Mărirea și decăderea Atlantidei. Lemuria pierdută

by William Scott-Elliot

O carte excepțională ce povestește despre lumile demult apuse ale Atlantidei și Lemuriei. Împreună cu W. Scott-Elliot, cititorul acestei cărți va intra în Orașul Porților de Aur, capitala Atlantidei, și va păși în Lemuria, fostul rai pământesc, distrus prin foc, bucată cu bucată, de puterile divine.
Oamenii Atlantidei și ai Lemuriei sunt strămoșii noștri. Povestea e palpitantă și e, totodată, o teribilă lecție de viață, amintindu-ne că trebuie să ne trăim clipa. Atât ne mai rămâne pe această planetă Pământ în care nimic nu e veșnic.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Mythology, Theosophy, Fantasy, Ebooks, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

William Scott-Elliot (1849-1919) was a theosophist who elaborated Helena Blavatsky's concept of root races in several publications, most notably The Story of Atlantis and The Lost Lemuria, later combined in 1925 into a single volume called The Story of Atlantis and the Lost Lemuria.

(wikipedia)

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's amazing that a book about complete nonsense could possibly have this much detail and sound so confidently scientific. Some of my favorite books are written by crackpots who try really hard to prove their obviously crazy theories with actual science or logic. It's always fun.

[R.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Στα Ελληνικά εκδόθηκε το 1989 από τον "Πύρινο Κόσμο". Αν και φτηνή χαρτόδετη έκδοση, το βιβλίο διατηρείται αρκετά καλά, δεν έχουν καν κιτρινίσει οι σελίδες του.

Στον 19ο και στις αρχές 20ου αιώνα, έχουμε αρκετές ενδιαφέρουσες επιστημονικές ανακαλύψεις, όχι μόνο τεχνολογικές, αλλά ιδιαίτερα και στις ανθρωπιστικές επιστήμες και την αρχαιολογία. Η φαντασία του κοινού εξάπτεται και αρκετές φορές οι εύποροι άνθρωποι αφιερώνουν την ζωή τους στην μελέτη προγενέστερων αρχείων και ευρημάτων. Συχνά ερασιτέχνες ανθρωπολόγοι και ερασιτέχνες αρχαιολόγοι ταξιδεύουν σε περισσότερο ή λιγότερο απομονωμένες γωνιές του πλανήτη, μελετούν άγνωστες φυλές και ανακαλύπτουν εντυπωσιακά μνημεία ή προχωράνε αρκετά την επιστημονική έρευνα στην εθνογραφία, την γεωγραφία, την ζωολογία, την αρχαιολογία και παρόμοιους τομείς, ακόμα κι όταν τα συμπεράσματα τους δεν είναι πάντοτε σωστά ή σήμερα θεωρούνται ξεπερασμένα.

Παράλληλα εμφανίζεται μια μόδα στις ανώτερες κυρίως τάξεις στο Παρίσι, το Λονδίνο, αλλά και στην άλλη πλευρά του Ατλαντικού, να μελετούν διάφορα "αποκρυφιστικά κείμενα", να συμμετέχουν σε "πνευματιστικές" συγκεντρώσεις και να δημιουργούν νέες κοσμοθεωρίες, συχνά βασισμένες στην κατά το δοκούν ερμηνεία των πρόσφατων ανακαλύψεων.

Όλη αυτή η εισαγωγή έχει να κάνει με το γεγονός ότι ορισμένοι φαντασιόπληκτοι κατ΄άλλους και οραματιστές για κάποιους άλλους, δημιούργησαν φανατικό κοινό και πολύ θόρυβο στην εποχή τους, όμως είναι εύκολο να τους κατακρίνουμε σήμερα για πλάνη και ξεπερασμένες αντιλήψεις. Οι περισσότεροι ξεχάστηκαν, κάποιοι πέρασαν στην ιστορία ως γραφικοί, ωστόσο... δεν πρέπει να ξεχνάμε πως ορισμένοι από αυτούς έφεραν στο φως μια Τροία κι ένα Μάτσου Πίτσου. Για αυτό το λόγο εγώ κατά καιρούς αρέσκομαι να διαβάζω τα έργα κάποιων, τα οποία μάλλον κατατάσσονται στην ψευδοεπιστήμη, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνώ κάθετα ή γνωρίζω ότι πλέον όλες οι θεωρίες που υποστηρίζουν έχουν καταρριφθεί.

