Pyramid of Hellinikon

Pyramid of Hellinikon – Man-Made Structures

There are around sixteen pyramids in Greece, some of which could be natural pyramidal hills while others like the Hellinikon pyramid were man-made structures. A thermo luminescence test was done by the Academy of Athens which dates the structure to 2720 BC contemporaneous with the age of the pyramid of Egypt.

The Pyramid of Hellinikon is located on the Peloponnes peninsular, around 8.5 km south-west of Argos and 3 km northeast of Kefalari. The purpose of its structure is unknown butit could probably be used for astronomical or observatory purpose. It is the remnants of the mysterious pyramids of the ancient Greek city Ellinika and is estimated to have historians and military bases.

It was first excavated in the early 1900s and 1960s by Germans and Americans and a Greek traveller, Pausanias described the structure as a pyramid, near Argos towards the ancient ruins of Tiryns. Not much remains of the graves in or near the structure. According to some theory, the pyramid of Hellinikon was a memorial to honour the fallen in battle, which brought the brothers and Proetus Akrisius of succession after his father, the king of Argos.

Comprises of Pure Rock without Polish

The Hellinikon pyramid comprises of pure rock without any polish which was discovered in Mycenaean era and the function of this pyramid does not differmuch, that as a place of burial. The rooms are occupied by walls which should have been locked from inside and coupled with a platform roof indicating that one of the functions of this structure could be that it served as a control tower.

Other possibilities could be that it could have been used as a place of worship for heroes as well as warriors of ancient times.The archaeologists estimated that the Pyramids of Hellinikon originated during the period 600-400 BC according to modern methods of optical thermo luminescence. This information is found in archaeological circles which have been dismissed as impossible and the results too have been challenged. The pyramids could have been older than Cheops pyramids in Egypt.

Damaged and Dismantled Partially by Locals 

The Pyramid at Hellenikon has a shape of a tour having its external sides sloping, surrounding a rectangular building having a total dimension of 7,030 by 9,070m.Its external walls rise up high and tend to be vertical in order to support the floors of the building while the main entrance of the structure is situation towards its eastern area which is the side that is turned towards the bay of the Argolid.

From the interior, the gate leads to a narrow corridor towards a smaller entrance opening on the southern wall of the main space, a square room having side of about 7m long and the monument is built from the grey limestone of the district with large blocks in trapezoidal as well as partially polygonal style.

The pyramid is also mentioned in the book `Lost Knowledge Hunters’, designed by Erich von Daniken along with the team of authors. Building materials and artefacts disappeared and the pyramid was damaged and dismantled partially by the locals.

Timeless Myths

Timeless Myths – Four Mythologies in Europe

Timeless Myths are focused around four mythologies in Europe namely Arthurian legends, Classical Mythology, Celtic Mythology and Norse Mythology. In the Middle Age and the Renaissance, Roman and Greek myths were renewed in arts and literatures and its popularity is even seen today.

Arthurian Legends

The Arthurian Legends comprises of tales and knightly romances and have been divided into three sections namely Camelot which is referred to the characters that are found in the Arthurian legends, the Age of Chivalry which are collection of tales and romance found in the Arthurian legends and the Songs of Deeds which are another collection of Frankish legend of Charlemagne, where the French called their epic poems as chanson de geste.

Classical Mythology

The Classical Mythology comprises of epics and tales of the ancient Roman and Greek myths and literature with great unmatched variety and originality. Greek mythology is intermingled with Greek classical literature and the works consists of old myths during the European history which has withstood the test of time.

It has survived through the works of several classical writers from the time of Greek colonisation – 5th century BC and the decline of the Roman Empire – 3rd century AD. However Roman myth and legend were not recorded till the 1st BC to the decline of Roman Empire.

Two great authors of Rome, Ovid and Vergil wrote on this subject and together with other Roman writers made classical myth very popular that the medieval Europe as well as modern society had the tendency to utilise the popular Roman names for the Greek gods and heroes rather than their Greek names.

