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Gods from Outer Space?

Christy Taylor

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Summary: Have we been visited? Have extra-terrestrials influenced our history? If you look at mythology, it appears we have been visited! Almost all mythologies (Christian mythology included) mentions some sort of flying gods.

Have we been visited? Have extra-terrestrials influenced our history? If you look at mythology, it appears we have been visited! Almost all mythologies (Christian mythology included) mentions some sort of flying gods.

In the Algonquin myth (as told in J.F. Bierlein's book "Parallel Myths") a hunter, Algon comes upon a circle cut in the grass. Hiding in the bushes, he watches a great willow basket descend from the sky, and twelve beautiful maidens emerge. Doesn't this description of a flying "basket" sound similar to modern reports of "flying saucers"?

In Ancient Sumer clay tablets describe visits of the gods. The gods fly in vehicles, called Shems, or Mu, which are described as being tall rocket like "rocks" from which fire flies. The visiting gods stay at temples, built by humans under the instructions of the gods, and are waited on. Certainly the detailed descriptions of everything from who shakes hands with the gods first, to what food is served, and how the gods are carried back to their Shems imply that the Sumerians weren't just expecting spiritual visitors, but physical beings, from the sky.

In mythology it was not impossible to travel to the sky home of the gods, and visit them. A Sumerian hero, Adapa was so perfect that the god Ea decided to keep him alive forever, by taking him up to the Heavenly Abode of Anu (a higher deity) where Adapa could eat the Bread and Water of Life. If extra-terrestrials were the gods of myths, could they have had access to superior medicine or food to prevent death?

In yet another Sumerian myth the hero Gilgamesh travels to the landing place of the gods, and is permitted to travel up to Anu's Abode. The description of the landing place is interesting, for it describes (according to the book The Twelfth Planet, by Zecharia Sitchin) that "The heavens shrieked, the earth boomed; Daylight failed, darkness came. Lighting flashed, a flame shot up. The clouds swelled, it rained death. Then the glow vanished; the fire went out, and all that had fallen turned to ashes." Could Gilgamesh have been describing the launching of a rocket? Certainly a rocket could cause such smoke and ashes to fly into the sky.

A Native American myth, one of the Blackfoot Indians, tells of how a maiden fell in love with the Morning Sun, and was taken by him up to the Sky-Country.

In the Christian Bible, too, there are references to beings from outer space. It is reported in Genesis, that the "sons of gods" came down to Earth and married human women. Angelic visitors also could be interpreted as beings from space.

Psalm 82 could very easily apply to beings from outer space. The psalm starts saying that "God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgement among the gods." It continues with a description of the wrongs these gods do, and then concludes like this. "I said then to you: 'Gods you all may be and offspring of the Most high, but you shall die like mortals and fall like any of the mighty.' Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, and take all the nations as your possession!" The psalm is very clear about the idea of there being more than one god, with one as the high leader and judge.

Probably the most often quoted Bible verse in regards to extra-terrestrials, is the description of God, given by Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 1:1-25 Ezekiel tells of seeing a whirlwind of pale surrounding something that gleamed like pale yellow metal. He continues to describe four living creatures, that resembled men, but wore metal hoofs and helmets showing the faces of animals.

Other descriptions of gods, in other mythologies resemble that of extra-terrestrials too. Gods were regularly drawn with wings, but their wings do not always look like wings growing from them, but rather put on. Maybe the wings are simply to illustrate that the gods flew, and not so show how they distinctly flew. There are also a significant number of "flying globes" and other rocket type spaceships seen in ancient pictures.

In some myths, the gods are able to visit humans without being recognized, but in other stories, the gods can be recognized easily. Could they have worn uniforms, or equipment for flight? The gods were often drawn with "helmets" on.

Gods are also credited with teaching people their language. With this in mind, consider the biblical story of the tower of Babel. In it, the people decide to build something originally called a Shem, but traditionally translated to mean "a name" in hopes of keeping from being spread apart. How could a name help keep them from being separated? However, if the original word Shem means a space ship, or airplane, like the Sumer gods flew in, then the building project is completely practical. In the story, to build their Shem, they build a tower. A tower, of course, could be a launchpad. Or it could be the Shem itself. Now it is unlikely that the people of Babel knew how to build an airship themselves, but perhaps they had the help of one of the gods? A god, who like Prometheus (the Greek god who was punished for giving humans fire) defied the other gods in aide of the humans. The other gods were not happy, and went down to the humans, spreading the humans apart, and giving them all different languages so that they can't communicate and work together. After all, if the gods are extra-terrestrials, they definitely wouldn't appreciate their subjects, humans, becoming advanced.

The book "Gods of Eden" by William Bramley talks about "Custodial gods" who rule Earth. Like Sitchin, Bramley suggests that they created humans as a slave race. In his book he talks about their influence on humanity through out time, using war, plagues, other "natural" disasters, and religion as control methods to keep humans ignorant, and therefore obedient to the extra-terrestrial rulers.

Such a creation story is told in the Mayan mythology, which tells of four gods discussing from their thrones in the sky, how they want to create creatures to enjoy the earth and worship them. They proceed to attempt creatures of dust, wood, and gold, all of which fail. Then the fourth god creates creatures out of his fingers. These fourth creations were humans, and worshipped the gods as were created too.

From where did the extra-terrestrials come? According to the Zecharia Sitchin, they came from a twelfth planet with in our solar system. He points to the importance put on the number twelve through out history. There were twelve high Sumer gods, and twelve gods of Mount Olympus. In the Bible, Joseph compares himself and his brothers to twelve celestial bodies. We have twelve months of the year, and some of our math systems continue to follow the Sumerian use of the numbers 60 and 12. (Doesn't it seem strange that we have 60 minutes in an hour, and not a hundred? Or that our day is 24 hours, not 20?)

If extra-terrestrials came from planets in other solar systems, than it would be unlikely that they could travel back and forth as easily as they are reported too. The idea that they came from a yet unknown planet in our own solar system makes more sense.

Could ancient myths speak of extra-terrestrials? From what I read, I see that there is such a possibility. Why should Earth be the only planet with life, and if there is life else where, why could it not have visited us? If they have visited us, why have they apparently left? Perhaps they haven't. Perhaps they have. I only wish, in this essay to present some of the information that I have come across.

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Zecharia Sitchin