Αν και έχω διαβάσει αρκετά ευχάριστα αναγνώσματα σε αυτό το κλίμα, δυστυχώς το συγκεκριμένο ξεφεύγει υπερβολικά και πέρα από τις τετριμμένες πλέον θεωρίες όπως τις ομοιότητες σε στοιχεία αρχιτεκτονικής, θρησκείας, βοτανολογίας κτλ στις δύο πλευρές του Ατλαντικού, ο συγγραφέας στηρίζει την ύπαρξη της Ατλαντίδας (και της Λεμουρίας) σε καθαρά αποκρυφιστικές γνώσεις και κάποιους χάρτες που υποτίθεται ότι είχε στην κατοχή του.
Ο Σκοτ-Έλιοτ ήταν θεοσοφιστής και υποτίθεται ότι πολλές γνώσεις τις είχε αποκτήσει από αστρικά ταξίδια άλλων θεοσοφιστών ή του ιδίου και κάπου εκεί με έχασε. Διότι απαριθμεί χωρίς να βασίζεται σε κανένα απτό στοιχείο τις φυλές του ανθρώπινου γένους, των Λεμούριων και των Ατλάντων, περιγράφοντας λεπτομέρειες από την ιστορία και τον τρόπο ζωής τους που δεν βασίζονται πραγματικά πουθενά. Ιδιαίτερα στα κεφάλαια για την Λεμουρία, αναμειγνύει έντονα θεωρίες μετενσάρκωσης και ανώτερων όντων και διάφορα εξωπραγματικά στοιχεία και ήμουν στα πρόθυρα να εγκαταλείψω την ανάγνωση, αλλά τελικά νίκησε η περιέργεια. Το κομμάτι της λανθασμένης ερμηνείας υπαρκτών αποδείξεων ή ενδείξεων, την ψευδοεπιστήμη, μπορώ να την αντέξω σε αυτά τα βιβλία. Μια μικρή δόση μεταφυσικής επίσης. Όταν όμως περνάμε εντελώς στην σφαίρα του φανταστικού και σε υπερβολική μπουρδολογία, πλέον οι αντοχές μου εξαντλούνται.
Η γραφή του Σκοτ-Έλλιοτ είναι μάλλον ξερή και ενώ στην αρχή το βιβλίο ήταν έως και διασκεδαστικό, μετά πέρασε στην κατηγορία που μάλλον του ταίριαζε από την αρχή: "Σε ανάγνωσμα τουαλέτας".
2 1/2 στα 5 απλά για τον χαβαλέ.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts with some pseudo science about history being present in the collective-back-of-the-mind... i almost regret having read that part. But it's a short introduction. After that you get a good come-of-age tale in a historic sci-fi setting with amazing detail and tasteful distortion of pre-recorded history.

I'd put this book under Hard Science Fiction, even thought it predates the genre's birth by a long time.

[Oleksander Havryliuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should be read only by historians, ethnographers and the like. Too scientifically dry for a regular reader just seeking for amazing stories about Atlantis.

[blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I read somewhere it was inspirational to Robert E Howard for his Conan stories. But I don't think that's true; at least nothing I've read anywhere in Howard (Conan or otherwise) fits, apart from the name "Lemuria" (I think) and I think there's a reference to the Hyperborean age in Atlantis. Oh, and I think I recall something about Akkadians in Howard. But I can't really connect what's written here to what Howard wrote, which always struck me as very "real" feeling.

This is two books: The first is on Atlantis, and it is as woo-woo as you can imagine. Scott-Elliot was a theosophist, someone who sought "direct knowledge" of the mysteries of existence. Which sounds okay, I suppose, but I think what it amounted to was entering into a trance and "writing history". I won't even comment on whether such a thing is possible or if the things here are true, but they are pretty wild and reminded me uncannily of how I build fantasy universes for stories and games (except that I deliberately try to avoid fact).

The funny thing is that the second book starts out very solid (wrong by current lights, but not implausible for the science of the time) with descriptions of possible other land masses. I hadn't even noticed it was the same author! Then it starts to reference the first book and goes right back in to the woo-woo.

It was kind of cool. I had just finished Foucault's Pendulum which is centered on how conspiracy theories craft their theories using each other as references, which is the hallmark of the theosophists of this time. Eco mentions Blatavasky numerous times, as does Scott-Elliot. And I think Haeckel came up in Foucault as well.

Also, although I didn't realize it at the time, both this and Eco are reflected in the Machen book I read The Secret Glory which is also about hidden truths and the quest for the grail. It's always fun when books intersect like that.

[Ilse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t know what to expect when starting this and am still not quite sure what I’ve gotten myself into. I commend the author for being able to write so confidently scientific about a made-up subject, and enjoyed seeing his creativity. While I am glad to have learned that this is a book genre of its own, it’s not a genre I’ll be reading more off. Still, it’s a short read and as such perfect to try out this genre with!

[Sheila Coldiron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first serious study that I have made into the stories of Atlantis and Lemuria. It was not written as a science fiction as the writer believed that he received his information via a spirit. I actually need to re-read this story because I found it to be deeper than I was able to comprehend.

[Colin Mcclusick · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one took me for a ride. Definitely should have seen this coming but for some reason I didnt expect aliens to be involved my bad. This was straight up a formal essay on the topic. For sure worth a read

[Elan]

Bees and Wheat are gifts from the venusians. 'Nuff said.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me want to visit Nan Madol in Micronesia, Machu Pichu, and other
Ancient Places like Easter Islands

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most bizarre compendium of crackpot reasoning I have ever read.

[Adonay Quetzal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy racism Batman! The amount of bad science for even that time is astounding. Like wow just I don’t even know what else to say.

