Alien Space Gods Of Ancient Greece and Rome (43 page)

While Abraham was debating with the 'Lord’ the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and those genial Celestials were honouring Prince Rama in Old India, more immigrants from the West invaded Denmark and Sweden. Central American traditions state that long ago the Quetzals with milk-white skins, blue eyes and light flaxen hair, sailed to a country in the East, to North-West Europe and became Norwegians. These Megalithic peoples built dolmens for their dead, collective graves with ornaments and jewelry for the after-life following the same lofty religion as the builders of those cyclopean Stone Age temples in
Britain
and
France
. Amber found in
Denmark
became greatly prized and was exported overland to the Mediterranean bringing culture and commerce from the sophisticated South. 

The Danes were of Swedish origin, they claimed that
Denmark
was called after the hero, Dan, son of Yper, King of Uppsalir in
Sweden
, who conquered
Zeeland
then
Jutland
. It is intriguing to speculate whether Dan really referred to the Danai, in ancient times they migrated from the North-West southwards to
Mycenae
, Homer mentions them as the Greeks besieging
Troy
; by coincidence
Denmark
and
Greece
are linked by their Royal Families today. Migrations across
Europe
fostered trade and the spread of ideas promoting a culture of impressive grandeur; beakers buried in Danish tombs resembled pottery from
Scotland
and
Portugal
, metal pins and pendants originated from the
Danube
brought over well-known trade routes.

About 1800 BC while Britons were building
Stonehenge
warriors wielding the double-headed axe of Minoan Crete overran
Jutland
, many Megalithic farmers fled to
Norway
and
Sweden
. During the Second Millennium BC
Scandinavia
basked in the Bronze Age culture of
Knossos
and
Mycenae
, that tremendous, restless civilisation dominating most of the known world. The golden treasures found in graves gleam with artistry and craftsmanship proving centuries-old skill, such costly votive offerings denoted a highly-organised society led by wealthy Princes and influenced by a powerful priesthood who taught resurrection and rebirth with devotion to the Sky Gods, those Wondrous Beings from Space surveilling the Earth. In our own cynical century we hesitate to leave a milk-bottle on our doorstep, four thousand years ago, the bereaved reverently interred their dead with diadems and jewels for the life to come, profound religious beliefs prevented sacrilege; today would any millionaire risk burying a gold brick. Our growing knowledge of the Bronze Age increases our respect for the profundity of those ancient peoples, heirs to a wisdom rivaling our own. Some scholars identify Plato's Atlantis with
Sweden
contemporary with
Knossos
, its destruction is said to have been caused by the cataclysm which ravaged the West.

A classic description which may apply to Bronze Age Scandinavia has been given by Homer, who was probably inspired by tales of
Mycenae
. After the Fall of Troy about 1200 BC Ulysses was destined to wander for ten years before the Gods permitted him to return to his faithful wife, Penelope, on
Ithaca
. Scholars generally place the wondrous adventures narrated in the 'Odyssey', as occurring in the
Mediterranean
, modern researches transfer the itinerary to the West European coast, construing details from Homer as corresponding to landmarks familiar today.

This fascinating theory casts serious doubts on Ulysses’ navigation, instead of sailing the few hundred miles from Troy near the Dardanelles to that small island of Ithaca off Western Greece, the hero is alleged to have been driven by a fierce storm along most of the Mediterranean through the Pillars of Hercules south to the Land of the Lotus-Eaters, the Canary Isles. Ulysses’ crew longed to tarry on those sun-swept beaches now lyricised by our travel agents; he urged them northwards to the shores of the savage Laestrygonians, ancient
Lisbon
. Escaping from the cannibals the Greeks crossed the
Bay of Biscay
to Aeaea, now Belle Isle, island of the sorceress, Circe, who turned his companions into swine.

Months later Ulysses landed on Oygia, possibly
Guernsey
, where he languished in the toils of the nymph, Calypso, for seven seductive years; finally, he tore himself from her charms. Keeping the Great Bear on his left the hero sailed up the
North Sea
until he was shipwrecked and cast ashore in the
kingdom
of
Phaeacia
, identified with modern
Oslo
. Naked and exhausted Ulysses was found by the young Princess Nausicaa who brought him rich attire and conducted him to her father, Alcinous. The tender sympathy between the old warrior and the unsophisticated Princess shines as one of the most exquisite episodes in classical literature; the dignity and courtesy displayed by the King and his Court to the castaway betoken a genial, noble society reminiscent of those Princes in contemporary
India
.

