SerpentBloodline.info

BeTheSolution.net

Temple of Theola

The Church of St. Mary and St. John

The International Priory of Knights Hospitaller Templar

**************************************************

Addition: I should have added that the main figure within this Celtic/Gnostic international movement is Tau Tia L Douglass of the UK, who narrated the above video.

.

Ancient proto-European Megalithic Temples investigated on History Channel 2 this Friday

This Friday on History Channel 2 ("H2"), on the program 'In Search of Ancient Aliens', the Megalithic Temples of Malta will be featured. These eleven temples may be an insight into proto-European culture and spirituality. The early stock of Malta was proto-European; Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans came later. Giorgio Tsoukalos from 'Ancient Aliens' (the guy with the funny hair) is the host of the program, and his mentor Erich von Däniken is a frequent guest. I remember when I was very young, my father had one of von Däniken's books, and I tried to make sense of it. It's amazing how his work has come into the mainstream over the years.

From Wikipedia: "The Megalithic Temples of Malta are the eleven prehistoric monuments, of which seven are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, built during three distinct time periods between 3000 BC and 700 BC approximately. They have been claimed as the oldest free-standing structures on Earth, although the largely buried Göbekli Tepe complex is now believed to be older. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in a process of cultural evolution. This led to the building of several temples of the Ġgantija phase (3600-3000 BC), culminating in the large Tarxien temple complex, which remained in use until 2500 BC. After this date, the temple building culture disappeared."

Excavation on the "Pyramid of the Moon" in 2010.

Also, relative to the Maltese temples as far as proto-European culture, tonight on the Science Channel is another interesting program. On the program 'The Unexplained Files', the "Bosnian Pyramids" issue will be featured. Why are the "official" mainstream archeological institutions not even interested in studying these structures, and why are they in such a hurry to rush to judgement? Isn't archeology about taking time to study something first? Why is the European Association of Archeologists in such a big hurry!? What are they afraid of? I guess that these items are much too big to bury in the back of some warehouse like the rest of the artifacts and fossils which don't fit into the accepted version of history.

Bosnian "Pyramid of the Sun"

These programs are usually repeated a number of times. Even if you don't have these channels, you may purchase these individual programs for viewing on Amazon.com for $1.99. Another ruin that would seem to be related is Göbekli Tepe in Turkey. This ruin may be as old as twelve thousand years. We really don't know who constructed it, as it is located in southeastern Turkey.. close to the Near East. We can rule out Turks or Arabs, since they only arrived there nine to thirteen centuries ago. It could very well have been proto-European.

.

Hecate and Cernunnos: Locating the proto-European spiritual paradigm

A few evenings ago, I had an online chat with a Celtic polytheist. When asked what my spiritual paradigm was, I tried to convey across that I was an adherent of European paganism aka "European witchcraft".. not Wiccan. She seemed to be against the Wiccan concept partly because it was so eclectic, which makes sense. However, when pressed for a rundown of deities, I mentioned Hecate and Cernunnos. Being someone who doesn't believe in mixing paradigms, she quickly responded by finding it odd that "Cernunnos is Celtic and Hecate is Greek." She herself seemed confused as to whether she was a Gaelic polytheist or a Gaulish polytheist.

This brought up the issue of the proto-European--aka "Alpine race"--role in the ancient world. To begin with, people just can't seem to grasp the fact that the Europe of the last glacial movement was one which was basically devoid of both Mediterranean and Teutonic peoples... and it was almost half covered in massive ice sheets. Demographically, Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East/western Asia cannot be compared to today.

Hecate seems to clearly be a deity which predates classic Greek mythology... clear back to the proto-European world. I believe a local name--in what is now Greece and Turkey--for a "European goddess"... not a "Greek goddess." The Mother Goddess, or what I call "the Almother." Being that Hecate is perhaps the strongest historical manifestation for this goddess, then her name would seem to be a good one to use. The gods and goddesses of Greek antiquity were different from those of the more distant past. The Almother was a European goddess... which manifested in Greece as Hecate. Just for the record, this was thousands of years before there were any Turkic people in what is now Turkey.

