C

Calendars

Around the World

• SIMILARITY OF WORLD CALENDARS

  Beyond the stargates of this planet and solar system lies a cosmic scheme of underlying order in which the earth's flow of history unfolds in patterns of time. Galactic travelers have long traversed the corridors of time and space, and periodically visited this solar system. The evidence of archaeological ruins are mute testimony to the presence of intelligent builders in now ancient history. The evidence is clear. Someone with advanced knowledge of astronomy has visited peoples of this planet and left calendars as a signature note. This is discovered in correspondences of world calendars: Mayan, Tibetan, African, Vedic, and Hebraic. Similar calendar schemes are found in each of these cultures.

  The European calendar mandated by Pope Gregory in 1583 is the only world calendar that did not intercalate at least two celestial cycles. The Hebraic calendar acquired by Enoch after he was translated in a beam of light intercalated solar and lunar cycles in a fashion similar to the Maya. The Dogon in Africa were given four calendars by visitors from Sirius B: Solar, lunar, Venusian, and civil. The Tibetan calendar is so similar to the Mayan that traditional scholars now speculate that they share a common origin. The Vedic calendar is based on cosmic cycles, or Yugas. An ancient Hindu astrology used 27 houses of 13 degrees 20 minutes, which are key numbers in the Mayan calendar.

  These calendars provided a time management tool that synchronized planetary cycles with visits from the stars. The Dogon calendar identified the 12 or 13th Century as the date of last visit; the Mayan calendar identified July 11, 1991, as an upcoming date of visit. Both of these dates coincided with significant planetary cycles.

  The cultures visited by the Galactic Maya were shamanic. Ancient Hebraic instructions for building altars and using precious and semiprecious stones are identical to those used by Native Americans. The ancient Tibetans were shamanic. The Dogon and Maya are shamanic. The Galactic Maya were shamanic.

  Ancient Hebraic instructions for building altars and using precious and semiprecious stones are identical to those used by Native Americans. The ancient Tibetans were shamanic. The Galactic Maya were shamans of planetary sciences, Cosmic Shamans who understood and utilized the cosmic flow of events. Their secrets were left with shaman in cultures who held the keys of their sciences. Until now the shaman's craft has appeared as superstition that scattered before the power of European-based science. But that same science has now brought planet to her knees in destruction of the biosphere.

Catastrophes

Oral traditions: Survivors will have told their stories to their children, and formed the basis of their legends. Unable to understand some of the stories, without knowing about earlier catastrophes, legends will have become myths.
Rock art: In pre-history, mankind recorded catastrophic events in drawings.
Religion: Mankind's experiences of successive catastrophes, may have appeared to have been caused by heavenly gods wielding thunderbolts, fire and brimstone.
Linguistics: As language developed, it was influenced by memories of catastrophes. e.g. the word "disaster" coming from "evil star", echoing fears of catastrophe of cosmic origin.

Catastrophes

In many cases, the people telling stories of overwhelming catastrophe held a sophisticated grasp on the physical world.  Their monumental cultures reveal extraordinary skills in engineering, mathematics, art, and social organization.  What was the source of their deep anxiety, when they gazed up at the sky or meticulously observed and recorded the motions of planets?

Today, we call these strange stories of celestial drama "mythology," but experts can't agree on what the myths mean. Some say they are symbols that represent purely psychological dynamics, while others claim that they reflect our early experience of the physical world.

Catastrophes

• Research continues into planetary catastrophism which calls for large-scale disruptions of the solar system involving massive planetary orbital displacements during the Holocene. Exponents of this viewpoint in the twentieth century include Immanual Velikovsky and a host of his followers, Zecharia Sitchin, and Hanns Hörbiger. I do not agree that the physical, historical, or mythological evidence requires or supports such disruptions. I do agree that there is increasing evidence that astronomical catastrophes have played a much larger part in the history of our planet and of humanity than has been credited in the past. In particular, I believe that the ideas of the British neo-catastrophists have merit. They posit that cosmic accretion events caused by the breakup of giant comets in the inner solar system have affected the Earth's climate and environent even over short time periods of a few thousand years.
• The following web pages discuss a number of alternative catastrophist viewpoints. While I believe most of these ideas are wrong, they challenge us to think more clearly about the assumptions which underlie more orthodox theories. Some of these minority viewpoints might be more readily integrated into the mainstream (the Tollmanns, Van Flandern). You may also be interested in criticisms of some of these positions.

