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ARKTOS: The Polar Myth in Science, Symbolism & Nazi Survival
A scholarly treatment of catastrophes, ancient myths and Nazi Occult beliefs. Explored are the many tales of an ancient race said to have lived in the Arctic regions, such as Thule and Hyperborea. Progressing onward, the book looks at modern polar legends: including the survival of Hitler, German bases in Antarctica, UFOs, the hollow earth, and the hidden kingdoms of Agartha and Shambhala. Chapters include: Prologue in Hyperborea; The Golden Age; The Imperishable Sacred Land; The Northern Lights; The Arctic Homeland; The Aryan Myth; The Thule Society; The Black Order; The Hidden Lands; Agartha and the Polaires; Shambhala; The Hole at the Pole; Antarctica; Arcadia Regained; The Symbolic Pole; Polar and Solar Traditions; The Spiritual Pole; The Catastrophists; The Uniformitarians; Polar Wandering; more.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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558 people want to read
About the author
Joscelyn Godwin
70 books79 followersComposer, musicologist and translator, known for his work on ancient music, paganism and music in the occult.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 13, 2013
Godwin is one of the first and up until now only scholar who has brought together the disparate myths, historic accounts, esoteric explorations and scientific theories concerning the polar archetype.
Even when dealing with the most obscurantist and fantastical ideas out there (e.g. the Hollow Earth, the Theosophical Root Races, subterranean realms etc.), Godwin keeps an open mind and takes this as exemplary of the imaginative power of the human mind and how it can, in a strange and paradoxical way, even lead to almost accurate observations and conclusions (f.e. the idea of a supercontinent and a primordial race of reptilians inhabiting Antarctica now indeed being true with the discovery of dinosaur fossils).
This notion of subjective immersion leading to actual knowledge is something Godwin only touches upon slightly but tentatively, as the main focuss of the book is an overview of the polar archetype and its significance in the occult.
The magnetism of the pole has next to a real physical dimension, also a metaphysical one, as axial, the zenith and even homeland of a progenitor civilization with its arcane knowledge. A mystical land guarding and protecting the most hidden truths.
Godwin, in the vein of Grantian historiography, also offers an interesting look into the most hidden occult traditions whose spiritual pole is not lunar or solar, but stellar with Polaris (Arktos) as the axis mundi. Thus adding to the idea, as postulated by Kenneth Grant, that the original spirituality (and perhaps that of the lost antediluvian civilization) was 'Typhonian', thus left handed and cosmic in its perspective.
A point of criticism is that Godwin, perhaps confronted with the vast number of authors and theories he needed to cover, confuses the reader with referencing to chapters still far ahead in the book and in so doing leaves much needed nuances at the beginning unmentioned until far later. Though one can only applaud him for even starting a most ambitious project.
The last few chapters, covering the more scientific takes on polar shifts and the like, seem as if they have been jogged with the rest to give at least some voice to the more rationalist and objectively empirical demarcations on the subject. From this alone one can tell that Godwin's primary interest is in the study of the history of the occult and its theory and practise.
Still, it's what one can, and dare I say must, expect from someone with an academic background when having thoroughly examined the confusing netherworlds of occult thinking through the ages.
For the student of the occult, and anyone interested in a good overview of a topic all too often (unfairly) ignored in esotericism, this is definitely a must read.
Even when dealing with the most obscurantist and fantastical ideas out there (e.g. the Hollow Earth, the Theosophical Root Races, subterranean realms etc.), Godwin keeps an open mind and takes this as exemplary of the imaginative power of the human mind and how it can, in a strange and paradoxical way, even lead to almost accurate observations and conclusions (f.e. the idea of a supercontinent and a primordial race of reptilians inhabiting Antarctica now indeed being true with the discovery of dinosaur fossils).
This notion of subjective immersion leading to actual knowledge is something Godwin only touches upon slightly but tentatively, as the main focuss of the book is an overview of the polar archetype and its significance in the occult.
The magnetism of the pole has next to a real physical dimension, also a metaphysical one, as axial, the zenith and even homeland of a progenitor civilization with its arcane knowledge. A mystical land guarding and protecting the most hidden truths.
Godwin, in the vein of Grantian historiography, also offers an interesting look into the most hidden occult traditions whose spiritual pole is not lunar or solar, but stellar with Polaris (Arktos) as the axis mundi. Thus adding to the idea, as postulated by Kenneth Grant, that the original spirituality (and perhaps that of the lost antediluvian civilization) was 'Typhonian', thus left handed and cosmic in its perspective.
