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Article #16: Here Be Dragons: The Strange Enigma of Serpent Mounds

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Over the course of many years and with which from all the evidence here simply
more air-miles than I care to remember, I gives us the conclusion that these were
have journeyed on a quest to uncover the places of rebirth. One would push through
secrets of the ancient serpent cults that the symbolic circle, or out of the egg
I reveal in my books. But each time I and slough off the old skin. But, there
journey, I discover something new. There is more evidence yet to be unearthed and
truly is a whole new world opening up which reveals this sloughing of the skin
before our eyes and suddenly and often linked with these ancient sites.
without warning we are faced with a The classical Greeks frequently depicted
re-interpretation of history that we are a serpent squeezing between two upright
simply not looking for. stones, which they called Petrae
Now in another twist in the tale of the Ambrosiae (stone or rock ambrosia);
serpent I uncover one of the ancient noting that Ambrosia is the nectar and
truths about dragons, remembering that in Elixir of the gods. According to the 19th
myth and in ancient history, dragons and Century archaeologist, Bryant, Stonehenge
serpents are intertwined like the coils was seen as Amber stones with nearby
of a pit viper. Amesbury - previously Ambrosbury - as
We need to begin in America of all proof. In this way, the healing abilities
places, for two reasons. Firstly that of the megalithic stones is attributed to
this is the last place we would even the serpent. In fact we do still find
consider looking for dragons, and traces of this in many stories about
secondly because the evidence is most dragons, who protect, serve and heal
profound here in archaeological terms. those ancient people of the stones.
The evidence of serpent worship in the The antiquarian and stone circle spotter
Americas can largely be shown via the extraordinaire William Stukely also found
many serpent mounds that appear across two other 'serpent temples,' one at Shap
the continent. The most famous by a long in Westmorland and the other at
way is the 'Serpent Mound' of Ohio, Adams Classerness in the island of Lewis. In
County. According to some [1] this fact Stukely thought that the Greek
marvellous mound is related to Stonehenge legend of Cadmus sowing dragon's teeth
and they say that it is the 'Dragon alluded to his building a serpentine
Guardian' of the East to Stonehenge's temple. In fact Cadmus was turned into a
Secret of the West. Indeed it is thought serpent (or followed the serpent cult)
that the two ancient structures actually and stone temples were erected in his and
do share the same timeline and may very Harmonia's honour. Pausanius helps us
well have born relationship to each along and points out that "In the road
other, if indeed ancient man shared the between Thebes and Gilsas, you may see a
same beliefs and travelled extensively, place encircled by select stones, which
as is the growing belief of many the Thebans call The Serpent's Head." So,
scholars. Of course Stonehenge is also ancient tales may in fact be clues to the
directly north of that infamous serpent real identities of the serpents and
temple, Avebury. dragons of fable, and these real
Avebury is a huge British Temple and identities may in fact be real and
stone monument erected around 2,000 BC in literal places and monuments. Places
the shape of a serpent when seen from the where, perhaps, snakes were held in high
sky. Once known as Abury which according esteem by the ancient ophites or serpent
to Deane [2] is evidently Abiri or Ab-ir worshippers of the world.
(after the Abiri people or Cabiri who There are many more texts mentioning
were serpent worshippers). Abir dragons and serpents, such as the one
incidentally means the solar snake or that Taxiles showed to Alexander the
fire snake. Great and which was sacred to Dionysus.
Although some have argued whether Avebury It was said to be of enormous size,
should ever have been Abury or Aubury walled around and resided in a low, deep
(serpent sun) the fact remains that even place. It is our conjecture that such
as far back as the 17th century there was places, like Stonehenge, were 'portals'
a Mr Aubury who said himself that it or 'gateways' to the 'land of the
should be pronounced and spelt Aubury serpents;' places of mystery and rebirth,
(found in the legier-book of Malmesbury where offerings and sacrifices must be
Abbey.) made to the serpent benefactor.
