The Gods of Eden
The first dates back to 18,617,837 B.C.; the last to 607 B.C.: we are talking about the landings of extraterrestrial peoples who would have helped the evolution of our civilization, if not, indeed, "created" humans through daring biogenetic operations. Among the various pseudo-cults related to UFOs, the so-called Extraterrestrial Hypothesis is undoubtedly the most popular. At the origin of human civilization would be a visit - indeed, several visits, as you will read in this same entry - from an alien people, just as various mythologies speak of "Gods who came from the Sky". The space visitors would have provided Earthlings with the knowledge necessary to begin their long journey towards civilization; then, having completed their mission, they would have returned to their world lost in the Galaxy.
It is not easy to trace back to an "official" inventor of the extraterrestrial hypothesis: for years, in fact, it has been relegated to extremely specialized journals among ufologists or other clubs interested in mysterious things. Among the most popular writers who have dealt with it, we remember the Frenchmen Robert Charroux and Pauwels & Bergier, the Italian Peter Kolosimo, and above all the German Erich Von Däniken, whose books have become bestsellers in 26 languages."
An hypothesis worth billions
Millions and millions of copies sold, billions in royalties, a fraud lawsuit, a veritable army of followers, dozens of imitators worldwide: this is what made Erich von Däniken a series of books that began in 1967 with "Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" (literally "Memories from the Future"; translated in Italy as "Extraterrestrials Will Return".
The skilled German writer has managed to develop the extraterrestrial hypothesis in an extremely popular and readable form, even though the evidence presented in his favor is very scarce.
Von Däniken (like his imitators) merely shows photos of ancient figurines and jewelry; if the head of the figurine is round, according to him, it undoubtedly represents an astronaut's helmet; if the character wears a headdress with horns (as in many ancient depictions), these are radio antennas, and so on.
Often, the writer cites travels he has never undertaken, invents testimonies, speaks of places that do not actually exist; thus, paradoxically, his work has provided new ammunition to the detractors of a hypothesis that, after all, could hide a kernel of truth.
Westward and eastward
Von Däniken and his successors propose an extraterrestrial solution to many of the mysteries described in this very volume: the giant drawings visible only from the sky that stretch for kilometers on the Nazca plateau were part of a spaceport; large constructions like Stonehenge, the pyramids, Tiahuanaco were built with the aid of alien technologies; the engraving on the sarcophagus of the temple of Palenque, the Dogu figurines, and certain graffiti in Australia and the Sahara depict astronauts in flight suits; the Piri Re'is map was drawn aboard a spacecraft; the explosions that destroyed Mohenjo-Daro and Tunguska were caused by extraterrestrial weapons.
Even in the current Confederation of Independent States, the extraterrestrial hypothesis is surprisingly widespread. Authors like Alexandr Kazantsev have compiled in various volumes the "evidence" of remote visits by "Gods from space" in what was once the Soviet Union. The Eskimos living in the far north of the Community of Independent States are said to actually come from fertile tropical regions, and were transported to the Arctic (out of sheer malice?) by "large metallic birds" from the stars.
Other peoples living within the Arctic Circle, such as the Yukaghirs settled between the rivers Yana and Kolyma, are said to descend from extraterrestrial progenitors who arrived in an amorphous form and were later magically transformed into human beings. "Proof" of extraterrestrial passage in Eastern countries is constituted by the graffiti, which represent - as usual - details of spacesuits or spacecraft. Near the village of Fergana, on the Shiahimardan River, an engraving depicts a being with a stylized "helmet". In Sarmys, Uzbekistan, a graffiti dating back at least 3000 years depicts a "missile" surrounded by men wearing what looks like respirators on their faces. In the monastery of Visoki Decani, Albania, frescoes on the walls depict characters aboard very noisy spacecraft: the background characters in the fresco, in fact, cover their ears with their hands.
In the Moscow Museum of Paleontology, there is a bison skull found in Yakutia with a perfectly round hole in the center of its forehead. According to Alexandr Kazantsev, this was caused by "some kind of bullet"; and since the partially reformed bone around the hole indicates that the animal survived, this means it was shot while still alive thousands of years ago. But who could have had a firearm at that time? Perhaps the spirits who, according to the region's inhabitants, "descended from the sky with their shining chariots" to take the souls of the dead?