A point of criticism is that Godwin, perhaps confronted with the vast number of authors and theories he needed to cover, confuses the reader with referencing to chapters still far ahead in the book and in so doing leaves much needed nuances at the beginning unmentioned until far later. Though one can only applaud him for even starting a most ambitious project.
The last few chapters, covering the more scientific takes on polar shifts and the like, seem as if they have been jogged with the rest to give at least some voice to the more rationalist and objectively empirical demarcations on the subject. From this alone one can tell that Godwin's primary interest is in the study of the history of the occult and its theory and practise.
Still, it's what one can, and dare I say must, expect from someone with an academic background when having thoroughly examined the confusing netherworlds of occult thinking through the ages.
For the student of the occult, and anyone interested in a good overview of a topic all too often (unfairly) ignored in esotericism, this is definitely a must read.
April 13, 2008
Although published by Adventures Unlimited which tends not to be, shall we say, conventional in its authors (who cover conspiracy, lost worlds, free energy and what-have-you), Arktos is a serious and interesting account of polar mythology in popular culture, in the history of science and in esoteric lore.
Joscelyn Goodwin provides an intelligent and often wry overview that remains well within scholarly standards. It is a valuable addition to that shelf in the library that is dominated by the work of Goodrick Clark and it is a useful guide to the fringe science and theosophical speculation of a world now lost.
Given its hysterical conclusion in the exploits of educationally challenged SS officers and demented neo-Nazi diplomats, it is a world that we hope will never return. Hyperborea, Agartha, Thule, Shambhala, the Hollow Earth - these are names to conjure with in pulp science fiction, which is where they belong and should remain.
Joscelyn Goodwin provides an intelligent and often wry overview that remains well within scholarly standards. It is a valuable addition to that shelf in the library that is dominated by the work of Goodrick Clark and it is a useful guide to the fringe science and theosophical speculation of a world now lost.
Given its hysterical conclusion in the exploits of educationally challenged SS officers and demented neo-Nazi diplomats, it is a world that we hope will never return. Hyperborea, Agartha, Thule, Shambhala, the Hollow Earth - these are names to conjure with in pulp science fiction, which is where they belong and should remain.
September 30, 2019
Una obra de referencia fundamental para todo aquel que quiera enterarse de la mitología de la Tierra Hueca y todo el esoterismo relacionado a ella (principalmente nazi). De forma muy clara, Godwin aborda el desarrollo del mito polar y solar y su relación con personajes como Helena Blavatsky, Miguel Serrano, el almirante Byrd y muchos otros. Hay una completísima bibliografía para todo aquel que quiera saber más y sirve mucho para entender el auge del fascismo y racismo de corte esotérico.
June 18, 2007
This is a good place to start reading about weird nazi occult matters. Though the book the occult roots of nazism should come first.
January 14, 2016
The second of Godwin's books I've read -- not as wonderful as Upstate Cauldron but still full of erudite goodness. Have the Earth's poles shifted? Some scientists think so and priests and occultists have believed in polar shift for millennia, even back when the only pole they knew was the one the sky turns around. Godwin takes us from myth through early science to occult madness and finally to modern theory, revolving around the north end of the earth, considering the pole as the homeland of supermen, the door to the hollow earth, and a symbol of promised enlightenment. For the most part, he sticks to historical fact but veers into the woo woo land a time or two in the chapters on the spiritual implication of the poles. There is also more of an emphasis than I expected in the early chapters on Nazi ideology of northern heritage and Aryanism but the emphasis is fitting and certainly doesn't overwhelm the rest of the book.
Read
November 12, 2012UFOs, secret Nazi bases in the Antarctic, and the mythic cities of Agartha and Shambhala. What can I say. Ever since I read Pauwels and Bergier's Morning of the Magicians, I've found it hard to resist books like Godwin's. He untangles the facts from the mythmaking (and there's a lot of mythmaking) surrounding the polar archetype. A scholarly gem of occult history on par with Goodrick-Clarke's book on occult Nazism.
March 11, 2020
I'm reading this one for research. It's a fascinating volume that brings together a lot of different kinds of writers ranging from Nazi occultists to geologists specializing in plate tectonics. The book can be overwhelming in its surfeit of information, but it contains so many different ideas that you won't regret reading it. It's especially good in pointing out all of the completely bonkers claims writers have made about the pole in the recent centuries. If you're up for something strange or you like occult writings, this is worth a look, but otherwise it is probably only for a niche audience.