Of course even as Ave Bury, the 'Ave' Indeed, there is plenty of evidence now
reverts back to the root of 'Eve' which from people such as Paul Devereux that
we know means 'female serpent.' The show such places were also great
pathway of Avebury passes through a large resonance boosters. That is, they
circular Temple of the sun emerging and amplified sound in peculiar ways, thus
then winding again and ending with an creating the booming sound of the dragon.
oddly, not quite circular head - directly They even go as far as saying that the
in line with 'Snakes Head Hill' resonance creates spiral and serpent
(Hackpen.) The central circle is symbolic wave-like shapes from the dust and smoke,
of the sun, which is the male principle as the sound wave carries the particles
in the creative process and is symbolized along its serpentine path. The serpent
elsewhere as a bull or lion. Once the could truly have been seen to rise and
serpent has passed through or around this heard to roar.
sun circle it is recharged for new life. However, most people are not aware that
In Egyptian hieroglyphs we can see similar mounds and monuments also appear
similar imagery with the symbol of the elsewhere and often associated with the
snake going over the solar disc, emerging serpent or dragon in similar ways.
head erect. Overlaid onto Avebury it is In 1871 at the meeting of the British
the same image! Adding to this, that the Association in Edinburgh, a certain Mr.
snake is often depicted with the ancient Phene gave an account of his discovery in
Egyptian Ankh symbol dangling from its Argyllshire of a similar mound, "several
emergent neck - the Ankh being a symbol hundred feet long, fifteen feet high and
of new life - the great circle of Avebury thirty feet broad."
simply has to be the 'solar disk' and the The tail tapered away, while a circular
pathway the snake - thus illustrating in cairn, which he presumed to be the solar
a painfully labour-intensive way, the disk above the head of the "Egyptian
ritualistic path of the serpent uraeus", surmounted the head.
worshipper towards new life. Indeed this is not a "one off." In the
The circular aspect of the Stone Circles Zend Avesta of the Zoroastrians one of
of Europe are strangely reminiscent of the heroes takes a rest on what he thinks
the Temples of Quetzalcoatl, which were is a bank - only to find out that it was
"circular, and the one dedicated to his a green snake!
worship in Mexico, was entered by a door Iphicrates related that in Mauritania
like unto the mouth of a serpent." [3] A "there were dragons of such extent that
very similar ritualistic inference to grass grew up on their backs." Thus
those based around Avebury and other showing the highly likely chance that
Stone Circles. tales of massive dragons in far-off lands
John Bathurst Deane explains in his book could easily be Serpent Mounds.
on serpent worship, "A third description Other instances of Serpent Mounds however
of temples consecrated to the service of are to be found mentioned by Strabo (Lib
the Ophites god remains to be considered: xv. P.1022) where two dragons are said to
and these were not only the most rare, have resided in the mountains of India,
the most characteristic, and the most one eighty cubits long and the other one
magnificent; but, probably, the most hundred and forty. Posidonius also tells
sacred of them all. These were erected in of one in Syria, which was so large that
the form of the Ophite hierogram, the horse riders on either side could not see
serpent passing through a circle." each other. Each 'scale' was as big as a
This hierogram is the symbol of the shield, so that a man "might ride into
serpent, a circle with a snake passing his mouth." Bryant concurs with the
through it, like a needle and thread. He belief that these must be ruins of Ophite
continues, "They were composed, like the temples.
circular temples, of a number of And what were these Temples used for?
Baitulia, or amber stones, so arranged as In ancient Egyptian papyri and in the
to describe the mystic circle, through Mesoamerican, codex borgia there are
which the still more mystic serpent instances or tales of the King entering
trailed his majestic form." the serpent and going through it in-order
And this is the truth of the Stone to be resurrected - much like those we
Circles and physical hierograms: that find in the myth of Osiris.
they were re-birthing circles, a being A book said to have been written by Votan
born again through the spirit, through (Quetzalcoatl) in the language of the
the circle. We can even make a remarkable Quiches and thought to have been in the
deduction from the strange word possession of Nunez de la Vega, the
"baitulia" mentioned above by Deane. Bishop of Chiapas, has some revealing
These are betyl stones or serpents eggs. elements - so revealing that the Bishop
In Wales the serpents were said to emerge tried to burn it. Votan says he left
and congregate on Midsummer's Eve to blow Valum Chivim [4] and came to the New
into the Serpent Stone-Eggs or Glain World to apportion land among seven
Neidr, which is reminiscent of the Roman families who came with him and were said
historian Pliny's tale of this activity to be culebra or of serpent origin.