Classical myths has four section namely the Pantheon related to information of Greek deities with tales of Creation along with other myths, the Heroic Age containing information of Greek heroes and heroines and their adventures. Royal Houses contain stories of famous families of the most powerful cities in Greece as well as legends of the foundation and monarchy of Rome

Celtic Mythology 

The Celtic myth was not recorded till the 11th century AD after the Vikings had left Ireland and their oral traditions; sources seemed to be quiet old and ancient. Several of the myths are from Ireland and Wales and Celtic myths comprises of those from Brittany, Cornwalland Scotland. Credits go to Welsh myths and to the Irish for the legends of King Arthur and while Tristan and Isolde medieval romance originated in Brittany, it became popular in Continental Europe as well as the British Isles. The Celtic literature did not appear till the Middle Age and the Celtic people and their religions were known during the ancient Rome.

Norse Mythology

The Norse Mythology differs from the other mythology. Here the characters and world even in Asgard are solemn and grave which may be due to the fact that though the gods are immortal, they have the tendency to be destroyed in the final battle between the good and evil.

Norse and Teutonic mythology are divided into three parts: The Asgard which contains information of Norse and Teutonic deities inclusive of Aesir and Vanir giants as well as monsters. Valhalla is information on Norse and German characters especially the heroes and heroines, rulers and the dwarfs while Norse Sagas contains Norse and Germanic tales of the Creations and Ragnorok together with Volsunga Saga and the Nibelungenlied.

Guinevere

Guinevere – Various Names in Literature

Guinevere has been portrayed by various names in literature as the daughter of King Leodegrance of Cameliard by Malory, the daughter of King Ogrfan Gawr of Castell y Cnwclas by Welsh tradition, the daughter of King Garlin of Galore by Germanic tradition, the daughter of a Toman noble by Geoffrey of Monmouth as well as the wife of King Arthur by most of the people in the Arthurian legend.

One of the most prominent tales in the medieval romances relates about her love affair with Arthur’s chief knight named Sir Lancelot wherein the story first surfaced in Chretien de Troyes’s Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart and then reappeared in various cyclical Arthurian literature as a common motif beginning with Lancelot Grail Cycle of early 13th century going through the Post Vulgate Cycle and Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.The betrayal of Guinevere and Lancelot of Arthur eventually led to the defeat at the battle of Camlann by Sir Mordred.

Most Beautiful, Desirable – Manipulative Figure

Guinevere has been described as a very beautiful and desirable woman besides being manipulative. She had a number of male suitors, throughout her life but when she married King Arthur, she remained faithful to him.

It is not known why she has been connected with Lancelot, presuming that she was either forced into or engineered an extra marital relationship with Lancelot and was condemned according to the law prevailing at that time.

It is said that she would have been a willing accomplice to Mordred’s treachery against Arthur as related in Wace and Layamon or it could be that she was forced into it against her will as stated in John Harding’sChronicle.

In the Triads of the Island of Britain, tantalising glimpses of her original relationship with Mordred are related where he is portrayed forcing his way into Arthur’s Court and dragging the Queen from her throne and striking her.


Various Versions to the Story

The reason for this act has not be given but it could be that the incident may have been the outcome of some quarrels between Guinevere and her sister, Gwenhwyfach, who was the wife of Mordred and the cause of the Battle of Camlan.

There are various versions to the story that is related about Guinevere. According to Chretien in, `Le Chevalier de la Charrete’, the story is of a triangle between Lancelot, Guinevere and King Arthur and has several versions which are available in history.

This love story was the result of the fall of the round table of King Arthur. King Arthur is an amazing character and as he rose to the status of a king from a beggar, became a legendary hero, with pride and elegance. He has been admired by many along with his beautiful wife and his knight Lancelot.

Lancelot – Bravest Knight of King Arthur

Lancelot was the son of a king and queen, but was looked after by a Vivienne of the Lake who had presented him to King Arthur when he was 18 years of age and seemed to be the bravest knight of King Arthur and envisaged as the `knight in shining armour till he met Guinevere, who was the queen of King Arthur and fell in love with her.

Guinevere reciprocated his love and they were soon obsessed for one another, though at first the King was unaware of this affair.

While this affair continued, Sir Meliagaunt, another knight got to know about it and being suspicious, informed the King about the relationship where the charges were subdued by Lancelot.

Many other knights also grew suspicious and together they caught them unaware while in bed which ended their affairs wherein Lancelot fought the army and escaped while Guinevere was sent to the convent for her infidelity.