July 12, 2017
I haven’t enjoyed a non-fiction book this much for quite a while. This is a scholarly, objective and insightful look at some of the most insane conspiracy theories and occult beliefs of the last few centuries. Any book that discusses the writings of Poe, Lovecraft, Robert Charroux, Helena Blavatksy, Edgar Cayce, Otto Rahn, Bulwer Lytton, Julius Evola, Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant, Charles Fort, Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier is either going to be absolutely fascinating or absolutely idiotic, and I am happy to report that this book is the former.
Read the full review and my theories about Donald Trump's collusion with subterranean Hitler here.
Read the full review and my theories about Donald Trump's collusion with subterranean Hitler here.
Read
September 19, 2024Sospecho por donde va esto, me pregunto si el escritor, entre lineas este diciendo algo o ni siquiera se ha dado cuenta de donde viene a donde va este mito.
Definitivamente no es lo que esperaba, reconozco la gran biografía que aporta y el desarrollo de la misma, pero yo buscaba al mito no su historia.
Definitivamente no es lo que esperaba, reconozco la gran biografía que aporta y el desarrollo de la misma, pero yo buscaba al mito no su historia.
December 23, 2014
A sweeping tour of many "polar" occult ideas, legends and pseudoscientific hypotheses and ramblings, from venerable Hindu sages to esoteric-minded Nazis, all of it very curious for the layman, if rather difficult to disentangle at times. The book sinks into confusion near the end, when the author tries to make sense of a series of rather senseless "theories" about shifts of the Earth's poles and/or axis and mixes them with real (scientific) theories. Godwin is not a believer but he does have a thing against strict evidence-based science. It would be much more satisfying if the more-or-less skeptic view of the beginning was kept until the end. All in all, however, I recommend this as a starting point for deeper examination of the various topics.
June 15, 2016
For the researcher interested in the history of the evolution of Theosophy and/or the occult. Godwin's style is very good, but you must have a thorough understanding of archetypal cultural myths in Northern Europe and the ancient Near East to grasp all subtleties in the context. For the advanced reader, this really peaks the interest and produces amazing fuel for an actively-inquiring imagination :)
If you are used to the many layers of allegory in Blavatsky's writings, you will most certainly find something familiar here :)
If you are used to the many layers of allegory in Blavatsky's writings, you will most certainly find something familiar here :)
August 8, 2018
Nice intro to weird fringe ideas, their roots and the eccentric people behind them. Truly bizarre character gallery - This includes the author, who seems to at least believe in parts of what he describes...
August 19, 2015
I declare the earth is hollow and habitable within!
July 14, 2014
A very dry book on a very interesting subject, frustratingly enough. Still a must-read for those who are interested in the subject matter due to the meticulous research and the extensive references.
December 27, 2023
Un testo senz'altro unico, tanto informativo - e a tratti illuminante - quanto problematico. Mettendo sullo stesso piano fonti letterarie, esoteriche, scientifiche e pseudoscientifiche, l'autore segue le tracce degli sviluppi dal 1600/1700 alla seconda metà del Novecento di una manciata di idee interconnesse, tutte legate ai poli terrestri: la provenienza dell'umanità dal Nord, l'origine nordica dei popoli indoeuropei e la loro (presunta, come un po' tutto il resto) superiorità razziale o spirituale, l'abitabilità delle regioni polari in epoca storica o protostorica, la presenza di aperture ai poli che consentano l'ingresso in una "Terra cava" popolata o popolabile, il controllo materiale o spirituale da parte di civilità sotterranee, il cambiamento di posizione dei poli nel corso della storia o la modifica dell'inclinazione dell'asse terrestre. Il tutto toccando en passant Atlantide e Lemuria, l'Aghartha e Shamballa, teosofi e neonazisti, ariani e iperborei.
Godwin è scrupoloso e lodevole nella sua costante ricerca delle fonti primarie, e distingue con attenzione le asserzioni di antichità fondate su riscontrabili documenti storici da quelle costruite su puri ipse dixit e rivelazioni mistiche assortite. Anche l'approccio "agnostico", che guardando ai percorsi e le rimasticazioni delle idee non squalifica bufale e invenzioni artistiche rispetto alle opere votate al rigore scientifico, è una carta vincente dello studio: di fatto, l'autore tratta la materia esaminata come un tessuto mitologico - una prospettiva certamente inusuale visto il carattere moderno se non contemporaneo dei fenomeni analizzati, ma capace di evidenziare brillantemente la rete che connette ciascuno dei suoi nodi assai eterogenei.
