The Odissey: a Baltic tale?

[Josquius]

"This imaginary story actually took place in XXXX and not in YYYY" is possibly the supidest subgenre of conspiracy theories. See: Atlantis.

Yes, but it is consistent with people thinking the imaginary stories that took place in the Bible actually took place in this or that location.

Think about the arguments over where the garden of Eden was actually located, or the numerous trips to find the remains of Noah's ark.

I dunno, I really find all this "What are the origins of bible stories" stuff really fascinating. Some of them do have actual historic basis. Noah's Ark is a folk memory of some sort of flood is interesting- the Black Sea deluge one is unlikely but super cool.

Plus its a nice area where the irreligious and sensible people of the book can unite and stare in disgust at the literalist nuts.

[viper37]

The dude is

a nuclear engineer by training and an amateur historian by passion

which raises all kinds of red flags.

But he's Italian.  So that can't be you. 

[viper37]

"This imaginary story actually took place in XXXX and not in YYYY" is possibly the supidest subgenre of conspiracy theories. See: Atlantis.

Not a conspiracy theory, but for many francophone children, this was an interesting story back in our youth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_31

[celedhring]

Yeah, it was a very popular show in my youth, too.

[The Brain]

The dude is

a nuclear engineer by training and an amateur historian by passion

which raises all kinds of red flags.

But he's Italian.  So that can't be you. 

 

[crazy canuck]

"This imaginary story actually took place in XXXX and not in YYYY" is possibly the supidest subgenre of conspiracy theories. See: Atlantis.

Yes, but it is consistent with people thinking the imaginary stories that took place in the Bible actually took place in this or that location.

Think about the arguments over where the garden of Eden was actually located, or the numerous trips to find the remains of Noah's ark.

I dunno, I really find all this "What are the origins of bible stories" stuff really fascinating. Some of them do have actual historic basis. Noah's Ark is a folk memory of some sort of flood is interesting- the Black Sea deluge one is unlikely but super cool.

Plus its a nice area where the irreligious and sensible people of the book can unite and stare in disgust at the literalist nuts.

I agree that the mythological roots of the Biblical stories are interesting.  The flood story being a good example.  By the way, the prevailing theory is that the Bible story is not related to the flooding of the Black Sea but rather a retelling of the original Sumerian story (which is probably inspired by flooding which occurred in Persian Gulf).

But what is happening is people belief the Noah story is literally true and they try to find the remains of his boat which they belief is just waiting on some mountain top waiting to be discovered.

[grumbler]

"This imaginary story actually took place in XXXX and not in YYYY" is possibly the supidest subgenre of conspiracy theories. See: Atlantis.

Except that "Atlantis" almost certainly actually existed and was destroyed in pretty much the fashion Plato described.  He just got the size wrong (and was probably not trying for anything like accuracy except where it served his story).  See Thera.

[Razgovory]

Yeah, I doubt it.  Plato wasn't a writing a history and there is no evidence that the Greeks of his time knew anything about about a volcano on Santorini.  Besides Plato claims Atlantis was the Atlantic Ocean and you can't sail there because you'll run aground on the shoals made from the mountains of Atlantis.  We really don't know what happened to Atlantis except that it sunk because Plato's text is incomplete.

[crazy canuck]

"This imaginary story actually took place in XXXX and not in YYYY" is possibly the supidest subgenre of conspiracy theories. See: Atlantis.

Except that "Atlantis" almost certainly actually existed and was destroyed in pretty much the fashion Plato described.  He just got the size wrong (and was probably not trying for anything like accuracy except where it served his story).  See Thera.

I don't think he was talking about an eruption that happened about 1000 years before him.  The whole bronze age collapse happens between the eruption of there, and when Plato was writing, it's hard to believe that he had any kind of inkling of that event.

He was creating a mystical land for the purposes of his dialogue.

[viper37]

I agree that the mythological roots of the Biblical stories are interesting. 

All mythology is interesting.  I was always fascinated by the Greek mythology books my mom had when I was a kid.  I find it no different when it's Jewish/Christian mythology.

[viper37]

Besides Plato claims Atlantis was the Atlantic Ocean and you can't sail there because you'll run aground on the shoals made from the mountains of Atlantis.  We really don't know what happened to Atlantis except that it sunk because Plato's text is incomplete.

It got drunk and woke up in the wrong place.

[Josquius]

Atlantis was probably an amalgamation of multiple tales.
Tartessos is another big contender which sounds believable.

All mythology is interesting.  I was always fascinated by the Greek mythology books my mom had when I was a kid.  I find it no different when it's Jewish/Christian mythology.

It annoys me though that the Jewish stuff is so "hard to get to". Everything I've found seems so densely written and all reliant on other bits in an awkward nest with no clear branch, and assuming prior knowledge. Kind of like Tolkein mythology.
I'd love to read a good and straight forward tale of the theories for how they killed off their other gods and settled on Yehvah as the only valid god and all others believed by every other people as somehow not real. Jews: original athiests.

[Threviel]

Couldn't it also be memories from the flooding of the Persian gulf?

[Iormlund]

Not a conspiracy theory, but for many francophone children, this was an interesting story back in our youth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_31

 

[The Brain]

My impression has always been that the Iliad is based on real events. Obviously some parts are made up, like the androids.