Guinevere – Remainder of her Life – Nun 

Some stories relate that she spent the remainder of her life as a nun while Lancelot spent his life in hermit and could not see Guinevere again. Others relate that she was being executed for her infidelity and Lancelot is said fought bravely with many knights to save Guinevere but in vain and their love remained locked in their heart for the rest of their lives.

As the story goes on, it portrays that it was Lancelot who fell in love with Guinevere and got into relationship with her which doomed Arthur’s realm and the scandalous affair in the court became a catalyst which destroyed the fellowship between the Knights of the Round Table.

There are different versions to the tale of Guinevere where, in some she is already married to Arthur where Lancelot sees her for the first time while in another tale, Guinevere and Arthur are not married but are betrothed.

 Still others relate that Arthur was in love with her, others say that it was a marriage of convenience. Most of King Arthur’s deeds and history has been related by legend which made him a fascinating figure along with the people who surrounded him.

Moll Dyer – Witch Legend

The most haunting story in Maryland is the story of witchy legend known as Moll Dyer, a 17th century legend which is about a resident of Leonardtown, Maryland, more than 300 years back. She was considered to have been accused of witchcraft and driven out of her home by the local folks of the town on a cold winter night.

This legend is well known and often related in St. Mary’s County which is the site of the earliest successful English colonies in US territory which dates back to 1634 and the witch legend goes back to the late 1600s which has been fabricated by the locals here. Legend state that few days later, her body was found which was partially frozen on a large stone and as she placed one hand and knee on the rock, she called down a curse on her persecutors and the land.

 Her knee and hand left permanent impressions on the rock and stories were circulated that her spirit haunted the land looking out for the men who had forced her out from her home. It is also said that the land is cursed surrounding her cabin and does not grow any good crops with a number of unusual lightning strikes, that have been recorded there.

Large Rock with Imprints of hand and Knee

Though there are no records with regards to her existence, there is a road as well as a stream which is named after her in south of Leonard town where the lands there bear her name from 1890s. There is a large rock which is presumed to be her last resting place where she has probably left imprints of her hands and knees on the stone which was moved in 1972 towards the front of the circuit courthouse in Leonard town.

According to tradition, Moll Dyer was considered to be an outcast in that community between Leonard town and Redgate and though she resided in a hut, she lived on the generosity of the people through the alms house which is where Leonard town Middle School presently is.

The story has been related through the generations with changes in telling and in 1994, a series of interviews were conducted by Thomas Jarboe along with several locals who included a member of the Dyer family, a local historian and others from the families who had lived in the county since 1600.

Various Versions on her Existence

As per the interviews it was said that Moll Dyer came from Ireland, Virginia, Kentucky, in New England or Connecticut and was a widow who had been disappointed in love or a mother of two sons.

She could have been born as a Dyer or had married a Dyer while two of them considered her to be named as `Moldy Dyer and that she could have been an Indian maid abandoned by her lover after the birth of a child. Her death date varied from the mid-1600s to late 1700swith several of them thinking that Moll Dyer seemed to be a Catholic or could have come to Maryland due to it being more religiously tolerant than other colonies.

With no historical records available to validate the existence of Moll Dyer from that period, her name seems to have lived on. Around four miles southeast of the old jailhouse is a Moll Dyer Road which is a dead end, thickly forested residential road with a stream nearby which is also called Moll Dyer’s Run.

Legend Survives for Generations

The story of Moll Dyer has survived for generations irrespective of no historical records being found with regards to her existence. Records from colonial period tend to be incomplete and the county courthouse had been burned in 1831 with the earlier documents being lost. Some of the historical evidence available included –

Immigration records which showed that Mary Dyer, Marg Dyer and Malligo Dyer, - Moll was the nickname for Mary, were transported by Captain Thomas Taylor on a ship commanded by him,to Maryland in October 1677.

A great epidemic had occurred in Southern Maryland in 1697-98

In the 18th August 1892 edition of the St. Mary’s Beacon, Joseph F. Morgan had written that Moll lived in that area for several years and the cottage had been burned while Cotton Mather held sway in Puritans and this story has been reprinted in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s that are available at the St. Mary’s County Historical Society.

