7 Most Famous Mythical Places themindguild.com/7-famous-mythical-places September 25, 2018
All through history, humans have been enchanted upon hearing tales and stories about mythical cities, places, and paradises that reside in secret locations – or are forever lost in the sands of time. We will examine today the 7 famous mythical places of this world. These places are legendary and known to many great cultures. Some have actually served as allegories of more peaceful and prosperous times. While philosophers spun stories about these lost cities, many ancients have dreamed of such places that gave rise to the golden ages of utopia. The notions of journeys through these enchanted lands have captivated many across the ages. Some may even begin to believe in them once again.
Atlantis 1/5
Unlike other stories where the appearance of such places are lost to historical records, we happen to know precisely who concocted the story of Atlantis and when. This tale was told originally by Plato sometime around 330 BC, during two of his dialogues “Critias” and “Timaeus.” It has since been established Atlantis has no records that exist about it prior to these texts. It is commonly believed that Plato used Atlantis as a plot device for his speeches. It is believed that the Sunken City of Atlantis was a powerful civilization that was wealthy, sophisticated, and established by a demigod. It consisted of several concentric islands. He described it as having exotic animals and plants. Plato illustrated through these people what happens to a nation after they succumb to hubris.
Avalon A town in England named Glastonbury is very well known for having strong neo-pagan beliefs and home to many King Arthur legends. People used to believe that this was the location of the legendary paradise Avalon. We first heard about Avalon during 1136 in the Historia Regum Britanniae written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. According to legendary sources, Morgan le Fay ruled this island; le Fay was known to have nursed Arthur to health after a brutal battle. This mystical island is often called the Island of Apples since at one time; it was covered with apple forests. The inhabitants of this island were believed to be immortal as well. And of course, this was also the place where the legendary sword Excalibur was supposedly forged. King Arthur was lead to rest in Avalon and placed on a bed made of gold.
Arcadia
2/5
A few hundred years before the time of Plato, the Greeks envisioned a place known as Arcadia. This land was an early view of what utopia looked like, and it’s the name used for a region today in Greece. In ancient mythology, the land of Arcadia represented a back-to-nature visionary place. The wilderness there was home to Pan, who was a God from the woodlands that lived with nymphs and satyrs who guarded his hedonistic paradise. This place was the reward for those who wanted to live a prosperous delightful life for many years. It was considered to be an Eden where gods and spirits dwelled in longevity and ecstasy. Arcadia continues to be a very popular muse for creative people like artists and sculptors. Ovid and Virgil established lots of their poems within these forests. Renaissance painters and Medieval European writers have all attempted to capture the aura this enchanted land.
El Dorado El Dorado began as a tale pertaining to a king who was known as a “The Gilded One.� He was believed to be a native king whose body was powdered with gold and who threw ornate jewels in a lake during his coronation. All of these legendary tales spun into an enchanted land we refer to as El Dorado today. These legends become larger over time as those from Europe discovered more and more of South America. This golden city possessed untold wealth and prestige, which attracted lots of adventurers. El Dorado was believed to be located near Lake Guatavita. When explorers discovered this lake, they lowered the water level and found literally hundreds of pieces of gold.
Lemuria
3/5
This hidden place was revealed through lots of stories many years prior to Atlantis. There are numerous sources for tales about Lemuria. Some of them have been occult writings, some were pseudo-histories and some were even scientific musings about a lost continent also. Many texts coming from the east refers to a place known as ‘Ra-Mu.’ And within several sacred Tibetan texts, this place is called Muri or Lemuria. Madame Blavatsky was a famous Russian occultist that was a also co-founder of the Theosophical society during the year of 1875. She authored a thrilling piece of fiction regarding this secret place. Blavatsky states in her “The Secret Doctrine” that Lemuria has a third race of people called Lemurians, and she also writes that Atlantis existed as well.
Shambala/Shangri-La Shambhala happens to be a Sanskrit term that is defined as a “place of peace.” This is actually a mythical paradise that existed before Tibetan Buddhism. This name was first observed in the Zhang Zhung scripture from western Tibet. The legend says it is a heavenly place where just the purest is allowed to live. Old age does not occur there and no suffering ever happens in this mythical kingdom. Also called Shangri-la, this land has had many names over the years. It was referred to as the Forbidden Land, the Land of Living Gods, and the Land of Radiant Spirits. Many people from the west believed Shangra-la to be real for years, and thought it be located somewhere deep in the Tibetan mountains. Buddhists claim this place was ruled by a future Buddha called Maitreya, who would rule the world after the end of time.
Thule
4/5
Thule has been an intriguing place many poets, explorers, and even occultists who were Nazis. It is believed that this territory is located near the Arctic. This tale was spoken during the 4th century BC after an explorer from Greece called Pytheas who supposedly traveled to an island of ice that was north of Scotland. Although several of Pytheas’ fellow explorers did not validate his claims, the legend of Thule lived on throughout the ages. The original location is believed to be either Iceland or Norway. The island’s myth was actually linked to a Thule Society, which was a post-World War I group that believed the island was the ancestral home for the Aryan race. Famous Mythical Places Prev Post 3 Traits of Highly Intelligent People Next Post Grim Explanation Why We haven’t Seen Any Aliens Thus Far
5/5