Odyssey of the Gods Explores Ancient Legends

Erich von Daniken Says Greek Myths Really Happened

In Odyssey of the Gods, Erich von Däniken explores the Greek myths, with which so many have grown up. One of these age-old legends is the exploits of Jason and the Argonauts as they go in search of the Golden Fleece. But do we at all remember that when we actually read these legends, it says that this Golden Fleece can fly? 

When von Däniken delved into the myths of the Greek gods that lived on Mount Olympus, he found how a translation from 1817 specifically described these deities as “they who dwell on the heights of Olympus”, while a 1970 translation renders the same sentence as “dwelling heavenly houses”. More and more, these Greek myths are translated “freely” and while doing so, certain key information that shows that the Greeks considered these gods to be far more real and present, is slowly substituted with the idea that they believed the gods to be more idealized and imaginary. He notes this is a global phenomenon, as all versions of the Indian Mahabharata have all been edited and shortened in recent decades, thus losing vital information on the true nature of the gods. 

The Greeks were also very clear on the fact that their gods were able to do miraculous healings, showing that what many consider to be a Christian phenomenon had far older roots. But what is clear – not just in the Greek culture, but even in the Bible – is that these gods had offspring. There are even passages that show how women died in childbirth, as the children they had begotten from these deities were larger than human beings, resulting in great problems during childbirth. 

With all of these legends, it should not come as a surprise that in the early 20th century, an object now known as the Antikythera Device was unearthed from a sunken Greek ship. Today, the device is known to be an astronomical clock, demonstrating the astronomical knowledge the Greeks possessed. Not coincidentally, astronomy was said to be one of the sciences given by the gods to Mankind. 

For forty years, Erich von Däniken has argued for the veracity of the ancient myths and legends: that they speak of genuine encounters with beings that were superior, as these creatures were extra-terrestrial. But today, the stand-off between science and the “evidence” that has been left behind by these early cultures, remains. But myths have been proven to be factual. And nowhere is this more in evidence than in the great Greek legend of the mythical city of Troy, one of the first recorded myths of Ancient Greece. For millennia, it was thought that this city did not exist, until Heinrich Schliemann discovered Troy, and proved that the myth was real. 

With all this in mind, von Däniken tackles the greatest Greek “legend” of them all: that of the lost civilization of Atlantis, which science states never existed, and is purely an idealized state… even though the ancient Greeks were vociferous about its reality, even sending emissaries to Egypt to confirm that the story of Atlantis was factual. With that in mind, are we not close to having to accept the reality of this lost civilization… and the physical reality of the Ancient Greek gods?