LINKS TO:

* Alan Alford
* Alexander and Edith Tollmann
* Donald W. Patten
* Hanns Hörbiger
* Ignatius Donnelly
* Immanuel Velikovsky and Saturnism
* Paul Laviolette
* Richard Petersen
* Tom Van Flandern
* Zecharia Sitchin
* Other unorthodox catastrophism

Holocene |ˈhäləˌsēn; ˈhōlə-|
adjective Geology
of, relating to, or denoting the present epoch, which is the second epoch in the Quaternary period and followed the Pleistocene. Also called Recent .
• [as n. ] ( the Holocene) the Holocene epoch or the system of deposits laid down during this time.
The Holocene epoch has lasted from about 10,000 years ago to the present day. It covers the period since the ice retreated after the last glaciation and is sometimes regarded as just another interglacial period.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: coined in French from holo- [whole] + Greek kainos ‘new.’

Creation Myths

• Common Elements in Creation Myths, by Lindsey Murtagh It is in the nature of humans to wonder about the unknown and search for answers. At the foundation of nearly every culture is a creation myth that explains how the wonders of the earth came to be. These myths have an immense influence on people's frame of reference. They influence the way people think about the world and their place in relation to their surroundings. Despite being separated by numerous geographical barriers many cultures have developed creation myths with the same basic elements.
• Many creation myths begin with the theme of birth. This may be because birth represent new life and the beginning of life on earth may have been imagined as being similar to the beginning of a child's life. This is closely related to the idea of a mother and father existing in the creation of the world. The mother and father are not always the figures which create life on earth. Sometimes the creation doesn't occur until generations after the first god came into being.
• A supreme being appears in almost every myth. He or she is what triggers the train of events that create the world. Sometimes there are two beings, a passive and active creator.
• Not all cultures imagine life starting on earth . Some believe that it originated either above or below where we live now. Still other myths claim the earth was once covered with water and the earth was brought to the surface. These are called diver-myths.
• According to some cultures humans and animals once lived together peacefully. However because of a sin caused by the humans they are split up. This sin is often brought on by darkness and is represented as fire. Other times the innocence of humans is taken away by a god.
• We continue to wonder. Even now, as the 21st century approaches we continue to make theories on how earth was created. They are our new creation myths. We base our ideas on scientific evidence. However the creation myths were based on what people saw - their observations.
• To reach any page on this document click on the link you want from the list below.
• # Birth
• # Mother-Father
• # Geneology
• # Supreme Beings
• # An Active and a Passive Creator
• # Creation from Above or Below
• # Diver-Myths
• # The Relationship of Animals and Humans
• # An Instruction, a Sin and the Consequence
• # Night, Fear, Fire and Sin
• # Gods Creating Suffering
• # Iroquois Creation Myth
• # Australian Aborigine Creation Myth
• # African Bushmen Creation Myth
• # Hebrew/Christian Creation Myth
• # Greek Creation Myth
• # Japanese Creation Myth
• # Bibliography
• # Other Interesting Sites

Creation Stories

• Here are a large group of links to Creation Myths from a variety of cultures from around the world...
• Babylonian Creation Myth
• African Creation Myth - Olori
• Comparison of 4 African Creation Myths
• Korean & Japanese Creation Myth comparisons
• Navajo Creation Myth
• Norse Creation Myth
• Creation Myth from India
• Japanese Creation Myth
• Comanche Creation Myth
• Chinese Creation Myth
• Chelan Creation Myth
• Pima Creation Myth
• Mayan Creation Myth
• Miwok Creation Myth
• Scandinavian (Norse) Creation Myths
• Salish Creation Myth
• Australian Aboriginal Creation Myth
• Hopi Creation Myth
• Tahitian Creation Myth
• Yokut Creation Myth
• Comanche Creation Myth
• Egyptian Creation Myths
• African - Mande, Yoruba Creation Myths
• Several different short Creation Stories
• Micmac Creation Myth
• Lakota Creation Myth
• Several Creation Stories: India, Romania, Mongol, etc..
• Chinese Creation / Flood Myth
• Assyrian / Babylonian Creation Myth
• Maori Creation Myth
• Christian & Jewish Creation Myth (Genesis)
• Aztec Creation Myth
• Digueno Creation Myth
• Apache Creation Myth
• African Creation Myths
• Dakota Creation Myth
• Hungarian Creation Myth
• Iroquois Creation Myth
• Inuit Creation Myth
• Huron Creation Myth
• Hawaiian Creation Myth