Extraterrestrials in the Bible
The Bible has provided proponents of the extraterrestrial hypothesis with a vast array of "evidence": some attribute to alien intervention the episode in which Joshua stopped the Sun or the one where he brought down the walls of Jericho with a trumpet; some believe that the Ark of the Covenant is an alien artifact; others suggest that angels are pilots of spaceships. In short, all the extraordinary events of the Old Testament, acceptable only through faith in God (the following is a very short list), have been reinterpreted with the help of another faith: that in the existence of aliens particularly interested in the fate of our ancestors.
The advent of the Elohim.
The plural form of God's name (in Genesis, He is called both Elohim, meaning gods, and Yahweh in the singular) is justified by the fact that the Elohim were a group of extraterrestrials who created man through elaborate biogenetic operations.
Ezekiel's flying saucer.
Ezekiel's vision of the "Wheel within a wheel" was not an angel, but rather a flying saucer complete with wheel-shaped thrusters.
Atomic blasts at Sodom.
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was caused by an atomic explosion triggered by extraterrestrials. The proof is that Lot's wife, turning to observe the glow, was transformed into a pillar of salt, or calcified by the heat.
The parting of the Red Sea.
Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea with the help of friendly extraterrestrial forces. The manna with which the fleeing Jews were nourished was nothing more than a deposit (evidently edible) left from the combustion of the engines of alien spacecraft.
The Earth, cosmic terminus
Examining the volumes dedicated to the extraterrestrial hypothesis, it's even possible to trace a chronicle of the main landings of aliens on Earth. Authors or "schools of thought" are cited in parentheses.
18,617,837 B.C.: A group of aliens called Kumaras from Venus land on an island in the current Gobi Desert, then an ocean (Brahminic Traditions).
5 million B.C.: Again, the Venusians land near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, where they found the fortress of Tiahuanaco. They are led by a tapir-like woman, known as Orejona (Peter Kolosimo).
443,000 B.C.: The Nephilim, originating from the planet Marduk, land in Mesopotamia and give rise to Sumerian civilization (Zecharia Sitchin).
Around 400,000 B.C.: Amphibious extraterrestrials spread the culture of Oannes, the Fish God, among the Sumerians, Philistines, and Dogon.
38,000 B.C.: Following a space war, a group of extraterrestrials settle on Earth, constructing immense underground tunnels to evade their pursuers (Von Däniken).
12,000 B.C.: Extraterrestrials land in the Amazon, where they found the lost civilization of Akakor (Karl Brugger).
Between 8000 and 500 B.C.: A new wave of extraterrestrials land in various parts of Earth, contributing to the founding of so-called "mysterious" civilizations (Mayans, Incas, Egyptians, Basques, Etruscans) (Von Däniken).
From the planet Hub, evil beings arrive on Earth who later become legends as Lucifer and the fallen angels. They still survive today, and their presence is blamed for the troubles plaguing the world (Group of "Sons of Jared").
3097 B.C.: Once again, Venusians, forced to abandon their planet due to a cosmic catastrophe, land on Earth. The catastrophe causes the famous universal flood (Signorini).
1927 B.C.: Following celestial wars fought on our planet, the advanced civilization of Mohenjo Daro (Pakistan) is wiped out from the face of Earth by an atomic explosion (Davenport).
1246 B.C.: Destroyed by its own weapons, the planet Maldek breaks apart. Earth is showered with flaming fragments and unknown viruses, causing the legendary plagues of Egypt (Raymond Drake).
607 B.C.: Travelers from another dimension arrive to "reset the Earth's orbit and the solar system" (?) and found the Mayan civilization (José Argüelles).
March 28, 1950 A.D.: A patrol of Ummites arrives on Earth, describing the technological marvels of their planet in letters to numerous correspondents around the globe. (Note: The "Ummites" case is universally considered false today!)
Contemplative Life
We conclude with two observations
- First: The same locations, objects, and events mentioned above are used as "evidence" of the truthfulness of their claims by proponents of other unorthodox theories apart from the extraterrestrial hypothesis: some attribute them to the inhabitants of Atlantis, others - with equal certainty - to angels, and some to magic. In short, it is certain only that debates about their origins will continue for many years.
- Second: All peoples in whose countries extraterrestrials allegedly landed, imparting their "superior wisdom" (in South America, Africa), were conquered and destroyed by more technologically advanced civilizations (such as the Spanish, concerning South American peoples). It would seem, therefore, that extraterrestrials spread not only technical knowledge but also a particularly contemplative philosophy of life.