Cernunnos was probably a fusion of the proto-European "horned god" and Odin or Tyr of the incoming Teutonic peoples. Therefore "Cernunnos"--which is a Romanized name for the chief god of Gaul--is as much proto-European as he is Gaulish/Celtic. I just don't see the point in renaming the Mother Goddess and Horned God of the proto-Europeans. There probably was not "one name" for these deities, but regional names for them. Stewart Farrar, a pioneer of Wicca, used the name "Karnayna" for Cernunnos. Hecate is also spelled "Hekate." To attempt to make some distinction, perhaps these names could be used since they possibly might be closer to the proto-European names in those locales, as well as being the strongest manifestations of "the Alfather" (Cernunnos) and "the Almother" (Hecate).

When coming up with a name for a larger collective, most often one must use some local name. There's often no way around this. For example, the name "Asatru" is an Icelandic name... used for a larger Odinic collective. There were other local names as well. Therefore "Asatru"--within the expanded meaning of the collective--can be used in reference to the Odinic manifestation of Austria, Ukraine, or Spain. It's no longer just in reference to Iceland. Coming up with entirely new names for every expression of the same thing would add further confusion to an already somewhat confusing endeavor.


Vehmology

"Vehme" stands for the same five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) as does the pentacle star, and seems to have been the basis for European witchcraft. The proto-European spiritual tradition was based on science! It took into account the metaphysical... "spirit." What I call "Vehmology" is science. Magic and science were the same. The true purpose of the coming "Religion vs. Atheism" conflict in society is to prevent the scientific study of metaphysics. Closed-minded religion, closed-minded Atheism, and closed-minded science all have a vested interest in preventing the mere academic study of metaphysical science, which makes them Hegelian "opposames" rather than true opposites.

.

The Almother, Carnuntum, and "Pagan's Gate": The ancient cultural and spiritual overlap between the "two Austrias" and the north Balkans

Heidentor aka "Pagan's Gate"

From an overall historical point of view, the Austrians could seem more like an old rival than a kindred people. The region of the eastern Alps and north of the Adriatic Sea has long been a tri-cross-cultural area between the Italo-Roman speaking world, the German-speaking world, and the Slavic-speaking world. For example, some parts of the north Balkans are more culturally and politically tied to Russia than to nearby Austria or the Veneto; in most ways, the tri-Veneto area has more in common with Rome than to St. Moritz; and in general, Austrians would tend to see themselves as being more ethnically tied to Scandinavia than to the nearby Venetians or Slovenes.

By the "two Austrias" I mean the original, and actually proper term "Austria," state within the old Langbard Kingdom... which was approximately the northeast Italian peninsula between Lombardy and the tri-Veneto area. Much later, the term "Austria" was clumsily resurrected as the English-language nickname for Österreich... or the Austria we know today.

Five thousand years ago, there would have been no difference at all between peoples of this region. They would have all been proto-European. The early stream of Teutonic migration formed the loosely defined Celtic culture, which later overran the general Lombardo-Venetian area. Still, approximately three thousand years ago, there was little difference. I'm guessing that this would have also included the north Balkans as well. Without going into the entire history of it.... a later "final push" of Teutonic tribes burst into Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria, Hungary, Bohemia, etc.... an equally intense migratory push of Slavic tribes moved into the Balkans... and--of course--the march of the Roman Empire overtook generally all of what is now "Italy."

The Roman province of "Raetia" was north of the Alps, even though the original "Raetians" were an ancient people who lived in a much larger area at one time. Although a clear lingo-ethnic divide was established between the three, each clearly influenced the other two. For example, in the Middle Ages when parts of the Friul were decimated by plagues, Slavic people were invited in to repopulate, and there is a clear Slavic influence in the Friulian dialect. Also in the Middle Ages, Cimbrians from Bavaria migrated into the Veneto, and many Cimbrian villages were still very linguistically and culturally distinct until the Fascist era. That particular brand of nationalism actually destroyed regional culture. One modern Camunian surname is "Mitterpergher," which is probably of Cimbrian origin, meaning "a person from the middle of the mountain"... and with the old-Bavarian spelling for "mountain person".... "pergher" rather than "berger."