Eppure, lo stesso sguardo agnostico e la chiara e legittima fascinazione di Godwin per alcuni degli sciroccati di cui scrive lo portano con una certa frequenza a prendere sbandate, o esporre visioni antiscientifiche che cozzano con la sua medesima attenzione alla verificabilità. In un passaggio loda il Gardner di "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science", in un altro smonta con gusto le millanterie di Pauwels e Bergier in "Le Matin des Magiciens"... Eppure, non molto dopo celebra il Charles Hapgood di "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings" - accusando la comunità scientifica di miopia ed elitismo. Coraggiosamente, riconosce la coerenza del pensiero di personaggi come Evola o l'ancor più radicale Serrano, ma almeno nel caso del più sobrio (si fa per dire) Guénon sembra anche considerare affidabili parte delle sue rivelazioni.
Le affermazioni del testo, insomma, vanno prese con le pinze e sottoposte a indagini aggiuntive. Nel 99% dei casi, si riveleranno solide, ben contestualizzate e ricche di chiarificanti implicazioni. Quando questo non accadrà, sarà facile mettere fra parentesi l'eccessiva tendenza dell'autore alla sospensione di incredulità, aggiungere mentalmente qualche condizionale, e proseguire la lettura con immutata curiosità.
Godwin è scrupoloso e lodevole nella sua costante ricerca delle fonti primarie, e distingue con attenzione le asserzioni di antichità fondate su riscontrabili documenti storici da quelle costruite su puri ipse dixit e rivelazioni mistiche assortite. Anche l'approccio "agnostico", che guardando ai percorsi e le rimasticazioni delle idee non squalifica bufale e invenzioni artistiche rispetto alle opere votate al rigore scientifico, è una carta vincente dello studio: di fatto, l'autore tratta la materia esaminata come un tessuto mitologico - una prospettiva certamente inusuale visto il carattere moderno se non contemporaneo dei fenomeni analizzati, ma capace di evidenziare brillantemente la rete che connette ciascuno dei suoi nodi assai eterogenei.
Eppure, lo stesso sguardo agnostico e la chiara e legittima fascinazione di Godwin per alcuni degli sciroccati di cui scrive lo portano con una certa frequenza a prendere sbandate, o esporre visioni antiscientifiche che cozzano con la sua medesima attenzione alla verificabilità. In un passaggio loda il Gardner di "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science", in un altro smonta con gusto le millanterie di Pauwels e Bergier in "Le Matin des Magiciens"... Eppure, non molto dopo celebra il Charles Hapgood di "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings" - accusando la comunità scientifica di miopia ed elitismo. Coraggiosamente, riconosce la coerenza del pensiero di personaggi come Evola o l'ancor più radicale Serrano, ma almeno nel caso del più sobrio (si fa per dire) Guénon sembra anche considerare affidabili parte delle sue rivelazioni.
Le affermazioni del testo, insomma, vanno prese con le pinze e sottoposte a indagini aggiuntive. Nel 99% dei casi, si riveleranno solide, ben contestualizzate e ricche di chiarificanti implicazioni. Quando questo non accadrà, sarà facile mettere fra parentesi l'eccessiva tendenza dell'autore alla sospensione di incredulità, aggiungere mentalmente qualche condizionale, e proseguire la lettura con immutata curiosità.
June 4, 2019
This is a book about the North and South Pole archetypes: a compilation of bizarre scientific theories, secret societies (Nazi and otherwise), fantasy fiction and games, mysticism, occult beliefs, along with the beliefs of a lunatic fringe.
This covers a lot of territory, and it's all fascinating, in spite of being a dense read. The author writes in plain, accessible English, but we're dealing with elements from Western and Eastern esoteric traditions, as well as polar science, so it requires focused and close reading. It's worth the effort.
I knew bits and pieces of polar occult history, but there was much I didn't know, and this book is probably the best overview of all of the polar theories that have been bandied about over the last 200 years (and in some instances, even further back in time). It also confirmed what I have suspected: that polar archetypes are still part of people's belief systems, even if they are unaware of them. Your H.P. Lovecraft fans, players of such games as Dungeons and Dragons, your right-wing relations - they have all absorbed at least some of the polar myths, whether they know it or not. It's still out there.