Creation Stories

Native American

• Gabrielinos Origin Tale
  

  I know not if the voice of man can reach to the sky;

  I know not if the mighty one will hear as I pray;

  I know not if the gifts I ask will all granted be;

  I know not if the world of old we truly can hear;

  I know not what will come to pass in our future days;

  I hope that only good will come, my children, to you.

  Creation/Migration Stories
  * Anishnabe Migration Story

  * Apache Creation Story

  * Aztec Creation Story

  * California Creation Story (Yokut)

  * Commanche Creation Story

  * Coyote and Multnomah Falls (Wasco)

  * Creation of the First Indians (Chelan)

  * Creation of the [Maya] World - Version 1

  * Creation of the [Maya] World - Version 2

  * Creation of the Red and White Races (Flathead/Salish)

  * Diguenos Creation Story

  * Grandmother's Creation Story (Creek)

  * Great Flood (Salish)

  * Great Serpent and the Great Flood (Chippewa)

  * How the Hopi Indians Reached Their World (Hopi)

  * In the Beginning

  * In the Beginning (Yuchi)

  * MicMac Creation Story

  * Origin of Earth (Tuskegee)

  * Tlingit Creation Story (Raven)

  * When the Animals and Birds Were Created (Makah)

  Origin Stories
  * Ancient One

  * Blessed Gift of Joy is Bestowed Upon Man

  * Coyote and Multnomah Falls (Wasco)

  * First Fire (Cherokee)

  * First Moccasins (Plains Nations)

  * Flood on Superstition Mountain (Pima)

  * Godasiyo the Woman Chief (Seneca)

  * How Corn Came to the Earth

  * How the Great Chiefs Made the Moon and the Sun (Hopi)

  * How the Old Man Made People

  * How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People (Creek)

  * Men Visit the Sky (Seminole)

  * Morning Star (Plains Indians)

  * Origin of Fire (Jicarilla-Apache)

  * Origin of Game and of Corn (Cherokee)

  * Origin of Medicine (Cherokee)

  * Origin of Summer and Winter (Acoma/Laguna)

  * Origin of the Animals (Jicarilla-Apache)

  * Origin of the Buffalo (Cheyenne)

  * Origin of the Clans (Hopi)

  * Origin of the Iroquois Nations (Iroquois)

  * Origin of the Lakota Peace Pipe (Lakota)

  * Origin of the Medicine Man (Passamaquoddy)

  * Origin of the Sweat Lodge (Blackfeet/Piegan)

  * Origin of the Thunderbird (Passamaquoddy)

  * Origin of the Winds (Aleuts)

  * Origin of Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La (Yosemite)

  * Origin of Yosemite (Yosemite)

  * Rainbow's End (Dine/Navajo)

  * Seek Your Father (Seneca)

  * Spider Rock (Dine/Navajo)

  * Strange Origin of Corn (Abnaki)

  * Warm Wind Brothers vs. The Cold Wind Brothers

  * Why the North Star Stands Still (Paiute)

  * Why the Opussum's Tail Is Bare (Cherokee)

  * Yellowstone Valley and the Great Flood (Cheyenne)