Witches Uncommon But Widely Believed

Witches were not common though it was widely believed that they did exist with several witchcraft trails being there in Maryland, beginning from 1654 and proceeding till 1712. One was of Rebecca Fowler of neighbouring Calvert County being hanged as a witch on 9th October 1685 while another in June 1654 is considered to be the crew of a ship Charity en route to Maryland from England, which tells about the hanging of a passenger, Mary Lee on suspicion of practicing witchcraft as per the Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, while yet another tells that in 1674, John Cowman of St. Mary’s County was convicted and condemned for witchcraft, conjuration or enchantment on the body of Eliza Goodall as per an 1885 edition of the Baltimore Time though he was pardoned by Charles Calvert.

Mountain Mystery: Dyatlov Pass incident

Dyatlov Pass Incident – Mysterious Death of Nine Ski Hikers 

The Dyatlov Pass incident is referred to the mysterious death of nine ski hikers on the night of February 2, 1959 in the northern Ural mountains where the incident took place on the east side of the Kholat Syakhl mountain, Mansi by name meaning Dead Mountain. The mountain where the incident took place has been named Dyatlov Pass after the leader of the group, Igor Dyatlov. A group had been formed for ski trek across the Urals in Sverdlovsk Oblast in the north and the original group was led by Igor Dyatlov comprising of eight men and two women who were students or graduates of Ural Polytechnical Institute. The aim of the expedition was to reach the Otorten Mountain, 10 km north of the site of the incident. At that time the route was estimated as Category III, one of the most difficult routes. The members in the group were all experienced in long ski tours and mountain expeditions. The group had arrived at Ivdel by train which is a city at the centre of the northern province of Sverdlovsk Oblast on 25th January and then took a truck to Vizhai, the last inhabited settlement far north. They then proceeded towards Otorten from Vizhai on January 27 and the following day, one of the members in the group, Yuri Yudin was forced to go back due to his illness while the remaining of the group of nine people carried on with the expedition.

Diaries & Cameras Found at the last Site

Around their last site of their camp, some diaries and cameras were found which made it possible to trace the group’s route up to the day preceding the incident. The group then arrived at the edge of a highland point on January 31 and began to prepare for the climb. Surplus food and equipment that would be needed for the trip back was placed in a wooded valley and the following day i.e. February 1, they moved through the pass. It seemed that they had planned to go through the pass and camp for the next night on the opposite side but due to the bad weather conditions, decreasing visibility and snowstorms, their seemed to lose their direction and went west up towards the top of Kholat Syakhyl. On realizing their mistake they decided to halt and set up camp there on the slope of the mountain instead of moving 1.5 km downhill, to a forested area that would have provided them some shelter from the weather. According to Yudin, the only survivor, states that Dyatlov did not want to lose the altitude which they had gained so far and hence decided to camp on the mountain slope.

Rescue Operation Team for Investigation 

Dyatlov had also agreed to send a telegram to their sports club when the group would return to Vizhai and was expected to do so not later than February 12th. When the days passed and no messages arrived, they still waited another few days and it was not until the relatives of the hikers demanded a rescue operation on February 20 that the head of the institute sent its first rescue operation group comprising of volunteer students and teachers which was later followed by the army and militsiva forces with planes and helicopter who were ordered to join the rescue operation. On February 26th, those involved in the search found an abandoned damaged tent on Kholat Syakhl and the student Mikhail Sharavin who spotted the tent stated that the tent was half torn down, covered with snow. It seemed empty with all the belongings of the group and shoes left behind in the tent. According to the investigator, the tent seemed to be cut open from inside.

Death of the Ski Hikers a Mystery

They also found eight or nine sets of footprints left by the group who seemed to be wearing only socks, a single shoe or barefoot followed leading towards the edge of a nearby wood on the opposite side of the pass 1.5 km to the north eastern side. But after around 500 metres the tracks were covered with snow and at the edge of the forest they found the remains of a fire under a large cedar along with the bodies of the two members of the group, Krivonischenko and Doroshenko without their shoes and dressed in their underwear. The branches of the tree seemed to be broken which indicated that they could have climbed up with the intention to seek something. Between the cedar and the camp the rescue group found three more bodies of Dyatlov, Kolmogorova and Slobodin who could have died in poses which indicated that they were attempting to return to the tent which were found separately within a distance of 300, 480 and 630 metres away from the tree. The remaining four members were traced after over two months, beneath four meters of snow in a ravine 75 meters further into the woods away from the cedar tree. The absence of any eyewitnesses had led to a lot of speculation and the Soviet investigators are of the opinion that `a compelling natural force’ could have been the cause of their death.