amongst the Gauls. These serpent stones Passing the "land of thirteen snakes" he
were said to be coloured pebbles, which arrived in Valum Votan, founding the city
gave 'second sight' and healing. of Nachan (City of Snakes), thought to be
Midsummer's Eve was the night when the modern day Palenque, possibly around 15
serpents would role themselves into BC or even earlier. Votan is said to have
hissing balls and create the glain egg, made four trips to the east and even to
also known as 'snake stone' or 'Druid's have visited Solomon.
egg.' In Welsh myth even Merlin himself Interesting to Serpent Mounds however is
went in search of them. the description of a subterranean
The egg, Cosmic Egg or Cosmogenic Egg is passage, which is said to terminate at
universally seen with the serpent - as in the root of "heaven." This was called a
the symbol of the Orphic Egg which is "snake's hole" and Votan was only allowed
shown with a snake wrapped around it. in because he was the son of a snake.
From the serpent mound of Ohio to Mithras Surely this can only mean that Votan was
and Cneph, the egg is associated with an initiate in the serpent cult and that
serpent worship. Why? According to most there was a ritualised Serpent Mound or
scholars it is the emblem of the mundane pyramid which led to snake heaven or
elements coming from the creating god. Patala.
Therefore it is a symbol of the elements The Fenian heroes of ancient Ireland are
of the universe. But surely there is also recorded orally in song and one of them,
another reason; a reason that would Fionn, was their 'dragon slayer.' One of
relate to early man more than such the legends tells us that:
complex ideas, which are ideas sprung "It resembles a great mound, its jaws
into the mind of modern scientists and were yawning wide; There might lie
scholars? concealed, though great its fury, A
What is an egg? Simply an 'entry portal' hundred champions in its eye-pits.
into this world. A device to give life. Taller in height than eight men, Was
And what animal is seen in relation to its tail, which was erect above its back;
this unique device and portal? . . It is Thicker was the most slender part of
the snake. Again, it is the snake - a its tail, Than the forest oak which was
symbol of the life force - that creates sunk by the flood."
the device, which gives life. Fionn asked where this great monster had
The Egyptian creator deity, Cneph, come from and was told, "From Greece, to
mentioned above was represented as a demand battle from the Fenians." It seems
serpent with an egg thrusting from his that the serpent worshippers had come to
mouth, just like the Ohio Serpent Mound Ireland, believed to be from Greece, and
and other places. From this egg proceeded had fought the ancient inhabitants,
the deity Ptah, Phtha or Ptah - the leaving behind such terror of them that
creative power and 'father god' who is they became symbolized as this great
the same as the Indian Brahma. These 'dragon mound.' Fionn, it is said, opened
Brahma have been related by scholars to the side of the dragon and released the
the Jewish Essene community and also to men, going on to kill it. It may be that
Mithra we mentioned earlier. Mithra was there is a mixture of wartime fact built
encircled by serpents and can be equated in with ritualistic truth in this legend.
in many ways to Jesus, being a solar Emerging from the side of the dragon, as
divinity and reborn on the 25th of in other myths, gives new life. In this
December, like the sun. There is little way, it is no different to the Celtic
wonder that a Persian god such as Mithra cauldron of rebirth - something else also
and a Judaic semi-deity such as Jesus be linked intricately to the serpent.....
linked when one understands that the Notes
folds of the ancient serpent cult were so 1 See:
all-encompassing that they encircled the 2 John Bathurst Dean in Worship of the
globe like a Leviathan. We can even see Serpent Traced Throughout the World and
elements of this when Jesus is equated to its Traditions Referred to the Events in
the Brazen Serpent of Moses; when we are Paradise (1830). Deane also believed
told to be wise as serpents and that he that the Kaaba or Caabir of the Muslims -
even shed his shroud or skin once which was a conical stone - resolved
crucified upon the cross. Incidentally, itself into Ca Ab Ir - the 'Temple of the
snakes are still to this day nailed to Serpent Sun.'
trees in certain parts of Africa as a 3 Hargrave Jennings, Ophiolatreia
sacrifice for our sins and for healing 4 Chivim is a Hebrew word, meaning "sons
remedies. of the female serpent" (or Eve) and may
And so we have circular monuments and imply a greater knowledge of this journey
serpent mounds associated with the egg, from a Judaic perspective.






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