  Other Legend Stories

  * Gaelic Myths/Legends

Creation Stories

Native American

• The Native Americans comprise almost an infinity of cultures in both North and South America, as well as the islands of the Caribbean. There are several language families, a multitude of religions, social systems, histories, and mythologies spread across the native peoples of the Americas. We, of course, cannot do justice to these cultures nor even cover them in the most superficial way. Rather, we are going to focus on two rather short stories from two widely dispersed cultures, the Iroquois of the eastern United States and the Quiché of Guatemala.
• The Iroquois were actually not a people, but a federation of six Native American nations: the Cayuga, Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, and Tuscarora. In terms of power, they were perhaps the most formidable Native American group in North America, and the most represented in the imaginative works of the European settlers, controlling at their zenith a territory covering Massachusetts to Ohio and Quebec and Ontoario to Kentucky. They are famous in the "captivity" literature, stories about the kidnapping of European settlers, of the early settlers and make their most forceful entrance into American history by siding with the French in the French and Indian Wars. These nations, like most Native American nations on the east coast, were largely exterminated by this century. Their stories, however, lingered in traditions passed along by a very small group of people; the creation story here narrated was recorded early in this century.
• As you read this creation story, what you want to put together is some kind of world view. At this point in the course, I hope you understand that creation stories contain a wealth of material about a particular culture's world view. Why is the world created? What inspires this creation? What is the role of animals in this creation? What is the role of Ata-en-sic, the Sky Goddess? What does she bring? What is the nature of her two sons, the Do-ya-da-no? What ethical principles might be derived from the drama of the Do-ya-da-no?
• The second creation story comes from a text known as the Alphabetic Popol Vuh. This text is written in Quiché and is about all that remains of the magnificent and (originally) voluminous literature written by the Mayans. Although you are taught that the "Classical" period of Mayan culture took place between 300 and 900 B.C., Mayan culture did not die out when the major cities were abandoned. In fact, the Mayans did not necessarily give up urban living. They certainly did not give up many aspects of their religion, their science, their mathematics, their astronomy, their astrology, their mythology, or their writing. Also, Mayan culture spread across Guatemala and southern Mexico, so that several different nations could be considered "Mayan," including the Quiché of western Guatemala. When the Spaniards discovered them living across Guatemala, they quickly and efficiently conquered them; they were joined by Catholic missionaries who were of two minds regarding the indigenous culture and literature. On the one hand, these priests were intensely curious about the language and literature, attempting to learn how to read Mayan hieroglyphics. On the other hand, they saw the Mayan religion not only as pagan but as brutal and primitive, so they felt they needed to erase all traces of Mayan culture, writings, and religion. As a result of the latter impulse, nearly all the texts of the Mayans were destroyed, numbering into thousands of texts that are now eternally lost.
• But one text, according to tradition, survived the holocaust, the most significant text of Mayan culture, the Popol Vuh , "The Council Book," which tells of the creation of the world and the special, select status of the Quiché Mayans. This text was hidden away and eventually transcribed from hieroglyphics into the Roman alphabet, though the text remains in Quiché. According to tradition, the hieroglyphic Popol Vuh still exists, secreted away in caves below the earth, secure from destruction. The alphabetic Popol Vuh , however, surfaced in the eighteenth century, and first Spanish and the German translators eagerly began work on it. It is important to realize that the creation story here and the religion it's associated with is still part of the belief structure of the contemporary Quiché, even though they are, technically, Christians; this is a book that represents a tradition that probably reaches as far back as 300 A.D. or even before, yet still has a living presence among indigenous Quiché.
• Most of the Popol Vuh consists of astronomical and prophetical calculations, which the Mayans did in great profusion. Explaining these calculations is the story of how the universe came to be created, the failed creations of humanity, the conquest of death, the successful creation of humanity, the weakening of the powers of humanity, the dispersal of humanity, and the special election of the Quiché from among the diverse peoples of the world. Your selection narrates the story of the conquest of Death and the Lords of Death. Before this conquest, the gods try four times to create humans and fail each time, so they destroy their creations. During these difficult first creations, two divine brothers, One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu 1 are playing a ball-game and attract the attention of Death and his Lords, the so-called Lords of Xibalba, 2 the underworld. These are their names: The two Lords of Death are One Death and Seven Death. 3 Underneath them are the Lords of Xibalba, each with their separate dominion: House Corner and Blood Gatherer, who draw blood from people; Pus Master and Jaundice Master, who cause people to swell, make pus come out of their legs, turn their faces yellow, and cause jaundice; Bone Scepter and Skull Scepter, who reduce people to bones and emaciate them to death; Trash Master and Stab Master, who catch people who have trash on their door and puncture them until they die; Wing 4 and Packstrap, who cause people to die suddenly on the road; next comes Bloody Teeth and Bloody Claws. 5 These Lords of Xibalba have been given dominion over everything. [etc.]