The only reason this isn’t negative stars is I think this book is a great example of why need to fact check our sources. A lot of Theosophical writings are the source for much of the Lightworker trends we see today. Lumeria, Akashic Records, Ascended Masters, etc etc and to see just how racist and outright scientifically inaccurate the source materials are is a good example for, again, why we should be checking our sources and never taking anything at face value.

Ugh 😓

[Xuchron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Via clairvoyance, the author claims to have obtained a historical outline of the Atlantean and Lemurian root races, which he attempts to support with scientific findings/theories of the day (many of which are now outdated or rejected). If you can put the dated science aside, there's still some value to be gleaned concerning theosophical understanding of root races and the like. Despite its shorter length, I found "The Lost Lemuria" to be the more insightful of the two. "The Story of Atlantis" is largely descriptive and gets a little dry in places.

If you want an up-to-date narrative on Atlantis without the theosophical woo then there's better books out there.

[Corvus Piotrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The preface by A. P. Sinnett was far more promising than the two stories, which left me unsatisfied. Somehow I expected more from mere theorisation. Perhaps I am not a fan of short stories and their vagueness, perhaps it really was but a sketch. For me, every paragraph by Scott-Elliot, as well as references to other works and theosophists, felt incomplete.

In any case, it was nice to read of other ideas for human origin, and find what the myths in the rising game "Love and Deepspace" are all about.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one isn't really my usual choice for reading. I picked it up because I read somewhere this this books was a big influence on fantasy author Robert E. Howard and the creation of his fictional Hyperborean world. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't; I couldn't really tell. I also wonder if other early sci-fi authors were influenced by this book.
That said, the topic here is a little out there. Definitely dated and not for everyone.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was interesting! The author talks about the history of different races, and what life was like in Atlantis and Lemuria. My only question is how can any of this be taken seriously? The author is very well read and sites many books throughout as reference. This book is part of the Theosophical Society and should be read with Helena Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine. Way too much info to digest in one read, I look forward to reading it again.

[Δημήτρης Αθανασόπουλος · Rating 1 out of 5]

Μου ήταν αδύνατο το να το διαβάσω πέραν από την σελίδα 10.

Πολύ παράξενοι φιλοσοφικοί όροι και πολλά θεωρητικά και θεολογικά κομμάτια και έννοιες.

Ταυτόχρονα δεν βρίσκω στο Goodreads την μετάφραση της Ελένης Καλκάνη που έχω στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Δαμιανός.

Isbn 960 228 187 1

[HatBett23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen. We know this is complete nonsense. But damn, I can't stay away from this stuff. And God bless you secret LibriVox narrator.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written like a very confident crazy person who wants to sound smart wrote this. Almost everything about this was wrong or crazy.

[Suhas Shedmake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book focuses more on geographical evolution than other important aspects!

[Kevin]

Proto

[Jesaja Senones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideat that this book was once considered scientific is laughable and speaks volumes about the state of the world back then. Apart from that, great fantasty book.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for research into a story I'm writing, but it's not that good. This is a purported history of the lost continents of Atlantis and Lemuria, but from a Theosophist, and apart from some pseudoscience and a page or two of references from antiquity, it builds its case mostly from spiritualism and Madame Blatavsky's book of Secret Teachings.

Its theory is that Atlantis was an actual continent, and the ages of its different races inspired what they called sub-races, the modern people of today. Lemuria however predated it, and was home to some fantastic "men" who were inhuman to the point of being alien. This work is alluded to in some of HP Lovecraft's work, and you can see why; the Lemurians were close in spirit to some of his creations.

Unfortunately almost all of the book reads like bad science fiction based on bad religious esoteric teaching, which it is. Imagine a Victorian Christian writing a history of ancient Japan based on reading the Book of Mormon, and throwing whatever crap he dreamed about when that ran out; that is what this book feels like. There's also the same distressing proto-racism which would impact Germany far later; references to the Aryan race and Vril make reading this uneasy due to what happened later.

To say it failed at its purpose is being mild. If you read this, it has more value for revealing how out there Theosophy was, and as one of the first "New Age" books, since Theosophy spawned both that movement and Wicca. My eyes glazed over several times as I read it, and if you're looking for basic info on the myths of Atlantis and Lemuria, don't bother with this.

[DKucar]

This book is based on the legends that may or may not be true. Author gave us very detailed description about their everyday life and I think that this part is not really accurate. Also the maps that are given to us in this book make no sense to me. On the other hand the author gave us facts that prove that something was really there. Honestly I believe that those places existed but it's impossible to describe everything in detail. He also talked about how races all over the world are connected together and that they came from that one super race. Evidences found from all over the world are saying the truth about it's existance but it's on us to decide if we believe it or not. This book definetley makes you think about how the world is not just a small box but a huge universe.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is awful woo-ish nonsense. Only possibly useful for gaming. And VERY poorly written.

[Natalie Westbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, seeing that this author came up with all of this in the late 1800’s. How in the world could he have known some of the things he accounted for? Fascinating read.