During the Roman era, the Romans did most of the pushing, while the Germanic tribes took over that role in the early Middle Ages. Of course, the ancient territorial struggle between Germans and Slavs occurred over a very long time. In the first century, the Romans established a military base on the Danube River, in what is now Austria, called Carnuntum. This camp served as a trading center, as well as a political headquarters for further Roman expansion. This particular Celtic kingdom was called Noricum. Interestingly, in typical passive-aggressive Roman political style, they used a regional Celtic name.. which was apparently "Karnuntum" originally. I'm not absolutely certain, but it appears that a migration of northern Teutons--separate from the regional Celts--later invaded and destroyed Carnuntum.

The Teutonic destruction of this Roman expansion was glorified in Guido von List's late 19th century book 'Carnuntum'. This book has not been translated into English to my knowledge, so I can't vouch for it in any way... although I would like to read it. For some reason, List was fascinated by what is apparently the leftover opening gate to Carnuntum... after the invading Teutons demolished the walls, or perhaps this occurred over a longer period. That leftover ruin is now called "Heidentor," or evidently "Pagan's Gate" in German. Ironically, "Pagan's Gate" could be seen as a monument to both the Romans and the Germans. To List, I think it represented a regional Austrian symbol of the glory of past victory. Also, there were many old legends surrounding the ruin. In List's day, historians and archeologists didn't know anything about ancient German-Celts. It actually got it's name in the Middle Ages because it was once thought to have been constructed by ancient pagans. Austria is now reconstructing Carnuntum if you would like to look that up.

Flag of Lombardy-Venetia

Venus of Willendorf is a 27,000 to 32,000 year old artifact discovered in Austria. This little statue was carved from limestone not native to the area, and I believe was part of a much larger proto-European archetypical symbol of the "mother goddess." Also significant is its age, which would make it a counterpart to the "horned god." Because there are so many regional names for this goddess, which I think are linked back to the last glacial movement, I refer to her as "the Almother"... the proto-European equivalent to "the Alfather" Odin within old Teutonic culture. Among other things, the Almother was a fertility goddess in those early days. As strange as this may sound, there is ample evidence that the Roman goddess Diana of the Carnuntum era, and Venus of Willendorf, have a common origin going back to the last Ice Age. The Almother in the Italian peninsula, of course, going through many more manifestations over time. However, when half of Europe was covered under a massive continental ice sheet, the local manifestations of the mother goddess and the horned god would have been very likely of the same origin.

As far as the later colonial aggression of the Habsburgs... I mean lets face it, this was basically a soft dictatorship in which the average citizen of Austria-Hungary was not really responsible for national/monarchial policy anymore than a Roman citizen was responsible for Roman imperialism. The Austrian soldiers stationed in Lombardy-Venetia could, at times, be brutal... but probably not any more brutal than other occupations. It could be said with certainty that during pre-Roman times---which would have been pre-Teutonic and pre-Slavic times as well---this tri-cultural region would have been largely of the same people. Nobody there spoke Italian, German, or Slavic back then. Three very aggressive peoples came later and staked their territorial claim, and consequently the past etho-cultural dynamic was forgotten.

.

The Arctic Home in the Vedas: Part 16 - "Thule, Saturn, & an alternative explanation"

Thule, Saturn, & an alternative explanation: Part 5

The way the Greeks understood their relationship with non-Greek peoples was significantly moulded by the way myths of the Golden Age were transplanted into the contemporary scene...

We often hear the phrase “golden age” in reference to the zenith of something; “the golden age of cinema.” However, there was THE golden age, and it may be stranger than anything we will ever uncover. It has to do with everything from the deep past to the present day. It has to do with every ancient culture, and in particular the original Teutonic people before their migrations. I will tie this big loose end. But for now, we are talking about a “Golden Age” in which there were no seasons as we know them today; and in which the North and South Poles was literally habitable.

A particular Hyperborean legendary healer was known as "Abaris" or "Abaris the Healer" whom Herodotus first described in his works. Plato (Charmides, 158C) regarded Abaris as a physician from the far north...