Homer in bejeweled verse tells how the Goddess Athene appeared before Ulysses in the form of a fair maiden, she rendered the hero invisible and conducted him to the
palace
of
Alcinous
. Unseen by the populace Ulysses wandered among the cyclopean buildings characteristic of those Megalithic peoples, he who knew golden
Mycenae
and those topless towers of
Ilium
marvelled at the wonders of Phaeacia like that other traveller, Herodotus, touring mighty
Babylon
seven hundred years later. Massive walls shone with brass, doors on silver lintels gleamed with plates of gold, gorgeous carpets covered the polished floors under which ran pipes of water supplying baths and fountains. Spacious avenues embellished with statues led to the beautiful garden, where luxuriant vines and luscious fruits ripened in the balmy air. Ulysses resumed visibility and became honoured guest at the royal banquet attended by the Lords and Ladies of Phaeacia reveling in that genial civilisation centuries old.

In those far-off days before television, travellers, above all story-tellers, were most welcome. With magical eloquence Ulysses told how on that fateful night he leaped from the belly of the Wooden Horse to put sleeping Troy to fire and sword; he sighed at his storm- driven voyage to the Land of the Lotus-Eaters and blinded again the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus, from bewitching Circe he fled to languish with Calypso after adventures in the underworld surpassing our dull Science-Fiction. Such wonderful tales enthralled his listeners as for three thousand years they have enchanted all who read them. The King generously equipped Ulysses with a fine ship and encouraged the people to bestow on him lavish gifts, then the hero set sail at last homeward for
Ithaca
. Identification of Phaeacia with
Norway
may be open to doubt yet not impossible. About 1200 BC
Scandinavia
basked in temperate climate, people in cultured ease shared the graceful living of the South. The wily Ulysses would not spend ten years lost in the
Mediterranean
he knew so well, his travels must have taken him to those mysterious lands of the West.

The ancient literature of most countries agree that Spacemen apparently intervened in terrestrial affairs from the times of Abraham about 2000 BC to the Battle of Marathon, 490 BC, thereafter their visits were generally restricted to random surveillance. The Celestials landing in
India
and
Greece
would surely visit
Scandinavia
as Norse mythology somewhat gloomily recalls.

Chronology is confused; study of pollen-samples suggests that probably about 500 BC the climate of
Europe
grew suddenly chill, due perhaps to changes in cosmic radiation, attenuation of the Earth's magnetic field or to some great cataclysm that would discourage visits by Spacemen. Much of
Scandinavia
became bleak and uninhabitable, mass-migrations abandoned the once populous North to the reindeer and arctic fox, whole tribes like the Lorabardis, Burgundians, Teutons and Goths moved southwards to harass
Rome
. Only the most desperate catastrophe could have driven entire peoples from their ancestral home wandering and fighting like the Children of Israel for new lands in which to live. Such forced migrations in the harsh climate shattered the genial Bronze Age and marooned the Baltic in isolation from the civilised South. Bronze was succeeded by iron, in the Iron Age impoverished society warred for existence in the changed world, the arts and crafts of gracious living declined through grim necessity, sophisticated bronze-ware became displaced by simple tools of iron for peace or war. The growing pressure of the Celts dominating the West cut
Scandinavia
off from the culture of
Greece
and
Rome
, though Pliny and Tacitus speculated vaguely about those Suiones far beyond the Teuton forests who supplied Roman matrons with much-prized furs.

The Teutonic tribes torn with strife menaced the rich lands of the
Mediterranean
, in 390 BC Brennus and the Gauls crossed the
Apennines
and held
Rome
to ransom. Julius Caesar then Marcus Aurelius smashed the barbarians massing beyond the
Rhine
and
Danube
but the inevitable tide swept down from the
Alps
, weak Emperors lost battle after battle and paid tribute in land and gold, in vain for in AD 410 Alaric and his fierce Goths sacked the City bringing that once-great
Roman Empire
to an end. In the West the Anglo-Saxons began their invasion of
Britain
.

For hundreds of years
Scandinavia
brooded in the Dark Ages, then suddenly in the eighth century its peoples surged forth from their fjords and islands in savage onslaughts to storm
England
,
Ireland
,
France
and
Spain
. Vikings invaded
Russia
and sailed down the
Volga
to form the famous Varangian Guard of Queen Irene of
Byzantium
. In the eleventh century, Erik the Red braved the
Atlantic
to
Vinland
discovering
America
. The Vikings who in their sinister long-boats scourged all Christendom were inspired by heroic sagas of their Gods long ago.