Alien Space Gods Of Ancient Greece and Rome (7 page)

A British historian (1913-1989), and a disciple of Charles Fort, W.R. Drake is one of the most credible researchers of the "Ancient Astronauts" theory, which maintains that aliens arrived on Earth and interacted with the human race throughout antiquity and in all parts of the globe. Author of a dozen books on the Space Gods phenomenon, Drake's work complements that of "
Chariots of the Gods?
" author Erich Von Daniken, but Drake's first book appeared in print prior to Von Daniken's international bestseller. In this book about the ancient
Mediterranean
's strange relationship with the Sky People, Drake utilized over fifty writers of antiquity and scrutinized their main works through a UFO "lens."

Drake spent many years digging through huge archives of material, looking for supposed anomalies that could support his scenarios of space aliens impacting human history. As Drake himself said, "I aspired to collect as many facts as possible from ancient literature to chronicle for the past what Charles Fort has so brilliantly done for the present century."

His published books include:
Gods or Spacemen?
(1964).
Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient East
(1968).
Mystery of the gods - Are They Coming Back To Earth?
(1972).
The Ancient Secrets of Mysterious
America
- Is Our Destiny Upon Us?
(1973).
Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient West
(1974).
Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient Past
(1975).
Gods and Spacemen Throughout History
(1975).
Gods and Spacemen in Ancient
Israel
(1976).
Cosmic Continents
(1986). Several additional manuscripts have been privately circulated and will eventually be published.

The greatest writers of antiquity agree that once there was a wonderful Golden Age on an earth ruled by gods' But it was destroyed by wars and cataclysm when Man degenerated through the Silver and Bronze Ages to our own Iron Age, Research into the classics reveals how the deities of
Greece
helped the valiant city of
Athens
defeat the invading armies of Atlantis in 10,000 BC. They inspired the Greeks and Trojans to fight for the beauteous Helen, surely a space queen. The literature of ancient
Greece
, its great plays and sublime philosophies show reverence for the ‘gods' who intervened at
Marathon
and
Salamis
, sending flying shields to aid Alexander storming the walls of
Tyre
.

The magic
land
of
Italy
still dreams of the Age of Saturn and the mysterious voices and apparitions which were manifestations of higher beings. Near
Troy
a UFO saved the army of Lucullus from destruction, omens from the sky foretold the murder of Caesar, men in white watched from the heavens as
Hannibal
ravaged
Italy
.

Surely these and other supernatural phenomena add up to real evidence that a race with advanced knowledge was at work in the classical world. Here is that evidence, presented so that you can judge.

Lightning flashed, night roared. Earth shook in sheets of flame spewing mushrooms of smoke to dim the stars. Electric blasts blitzed the mountain-peaks fusing the solid rock, waves of heat fired the forests. The world exploded. Those silver Spaceships winging down from the Moon ceased their destruction, descending warily over this wild scene they sought to land. Suddenly the mountain spat forth beams of light shriveling the ships like moths; one solitary survivor in frantic turns evaded the heat-ray tracking him and fled swiftly to Space.

Deep within the hillside the besieged Giants did not rejoice, this raid had failed, there would be others with fusion-bombs to blast the bowels of the Earth. For ten savage years the planet bad suffered assault from the skies waged with terrible nuclear weapons, mountain piled on mountain, continents quivered and crumbled to the ocean depths. Earth quaked in devastation, the fair lands of the West lay desolate. Invaders from the stars had overthrown the glorious civilisation of the Sun aided by treacherous wizards from their workshops underground. Earth's last defender stood at bay in the lofty
Caucasus
defying attacks from the skies, the hope of the world.

In his cavernous operations-room the Leader scanned the telescreen flashing scenes from the battle-fronts. The Giant's eyes sorrowed as he saw the once-proud Empire die in defeat; the towers of Atlantis toppled to the sea, the Pacific fleet burned in the
harbour
of
Tiahuanaco
; in
Italy
the Imperial capital smoked in ruins, its aged Emperor imprisoned on the
island
of
Britain
. From the blazing North-West hordes of refugees trudged towards the
Middle
Sea
. The Leader's ascetic features frowned, ‘Why did God permit such suffering? Must the innocent always...?’

Computers clicked, symbols glowing on the wall spelled grievous news. An atom-bomb in the last raid had wrecked the energy-plant charging the laser-light defences. The Leader sighed, then spoke into a microphone spurring his men to speed repairs. Time! He needed time. In subterranean laboratories his scientists were striving to control that primordial force which motivated the stars; soon he would free beloved Earth and carry the war to the planets to conquer Space.

The Leader stood on a rock outside and watched the sun gild the mountaintops in glory. He filled his lungs with the sweet dawn air and prayed to the Creator, who destined the affairs of men. The stars faded from sight, night fled before the wondrous splendour of a fresh day, from the sun- dappled valleys far below murmured the sounds and scents of awakened Earth reborn to new life.

Such blessed tranquility recalled those last days of peace. The Leader's gentle face smiled in reminiscence as he recalled that daring mission to Jupiter which had provoked this war; when rebelling against Space Overlords he with his two brothers landed on that giant planet and stole the secret of solar fire to benefit mankind, that escape by Spaceship through the planetary patrols still thrilled his adventurous soul. The outraged Jovians and their Allies promptly invaded Earth, assisted by rebels from the old regime who lived underground, their fantastic sidereal weapons blitzed the world. The peace-loving Emperor soon suffered defeat; his forces routed by Supermen from the stars. In that last battle both the Leader's brothers were captured; the youngest still defiant was imprisoned on a mountain in Africa; the other collaborated with the Jovian King and married a beautiful physicist, who as dowry brought a nuclear-reactor, this exploded catastrophically, its deadly radiation decimating the world.