Could Abaris the Healer have been of a migrating people from the “far north”… Thule? The ancient Greeks were very scientifically-minded, so couldn’t this “shaman”--who caused such a stir--seem a little out of place?

Above the Arctic Circle, from the spring equinox to the autumnal equinox (depending on latitude), the sun can shine for 24 hours a day...

There is a deep tie-in here with the “Golden Age” and Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s theory, but I will have to wait until Part 17 to reveal it.

Unaware of the explanation offered by modern science (i.e. that these insects had lived in times when the climate of northern Europe was much warmer, their bodies preserved unchanged in the amber) the Greeks came up with the idea that the coldness of northern countries was due to the cold breath of Boreas, the North Wind. So if one travelled "beyond Boreas" one would find a warm and sunny land.

This is clearly part of the Greek mythology of the “Golden Age.” However, these mythologies of that possible era are present in the mythologies of every ancient civilization. Again, I’m focusing mostly on the legend of Thule, but this “Golden Age” affected every person living on Earth at that time if it was real.

Northern Europeans (Scandinavians), when confronted with the classical Greco-Roman culture of the Mediterranean, identified themselves with the Hyperboreans, neglecting the traditional aspect of a perpetually sunny land beyond the north.

This was only a perception, but could it literally be tied to a real time and place? There is now mounting evidence that it may.

Hyperborean Indo-European hypothesis

John G. Bennett wrote a research paper entitled "The Hyperborean Origin of the Indo-European Culture" (Journal Systematics, Vol. 1, No. 3, December 1963) in which he claimed the Indo-European homeland was in the far north, which he considered the Hyperborea of classical antiquity. This idea was earlier proposed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak (whom Bennett credits) in his The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903) as well as the Austro-Hungarian ethnologist Karl Penka (Origins of the Aryans, 1883).

Now this is a big tie-in, and in hindsight part of the intellectual process of looking into something which seemingly is impossible. They weren’t, however, “Indo-Europeans.” They were the original Teutonic race. This intrinsically has nothing to do with the Nazis. In fact, the German sub-race--specifically--is less than half Teutonic.. and less so in the southern German lands. The larger part being primarily proto-European (“Alpine”).

According to these esoterists, Hyperborea was the Golden Age polar center of civilization and spirituality...

I doubt this part, as there is no strong evidence of it. That doesn’t mean that evidence of a great Thule civilization couldn’t be out there undiscovered. We can look into what may exist as far as ruins at a later point. What there is evidence of is the presence of Teutonic people in some of these lost lands like the Tarim Basin.

Robert Charroux first related the Hyperboreans to an ancient astronaut race of "reputedly very large, very white people" who had chosen "the least warm area on the earth because it corresponded more closely to their own climate on the planet from which they originated."

After Part 17, this may show to be theoretically possible, but wild theories can and do hurt the areas where facts can be established. In any case, this original Teutonic race would no longer exist in the exact form that they did. Even in the far north of the post-Golden Age Europe, or in modern times, I would guess that this certain stock would be at no more than 50%.

They may not have been as physically attractive as their Teutonic-Protoeuropean descendants later became. The very tall, square-headed, almost white-haired, very light blue-eyed, and pure white skinned people became shorter, rounder-headed, more ash or wheat blonde haired, more medium blue-eyed, and perhaps a bit tan to give one possible example.

Unlike other places where Teutonic people came and ruthlessly conquered, they were taken with these shorter, stocky, sexier, probably brown-eyed, perhaps dark brown haired European natives.. and merged with them. Only in what I would call the “final great migration,” a horde of more pure stock Teutons came and permanently placed their clear genetic and linguistic stamp on some places like Scandinavia and northern Germany.

The one other example of where they mixed their blood was in ancient Persia, which produced the Aryan culture and people (original Teutons & true Mediterraneans). To make this perfectly clear, this original Teutonic race didn't produce "The Golden Age"; the Golden Age may explain their origins. I use the term "Teutonic" for the original stock; as opposed to the modern "Germanic," which is a loose and somewhat undefined term. For example, the "Germanic Austrians" probably have only a minimally larger Teutonic element than say Venetians, Croatians, or Slovenes... yet the loud terms "GERMAN," "ITALIAN," or "SLAV" are thrown around recklessly by many. Language often defines a culture more than actual racial stock in the perceptions of most people.