What I found most disturbing was learning about highly intelligent, well-educated people, some of them truly mystics, who fell for the worst in nationalism, fascism, and Nazism. They took elements of the polar myths and applied them to their political beliefs, in effect creating the worst of all possible worlds.
This book was published in the mid-nineties, but the stories within are still relevant to this day. A cautionary tale, indeed and well-told.
This covers a lot of territory, and it's all fascinating, in spite of being a dense read. The author writes in plain, accessible English, but we're dealing with elements from Western and Eastern esoteric traditions, as well as polar science, so it requires focused and close reading. It's worth the effort.
I knew bits and pieces of polar occult history, but there was much I didn't know, and this book is probably the best overview of all of the polar theories that have been bandied about over the last 200 years (and in some instances, even further back in time). It also confirmed what I have suspected: that polar archetypes are still part of people's belief systems, even if they are unaware of them. Your H.P. Lovecraft fans, players of such games as Dungeons and Dragons, your right-wing relations - they have all absorbed at least some of the polar myths, whether they know it or not. It's still out there.
What I found most disturbing was learning about highly intelligent, well-educated people, some of them truly mystics, who fell for the worst in nationalism, fascism, and Nazism. They took elements of the polar myths and applied them to their political beliefs, in effect creating the worst of all possible worlds.
This book was published in the mid-nineties, but the stories within are still relevant to this day. A cautionary tale, indeed and well-told.
May 14, 2020
The subtitle is too long. It should be subtitled: "The Polar Myth in Science and Symbolism", because the only mention of Nazi survival is one sentence on page 63, which refers the reader to another book by another author.
The author discusses many theories about the poles, including pole shift, the origins of the human race, and whether the Earth is hollow. Very good on "nonconventional" scientific theories.
One comment that I feel I should make is that in this book, and in Ralph Ellis's book [i]Jesus: Last of the Pharaohs[/i], recent religious history has been connected to the establishment of the Zodiac. In short, the precession of the ecliptic means the Sun hasn't always been in the same constellation (= astrological sign); when the Zodiac was established, the Sun was in Gemini (the twins), about 6000 years ago, it moved into Taurus (the bull), 4000 years ago into Aries (the lamb), 2000 years ago into Pisces (the fish), and soon(?) will be in Aquarius (the water-bearer).
The transition between these signs has been documented fuller by Ellis, where it is claimed that the golden calf/Lamb of God conflict is due to one of these transitions, and the fish symbolism in the New Testament is due to another one. Strangely, neither author appears to be aware of the other's ideas.
The author discusses many theories about the poles, including pole shift, the origins of the human race, and whether the Earth is hollow. Very good on "nonconventional" scientific theories.
One comment that I feel I should make is that in this book, and in Ralph Ellis's book [i]Jesus: Last of the Pharaohs[/i], recent religious history has been connected to the establishment of the Zodiac. In short, the precession of the ecliptic means the Sun hasn't always been in the same constellation (= astrological sign); when the Zodiac was established, the Sun was in Gemini (the twins), about 6000 years ago, it moved into Taurus (the bull), 4000 years ago into Aries (the lamb), 2000 years ago into Pisces (the fish), and soon(?) will be in Aquarius (the water-bearer).
The transition between these signs has been documented fuller by Ellis, where it is claimed that the golden calf/Lamb of God conflict is due to one of these transitions, and the fish symbolism in the New Testament is due to another one. Strangely, neither author appears to be aware of the other's ideas.
November 25, 2022
Very detailed examination of various world traditions relating to the pole - cites a lot of sources.
I thought I was going to find more myths and legends related to the Arctic and the people who live there, but this book is very specifically about the Pole. By pulling together different types of stories, Goodwin reveals a worldwide myth about the north pole being good and the south pole being evil. Is this because the north pole is our ancestral homeland? Is there a civilization living in the earth's interior that can be accessed at the pole? There's a lot to look into, but Goodwin treats all these myths as myths and never comes out and says that any of this is actually true.
The bottom line is that scientists and esotericists agree that the poles have shifted before, dramatically over the course of a relatively short period of time, and we don't really know why. We can theorize about a lost paradisical condition, or that the pole shift was deliberate, but we don't really know. Therefor the book ends with a warning that the poles could shift again triggering earthquakes, volcanos and severe weather events, but we don't really know anything about when this might happen.
