The Gold of The Gods by Erich Von Daniken

Author:Erich Von Daniken [Daniken, Erich Von]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781618030054
Google: jfU1yQEACAAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 52904528
Published: 2002-08-19T07:26:20+00:00

the legendary Atlantis that vanished into the sea in 9000 B.C., according to Plato. Here the buildings on dry land exist on the spot where they were laid out ages ago and their continuations under water were planned layouts which were constructed at the same time. There are relics of wonderful buildings here, but there is no miracle.

What does tradition say about the mysterious ruins of Nan Madol?

K. Masao Hadley, Pensile Lawrence and Carole Jencks, research workers living on Ponape, have collected material without attempting to interpret it.

The main building is referred to as the “Temple of the Holy Dove” in the legend. Only three centuries ago, Nanusunsap, the Dove God and high priest, was rowed through the canals in a boat and opposite him sat a dove which he had to look in the eyes all the time. If the dove blinked-and doves do so constantly-the poor high priest had to blink back. A strange conceit.

However, the legends relate that originally the symbol of Nan Madol was not a dove, but a fire-breathing dragon. The stories about the origin of the island and the buildings are woven round this formerly indigenous dragon. The dragon’s mother had excavated the canals with her powerful muzzle and so created the islets. The dragon had a magician as helper and this dragon-magician knew a rhyme with which, thanks to the power of the charm, he could make the basalt blocks fly over from the neighboring island, and then, with the help of another rhyme, use them to make buildings without the inhabitants of Nan Madol lifting a finger.

I was amused by one interpretation of the dragon legend. The archaeologists say that the dragon was not really a dragon, but a crocodile that made its way to Nan Madol by mistake and created a considerable disturbance there. There are crocodiles in the South Seas about 3,000 miles from the island. A crocodile might have lost its way at some time- why not?-but that would still not be a reason for bringing a solitary saurian into the legend and leaving out the actual building of. the edifices at Nan Madol, which is far more impressive. One crocodile left traces behind in the popular legend, but buildings whose elements are still astonishing and inexplicable today are left unmentioned. The crocodile obviously did not build terraces, houses and tunnels. Or did it?

Naturally there are many more legends about Nan Madol than those of the dove and dragon. In the second volume of his Results of the South Sea Expedition, 1908-1910 (Berlin, 1936), the German ethnologist Paul Hambruch gives a detailed survey of the sagas, myths and legends of the Caroline Islands. The District Economic Development Office on Ponape sells tourists a brochure containing data about the history and legends for a dollar. If I have concentrated here on the dragon legend, I have a good reason for doing so. It is not because I have found a unique key witness for my theory of the gods.

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