Golden Age (Wikipedia)

The term Golden Age (Greek: Χρυσόν Γένος Chryson Genos) comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five (or more) Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, Heroic, and then the present (Iron), which is a period of decline. By extension "Golden Age" denotes a period of primordial peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. During this age peace and harmony prevailed, humans did not have to work to feed themselves, for the earth provided food in abundance. They lived to a very old age with a youthful appearance, eventually dying peacefully, with spirits living on as "guardians". Plato in Cratylus (397 e) recounts the golden race of humans who came first. He clarifies that Hesiod did not mean literally made of gold, but good and noble.

There are analogous concepts in the religious and philosophical traditions of the South Asian subcontinent. For example, the Vedic or ancient Hindu culture saw history as cyclical, composed of yugas with alternating Dark and Golden Ages. The Kali yuga (Iron Age), Dwapara (Bronze Age), Treta yuga (Silver Age) and Satya yuga (Golden Age) correspond to the four Greek ages. Similar beliefs occur in the ancient Middle East and throughout the ancient world, as well.

In classical Greek mythology the Golden Age was presided over by the leading Titan Cronus. In some version of the myth Astraea, also ruled. She lived with men until the end of the Silver Age, but in the Bronze Age, when men became violent and greedy, fled to the stars, where she appears as the constellation Virgo, holding the scales of Justice, or Libra.

European Pastoral literary and iconographic tradition often depicted nymphs and shepherds as living a life of rustic innocence and simplicity, untainted by the corruptions of civilization — a continuation of the Golden Age — set in an idealized Arcadia, a region of Greece that was the abode and center of worship of their tutelary deity, goat-footed Pan, who dwelt among them. This idealized and nostalgic vision of the simple life, however, was sometimes contested and even ridiculed, both in antiquity and later on.


Abaris the Hyperborean (Wikipedia)
Abaris the Hyperborean (Greek: Ἄβαρις Ὑπερβόρειος, Abaris Hyperboreios), son of Seuthes, was a legendary sage, healer, and priest of Apollo known to the Ancient Greeks. He was supposed to have learned his skills in his homeland of Hyperborea, near the Caucasus, which he fled during a plague. He was said to be endowed with the gift of prophecy, and by this as well as by his Scythian dress and simplicity and honesty he created great sensation in Greece, and was held in high esteem.

Gothicismus (Wikipedia)

Gothicismus, Gothism, or Gothicism (Swedish: Göticism) is the name given to what is considered to have been a cultural movement in Sweden, centered around the belief in the glory of the Swedish ancestors, originally considered to be the Geats, which were identified with the Goths. The founders of the movement were Nicolaus Ragvaldi and the brothers Johannes and Olaus Magnus. The belief continued to hold power in the 17th century, when Sweden was a great power following the Thirty Years' War, but lost most of its sway in the 18th. It was revitalized by national romanticism in the early 19th century, this time with the vikings as heroic figures.


**************************************************


By extension "Golden Age" denotes a period of primordial peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. During this age peace and harmony prevailed, humans did not have to work to feed themselves, for the earth provided food in abundance. 

This sounds a bit like someone's warm and fuzzy account of some long ago "place" in their imagination. However, this will make a lot more sense during Part 17.

He (Abaris) was supposed to have learned his skills in his homeland of Hyperborea, near the Caucasus...

Apparently Abaris was a real figure who caused a sensation in early Greek civilization. Since he dressed like a Scythian, there seems to be a Persian connection, which would tie-in well as far as his possible Teuton roots at that time. If it was about one-thousand BCE, then the Aryan connection would make sense here.


Gothicismus

There is a definite tie-in here, but this national/racial historical perception (likely partly true in this case) starts to lead us down some rabbit trails and into confusion. Suffice to say that there were some early Gothic legends of Thule.

.