Creation Myths

Greek/Roman

• The Creation of the Earth and the Great Flood according to Greek and Roman Mythology abstracted from The Metamorphoses of Ovid by D. L. Ashliman ©2002 Before there was earth or sea or heaven, there existed only chaos: shapeless, unorganized, lifeless matter. There was no sun, no moon, and no air. Elements existed, but they had neither form nor character. The earth was without firmness, the water without fluidity, and the sky without light. There was opposition in all things: hot conflicted with cold, wet with dry, heavy with light, and hard with soft. Finally a god, a natural higher force, resolved this conflict, separating earth from heaven, parting the dry land from the waters, and dividing the clear air from the clouds, thus organizing all things into a balanced union. In the highest sphere he made a heavenly vault of weightless and untainted ether. The next lower region he filled with air, light but not without substance. Then came the heavy earth, which sank down under its own weight and was encircled by the sea. Thus did the god, whichever god it was, set order to the chaotic mass by separating it into its components, then organizing them into a harmonious whole. Then the god shaped the earth into a great ball and caused the seas to spread in one direction and the other. He created springs, pools, and lakes, then formed rivers, causing them to flow toward the seas. He flattened out the plains, caused valleys to sink down, and pushed up mountains from the level places. The earth he organized into five zones, the same number that exist in heaven, which is divided into two regions on the right, two on the left, and one in the center. On earth the middle zone is too hot for habitation and the two outer zones are too cold, but between these extremes the god created two temperate zones where heat and cold are balanced. Beneath the ether and above the earth hangs the air, where the god formed mist and clouds, placing thunderbolts within the clouds. To each of the four winds he assigned limits and purpose. He caused the stars, which heretofore had been veiled in darkness, to shine forth across the sky. The waters he filled with fishes, the earth with wild animals, and the air with birds. But none of these creatures approached the gods in intelligence; none could rightly be called master over all the others. Then man was born. Either the god who had created this better earth made man from divine seed, or Prometheus, molded an image of the gods from a clump of earth that had been newly separated from the ether and thus still retained some divine qualities. Whoever created man, this new being was made to stand erect with his eyes directed toward heaven and the stars, unlike other animals who hang their heads and gaze toward the ground. The first age of man was a golden age, during which men did what was right without laws and without the threat of punishment. No one strayed far from home. Everyone lived at peace with his neighbors, and the earth itself gave up its fruits without cultivation or labor. Berries, fruits, grains, and flowers abounded although the land remained untilled. Rivers flowed with milk and nectar, and honey dripped from the trees. Springtime was the only season. When Saturn lost his rule to Jove this golden age on earth gave way to a silver age. Jove, the sky god, shortened springtime and added the seasons of summer, fall, and winter. The earth now yielded its bounty of grain only from plowed fields, made fruitful by the labor of man and beast. Then came an age of bronze. Just as bronze is harder than silver, men were now more disposed toward warfare than heretofore. Finally came an age of iron, a metal baser and harder than gold, silver, or bronze. Now the natural virtues of man gave way to baser, harsher qualities. Modesty, truth, and loyalty were replaced by treachery, deceit, and greed. Sailors now traversed the seas seeking new lands and power. Men sought wealth in foreign places and from beneath the earth, wealth that in turn became the cause of much wickedness and suffering. Friend betrayed friend, and relative turned against relative. The conflict on earth threatened even heaven. Legends tell how at that time giants attempted an attack on the realm of the gods by piling mountains together to reach the sky. Jove defended his heavenly kingdom with a mighty thunderbolt, which destroyed the tower of mountains, crushing the giants beneath it as it fell. Torrents of blood flowed forth from their bodies, drenching the earth. It is said that from this blood-soaked earth was born a new breed of men, who like their giant forebears had no respect for the gods. Looking down from his kingdom in the sky, Jove saw that mankind was now hopelessly violent and cruel. He called together his council, and they came to him forthwith, traveling that famous bright path across heaven's vault, the Milky Way. Jove angrily demanded that the utterly corrupt human race be destroyed, promising that afterward he himself would supervise the