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Borgund Stave Church (Eduardo/CC BY-SA 2.0), pentagram, Vitruvian man, and serpent

The Viking Serpent: Serpent Worship, Sacred Geometry, and Secrets of the Celtic Church in Norway

Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, inspired by Henry Lincoln and his two co-authors’ The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail . The Norwegian researcher Harald Boehlke was inspired by the same book. Lincoln...
Xochicalco: New Wave Mayan City That Was a Prime Target for Destruction

Xochicalco: New Wave Mayan City That Was a Prime Target for Destruction

After the collapse of Teotihuacan and other major centers of the Mesoamerican Classic Period (circa 250-750 AD) such as Monte Alban, Tikal, and Palenque, Mesoamerican civilization entered uncertain...
 “Cadmus Slays the Dragon” by Hendrik Goltzius. The Greek myth of Cadmus fighting the serpent may be an allegory for the discovery of the Amazon River. In various accounts, the snake is instead referred to as a dragon or serpent.

Could Ancient Greek Myths Hint at Contact With South America?

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times The ancient Greek myth of Cadmus battling a snake could be an allegory for the discovery of the Amazon River, said Dr. Enrico Mattievich, a retired professor of physics...
Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji

Tutankhamun and the Age of Appropriation: Missing Skullcap of the Last Sun King–Part II

The oft-repeated phrase “the Amarna era is shrouded in mystery” could be a thing of the past if only closer scrutiny of key artifacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb are permitted by the authorities...
‘Merlyn’ a wizard.

A Spellbinding Story of Discovery: A Medieval Grave for a Wizard and a Magical Artifact

Powerful wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers wielding supernatural staffs and spells have captivated our imaginations for thousands of years. Characters like Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Yoda are...
Illustration of a sea serpent. Credit: Tina Leyk / deviantart

In the Wake of the Stronsay Globster

More humans have walked on the moon than have been to the deepest parts of planet Earth and although the oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface, we only know around 1% of the seafloor. Many a mystery...
A painting of 14th century St. Roch shows the dracunculiasis worm exiting the upper part of his leg.

A Medieval Painting Depicts the Chilling Image of a Worm Eating Its Way Out of the Body of a French Saint

Imagine a 2- to 3-foot long (0.6- to 1-meter) worm slowly working its way out of your body… with the possibility of other worms doing so in the future. Such is the horror of the guinea worm, which...
Illustration from book in a series of fairy tales. A warning to children. John Lambton fights the Wrym

A Monstrous and Venomous Serpent: Legendary Crusading Heroes and Wyrm-Slaying Symbolism – What Does it Mean?

Whisht! lads, haad ya gobs, Aa'll tell ye aall an aaful story, Whisht! lads, haad ya gobs, An aa'll tell ye ‘boot the wyrm. --(C.M. Leumane, 1867) Beasts that Scorch the Land There are more than...
Looking to Elders to Discover the Amazing Burial Mounds and Forgotten Woodland Traditions of Canada

Looking to Elders to Discover the Amazing Burial Mounds and Forgotten Woodland Traditions of Canada

While the burial mounds and earthworks of the Adena and Hopewell Cultures are usually associated with the Ohio River Valley, there are lesser-known—but equally as fantastic—manifestations of these...
Original pyramid found underneath two outer pyramids at Chichen Itza in Yucatan

Original pyramid found underneath two outer pyramids at Chichen Itza in Yucatan

A pyramid within a pyramid within a pyramid: That’s what archaeologists said they have found at the ancient Maya site of Chichén Itza in the Yucatàn Peninsula in the far south of Mexico...
Inset; Bucket/ banduddû from the north wall of the Palace of king Sargon II, and a four-winged genie in the Bucket and cone motif.

Banduddu: Solving the Mystery of the Babylonian Container

One of the great riddles in Mesopotamian sacred art concerns the image of anthropomorphic winged figures called Apkallu holding a mullilu (tree fruit) in one hand, and a banduddû — a container — in...
Dragon Sculpture, China.