Sirens howled. From the clouds swung a sinister Spaceship. The Leader swore as the enemy approached, the laser-rays were out of action, the fortress sprawled defenseless. Was this the end of Man on Earth? Must the planet yield to Aliens from Space? He gazed across yon sunlit hills, this radiant world he loved like a woman. Compassion for all humanity surged through his soul; for Earth he lived, for Her he died. The invader circled lower for final assault. From out of the Sun swooped a Scoutship, its blazing ray-guns ringed the assailant in flames and hurled it down to the valley exploding its nuclear-bombs.

Before this hero landed the Leader recognised that swashbuckling Giant whose exploits in battle and boudoir were the scandal of the Universe. His mediation brought honourable truce; the Jovians appointed the Leader Governor of Earth to rebuild civilisation. For many years he taught men all the arts of peace until the long-prophesied comet from Sirius menaced the world. As the fiery dragon approached, the Jovian King massed the planetary fleets to launch sidereal rockets to shatter the comet's head. Earth was spared total destruction but storms of fiery stones scourged the planet. Mankind degenerated to wickedness, the waters rose in mighty flood. The Giant rescued a man and a woman to start humanity again.

Science-fiction? Fantasy of the future? This story forms the earliest history of our Earth told with tragic brilliance by Hesiod, Aeschylus, Ovid and all the classic writers of
Greece
and
Rome
. Greek legends relate how Cronus (Saturn) ruled
Italy
in a Golden Age; his rebellious son, Zeus (Jupiter), was reared by the Cyclops, who under Vulcan were said to have great factories underground. Zeus revolted against his father and aided by the Cyclops overthrew him. The Titans refused to submit to Zeus; the leader, Prometheus, with his brothers, Atlas and Epimetheus, stole fire from heaven in a hollow tube. Finally Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock in
Caucasus
where during the day an eagle devoured his liver, magically renewed by night. Hercules killed the eagle and freed Prometheus. Atlas was condemned to bear the sky on his shoulders; to Epimetheus was given Pandora created by Vulcan, who brought with her a box containing every human affliction; on opening it all the evils escaped to plague the world but left therein was Hope. Later Zeus fought a sky-monster called Typhon, then he sent a great flood to destroy degenerate mankind. Prometheus made a huge box and saved his son, Deucalion, also his niece, Pyrrha, Pandora's daughter, to carry on the human race.

Memories of Prometheus's heroic defiance of the Gods, appear to be world-wide. In
India
the Rig Veda mentions a race of priests called Bhrigus to whom Matarishvan brought the secret fire stolen from heaven. The Chinese extol the hero, Kun, who stole from the 'Lord' a 'swelling mold', magical soil which expanded and filled the dykes to hold back the floods. The 'Lord' angered at the theft had Kun executed at
Feather
Mountain
, a darksome place in the Far North."

Plutarch wrote that Cronus, Ruler of the Golden Age, was deposed by Jupiter and imprisoned in
Britain
; Diodorus Siculus described the 'Arrow of Apollo', which destroyed the Hyperboreans in their Land of the Blest. Celtic bards and Norse scalds sang of the same war in the skies with titanic blasts and the weary Gods retreating to the stars leaving the shattered Earth for Man to build again.

The peoples of Antiquity marveled at these brilliant civilisations illuminating the past, yet their souls with wondrous inspiration sought mystic communion in that transcendent secret wisdom of the Gods, the glorious Spacemen, whose plaintive echoes still haunted those silent, shrouded, ancient Lands of the West.

'Sky was the first, who ruled over the whole world.'

The Greeks gloried in the patronage of the Gods, immortal Spacemen, disporting beyond the clouds on
Mount
Olympus
, whence they would oft descend in mortal disguise for amorous adventures inspiring all the Poets of Antiquity. Athenians, proud of their democracy, disdained all lesser humanity as barbarians and fought to the death against those great Kings of Persia, who sought to enslave free men in oriental despotism, yet those same Democrats cherished an affection for their Celestial family like absent friends. People rarely associated the Gods with religion, their barnyard morality brought blushes even to Greeks still savouring sensual delights; such virility aroused the envy of Ovid, whose erotic 'Art of Love' scandalised Augustan Rome. In national crises, Deities winged down to aid the hard-pressed patriots at
Marathon
and
Salamis
; should one linger to seduce some willing wench no father complained. Who could lock up his daughters against the lust of the Gods? Were not the greatest heroes of old heaven-born, the sons of virgins, the noblest men in the land? What pleased the Greeks most perhaps was that the Gods showed such good sense; unlike Jehovah, Who dominated the daily lives of the Jews, Father Zeus during the last few centuries was content to leave the Athenians alone to work out their own democracy, the wonder of the world. He need not interfere. Certainly no Greek grudged Zeus retirement The old tales were much confused, even learned philosophers disputed these legends of ancient times, no one was sure who lived in the stars, though all believed the first Kings of Earth came down from the sky. Zeus had toiled and suffered to save mankind in titanic wars and cataclysms; His power still preserved the free peoples of
Greece
.