creation of a new stock of men. The gods sadly agreed that only this extreme act would solve the threat of mankind's wickedness. Jove was about to strike the earth with a barrage of thunderbolts when he realized that the conflagration caused by such an attack might threaten heaven itself, so he resolved to destroy the earth's inhabitants by water instead of by fiery lightning. To this end he fettered the North Wind, then charged the South Wind to bring forth endless rains. Jove's brother Neptune, god of the seas, caused the tides and the waves to rise upon the land and the rivers to overflow their banks. Man and beast alike fell prey to the ever-rising flood. Orchards and planted fields were washed away. Houses and other buildings were either demolished by the crashing waves or submerged beneath a sea that had no shores. Not even the temples and sacred images were spared. The birds themselves, their wings finally tiring from continuous flight, in the end were forced to surrender to watery graves. In the end only one place on earth remained above water: the twin summits of Mount Parnassus. It was here that the small boat carrying Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha ran aground. They alone had survived the great deluge. When Jove saw that only one man and one woman were still alive on earth, and that this husband and this wife were virtuous people, both true worshippers, he released the North Wind and caused it to dissipate the storms and clouds. Then Neptune called upon Triton to recall the tides and waves with a signal from his conch-shell trumpet. The earth was now restored, but lifeless, desolate, and empty. Deucalion and Pyrrha, seeing that they were the only living beings left on earth, sought guidance by going together to the Waters of Cephissus, which were again flowing in their usual channel. They sprinkled themselves with this holy water, then entered the temple and asked for assistance. The answer came through an oracle that they should leave the temple and scatter behind them their mothers' bones. Deucalion could not believe his ears, and Pyrrha stated aloud that she would never dishonor her mother's spirit by thus disturbing her bones. Deucalion, however, thought that the words of the oracle were not to be taken literally, that the mother mentioned was not a human mother, but rather mother earth, and that the bones to be scattered were stones from the earth's body. Deciding to put this interpretation to the test, Deucalion and Pyrrha scattered behind them stones from the earth. No one would believe what happened afterward, if it were not for the testimony of ancient legends. The stones, once thrown to the ground, lost their hardness and assumed human forms. Those scattered by Deucalion became male, and those scattered by Pyrrha became female. And thus the earth was repopulated. Then through the natural process of warmth and moisture and earth reacting with one another the lower animals were reborn as well. Yes, fire and water are opposites, but moist heat is the source of all living things. Creation comes about through the resolution of opposing forces. * Source: Abstracted from The Metamorphoses of Ovid, translated by Mary M. Innes (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1955), book 1. 1955 by Mary M. Innes. * Publius Ovidus Nasa (43 BC - 17 AD), commonly known as Ovid, wrote The Metamorphoses between the years 2 and 8 AD. This work, comprising 15 chapters (called books) written in hexameter lines, tells of the many transformations depicted in Greek and Roman mythology. * Jove, the principal god meantioned in the above myth, is another name for Jupiter, the supreme god in Roman mythology. The name Jupiter is a title designating "Heavenly Father." Jupiter is normally associated with Zeus in Greek mythology. * Saturn, a Roman god of fertility and agriculture, is associated with Cronus in Greek mythology. Saturn was overthrown by his sons Jove (Jupiter), Neptune, and Pluto, marking an end to the golden age. At this transition Jove assumed rule over heaven and earth, Neptune over the seas, and Pluto over the underworld. * Prometheus, according to Ovid, was possibly the creator of man. (Ovid apparently had conflicting sources on this detail.) Prometheus was the son of a Titan (ancient gods of nature) and an Oceanid (a family of water dieties). Prometheus' most famous act was to steal fire from heaven for the intended benefit of man. The outraged Zeus punished Prometheus by having him nailed to a cliff in the Caucasus Mountains. Each day an eagle attacked him and ate out his liver, which grew back every night, allowing the punishment to continue forever. * Deucalion and Pyrrha, the sole survivors of the great flood, were not only husband and wife, but also half brother and half sister, both being the offspring of Prometheus by different mothers. Return to D. L. Ashliman's folktexts, a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. Revised Saint Patrick's Day, 2002.

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