The Bird and the Serpent: From the Neolithic Goddesses to Ancient Chinese Symbols of Nobility and Benevolence

Victorian art critic, John Ruskin, in his book Proserpina , calls himself “the gentle and happy scholar of flowers”. A large part of his work is an attempt to connect nature, art and society. To...
Photograph of some of Pre-Hispanic incense burners recently recovered in Mexico.

Sending Smoke Signals to the Gods: Pre-Hispanic Incense Burners Discovered in Mexico

About 30 Pre-Hispanic perfume or incense burners (sahumadores) have been discovered by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) at the historic site of Cuautitlan...
Bradshaw rock paintings found in the north-west Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Australian Aborigine Creation Stories: Rainbow Serpent and Emus in the Stars

Down under all is still and dark, the spirits of the Earth are sleeping. It is the Dreamtime. There are many different Dreamtime stories that vary from region to region and from people to people...
Thor and the Midgard Serpent, Emil Doepler painting.

Slithering Through the Stories of Ancient Snake Deities: Serpent Gods of Ancient Mythology

Serpent and their symbols are found in the myths and legends of countless cultures around the world. These animals often have a negative connotation, but not always. There are even cases of snake...
Serpent Stones: The Vishap Steles of Armenia as a Symbol of Rock Art and Rich Heritage

Serpent Stones: The Vishap Steles of Armenia as a Symbol of Rock Art and Rich Heritage

A vishap stele (known also as vishapakar and vishap stone) is a type of stone monument that can be found in Armenia. These steles may be identified by the carvings on them, usually of fishes or...
Multi-facet basalt artifact, Georgia, USA.

Jackson County Artifact Adds Mystery to History of the Region: What are the Symbols and Who Made Them?

History is sometimes slow to share its secrets, but it did recently for a rural Jackson County man while he was clearing an area of his property. As a longtime resident and avid artifact collector,...
North American giant

The Adena People and Prehistoric Colonization of North America

Read Part 1 European scholars have noted evidence of ancient colonization of North America. After studying American Mounds and Earthworks, Dr C.A. Adolph Zestermann (Leipzig) wrote in 1851: “I can...
Postcard image of the Serpent Mound, Ohio

Ancient Earthworks of North America suggest pre-Columbian European contact

Long before the Isolationist doctrine of the Smithsonian became an academic dogma, mounds and earthworks in America were routinely compared to those observed in Western Europe. This position was...
Ancient Three-Headed Serpent Column of Delphi

Ancient Three-Headed Serpent Column of Delphi to Rise Again after 2500 Years

An ancient, three-headed snake will return to Delphi, where it originated nearly 2,500 years ago. The Serpent Column is a bronze pillar built in the ancient city of Delphi, Greece, to commemorate...
Hygeia - The Serpent Priestesses

The Serpent Priestesses and Ancient Sexual Rites

Women robed in scarlet sheaths, conducting rituals associated with serpents away from prying eyes, serving Innana, the Goddess of Love, Fertility and War. The color of their clothes was symbolic of...
Tracing the origins of the Serpent Cult

Tracing the origins of the Serpent Cult

In mythology, the serpent symbolises fertility and procreation, wisdom, death, and resurrection (due to the shedding of its skin, which is not akin to rebirth), and in the earliest schools of...
Jörmungandr, the World Serpent

Snakes with Beards and Other Strange Serpent Tales

By Liz Leafloor | Mysteriorum The snake is one of the oldest and most pervasive mythological symbols in the world. There are as many creation myths about snakes as there are religions and cultures,...
Loch Ness

Buddhist Lama says Loch Ness monster is mythological water deity

The first Buddhist Lama in Britain, who is leading the project to create a new Buddhist centre in the Highlands of Scotland said the famous Loch Ness monster is a naga, a water deity which brings...

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