I thought I was going to find more myths and legends related to the Arctic and the people who live there, but this book is very specifically about the Pole. By pulling together different types of stories, Goodwin reveals a worldwide myth about the north pole being good and the south pole being evil. Is this because the north pole is our ancestral homeland? Is there a civilization living in the earth's interior that can be accessed at the pole? There's a lot to look into, but Goodwin treats all these myths as myths and never comes out and says that any of this is actually true.
The bottom line is that scientists and esotericists agree that the poles have shifted before, dramatically over the course of a relatively short period of time, and we don't really know why. We can theorize about a lost paradisical condition, or that the pole shift was deliberate, but we don't really know. Therefor the book ends with a warning that the poles could shift again triggering earthquakes, volcanos and severe weather events, but we don't really know anything about when this might happen.
January 29, 2025
An excellent scholarly book on not just the occult roots of the more absurd Nazi beliefs but of the racist and ahistorical threads in Western occultism in general. The writer Godwin provides endless sources and nuanced takes to find where ideas were corrupted to give anyone interested in the occult a crash course on who was misunderstood and who simply misled their followers. This book in invaluable in not just understanding and debunking white supremacist and Nazi myths but also separating the true esoteric greats from the self-serving scammers and false prophets.
July 25, 2019
This author has pulled together many different sources of material on the myths of the most poles.
For those who want to delve into the mythology of ancient astronomy and ancient worlds this is a great place to start the journey.
A very interesting read, not what I expected at first. After the first few chapters, I was sucked in
He has included an extensive bibliography and copious notes to cite his sources.
For those who want to delve into the mythology of ancient astronomy and ancient worlds this is a great place to start the journey.
A very interesting read, not what I expected at first. After the first few chapters, I was sucked in
He has included an extensive bibliography and copious notes to cite his sources.
November 6, 2022
(2'5 points)
Asymetric contents, because it stirres and mixes up science with ocultism, history and teosophism. It makes difficult to separate genuine information from anecdotique and freak data.
Sometimes informative, sometimes opaque...Maybe this book is compelling for those in love with pseudoscience and ocultism, but it can also be of partial interest (my case) if you are concerned about astrologic theories and how they shape(d) culture and beliefs.
Asymetric contents, because it stirres and mixes up science with ocultism, history and teosophism. It makes difficult to separate genuine information from anecdotique and freak data.
Sometimes informative, sometimes opaque...Maybe this book is compelling for those in love with pseudoscience and ocultism, but it can also be of partial interest (my case) if you are concerned about astrologic theories and how they shape(d) culture and beliefs.
March 7, 2023
A informação é boa, gosto do autor, e o tema interessa. O problema está na articulação de tudo. Sinto que fui generoso na atribuição de uma avaliação no sentido em que Godwin frequentemente tem de espumar da boca ou ejacular tiradas passivo agressivas. Lê-se algumas vezes não como um autor sério, que é, mas como uma criança do liceu. Entende-se que se trata de um tema sensível, mas o mínimo que se pediria a um académico seria uma distância crítica. Apesar de tudo, recomendo.
October 23, 2019
Wow. Some weird and wild stuff. Bunch of weird theories about cataclysms, ufos, secret hidden masters in underground bases.
July 9, 2024
I started reading this thinking it would be somebody’s fringe theories on breakaway civilizations. What the book actually was was a scholarly researched study on the history of myths and beliefs about the poles, stretching from ancient myths to the 20th century.
The most fascinating piece to me were the early modern scientific theories about the poles: pole shifts, pole migration, hollow earth theories, and the impact these had on Nazi Germany. There was/is a real belief that civilizations exist today in these remote regions.
The most fascinating piece to me were the early modern scientific theories about the poles: pole shifts, pole migration, hollow earth theories, and the impact these had on Nazi Germany. There was/is a real belief that civilizations exist today in these remote regions.
December 14, 2013
Far out material treated in an eminently sane manner. This book demonstrates the power that symbolism can exert on the human mind. At face value many of the ideas explored in this book - the hollow earth, secret UFO bases in the Antartic, the survival of Hitler - are decidedly on the lunatic fringe, however the author manages to steer a sane course through this strange world of ideas and piece by piece lays bare the essential doctrines behind the polar myths.
January 10, 2015
"They are the so-called Pole Lords of heaven, whom you must greet in the same manner, each of them with his own name: "Hail, O guardians of the pivot..."
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews