6 famous places on the planet, historians still argue about the reality of their existence

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

People have always been attracted by the unknown distance. Everything mysterious and mysterious, lost and unattainable, invariably attracted various kinds of dreamers, treasure seekers and adventurers. Legends of cities of untold wealth, hidden in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the search for a lost paradise and the location of the Holy Grail have all had a profound impact on human history. Find out more about the six most influential places on earth that have never been.

1. Kingdom of Presbyter John

More than five centuries ago, Europeans seriously believed that somewhere in the wilds of Africa, India or the Far East, there was a huge Christian empire ruled by a king-priest. The myth first gained popularity in 1165, after the Byzantine and Roman emperors received a letter from a monarch who called himself "Presbyter John." The letter was most likely a fake. The mysterious king claimed to be the "supreme ruler of the three Indies" and all of its seventy-two kingdoms. He described his kingdom as a land rich in gold, flowing with milk and honey. The power is inhabited, according to this ruler, by exotic races of giants and strange horned people. Perhaps most important in all this is that Presbyter John and his subjects were Christians.

The papal mission to find the mythical court of the mysterious presbyter John disappeared without a trace, but the myth of his kingdom took root among Europeans. The Christian Crusaders rejoiced greatly at the idea that some devout ruler might come to their aid in the fight against Islam. When the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan conquered parts of Persia in the early 1200s, many mistakenly attributed the attack to the forces of Presbyter John. Later, this fabulous kingdom became an object of admiration for all travelers and explorers. The myth of a certain "ideal state" attracted and excited the minds. Marco Polo composed a very dubious story about meeting his remnants in North China, while Vasco da Gama and other Portuguese sailors searched for him in Africa and India. Although explorers eventually discovered a vast Christian civilization in Ethiopia, it lacked the grandeur and untold wealth that Europeans associated with the kingdom of Presbyter John.

There is no reliable historical evidence of the existence of this Christian country under the leadership of a just leader. All documentary information is just retellings from hearsay. In general, the utopia about the kingdom of goodness and justice has always worried people. Let this power never existed, let it be wishful thinking, but it was worth inventing.

2. Eldorado

Since the 16th century, all European explorers, especially the Spanish conquistadors, have been incredibly fascinated by the tales of the mythical golden city. It was located presumably in the unexplored wilds of the forests of South America. The city arose out of tales of King El Dorado ("The Gilded"), who powdered his body with gold dust and threw gold and jewelry into the sacred lake during his coronation ceremony. The stories of the gilded king eventually led to rumors of a magnificent golden city full of untold riches. Adventurers of various kinds have spent many years of their lives in a fruitless search for El Dorado and its fabulous treasures.

One of the most famous expeditions to El Dorado took place in 1617. English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh climbed up the Orinoco River to find it in what is now Venezuela. The mission found no trace of the legendary golden city. Raleigh himself was later executed by King James I for disobeying orders to avoid skirmishes with the Spaniards. The mysterious mythical Eldorado continued to lure explorers, provoking colonial violence until the early 1800s. Then scientists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland branded the city a myth after a research expedition to Latin America.

3. Hi-Brasil

Long before the moment the first European set foot in the New World, researchers searched in vain for the mysterious island of Hi-Brasil. This ghostly atoll is said to have lurked somewhere off the west coast of Ireland. The history of this mythical island most likely dates back to some Celtic legend. Its name means "Island of the Blessed" in Gaelic, but its exact origin is unclear. High Brasil first began to appear on maps in the 14th century. Usually it was depicted as a small round island, divided in two by a narrow strait. Many sailors believed in its existence until the 1800s. High Brasil has become a popular food for all sorts of myths and fairy tales. Some legends have described the island as a lost paradise or utopia. Others noted that he was constantly hidden by a dense curtain of fog and became visible to the naked eye only once every seven years.

Despite its fantastic reputation, High Brasil was widely popular with British explorers during the 15th century. One of them was the Englishman John Cabot. He undertook several expeditions to find the legendary island. Cabot had hoped to find him on his famous trip to the coast of Newfoundland in 1497. Documents from Cabot's time claim that some researchers had already found Hi-Brasil before him. Others argue that these sailors could be wrong. In fact, they just inadvertently made the trip to America before Christopher Columbus.

4. Thule

The mysterious island of Thule, which caused a storm of enthusiasm among ancient explorers, romantic poets and Nazi occultists, was an elusive territory. Presumably this island is located in the icy waters of the North Atlantic near Scandinavia. Legends about him date back to the 4th century BC. Then the Greek apprentice Pytheas claimed to have made a trip to a certain ice island outside Scotland. According to him, the sun rarely set there, and land, sea and air mixed into an amazing jelly-like mass.

Many contemporaries of Pytheus doubted these tales of him, but “distant Thule” remained in the European imagination. It eventually became the symbol of the most northerly place in the known world. Researchers have identified it in various ways. Someone considered it Iceland, someone Norway or the Shetland Islands. The island has consistently served as a recurring motif in poetry and myth. Thule is perhaps best known for the so-called Thule Society, an esoteric organization in Germany. It was formed after the First World War and considered Thule the ancestral home of the Aryan race. The Munich-based group numbered many future Nazis among its members, including Rudolf Hess. He later served as a deputy under Adolf Hitler.

5. St. Brendan's Island

Saint Brendan's Island was the mysterious embodiment of paradise on Earth. It was believed to be hidden somewhere in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The ghost island myth dates back to the Navigatio Brendani, or Brendan's Voyage, the 1200-year-old Irish legend of Saint Brendan the Navigator.

As the story goes, Brendan led a team of devout sailors in the 4th century in the search for the famous Promised Land. Their voyage was incredibly rich in various fabulous incidents. Legends describe battles with mysterious giants, throwing fireballs at sailors, meetings with talking birds. After all these miraculous events, Brendan and his men landed on a fog-covered island. This truly beautiful place was full of delicious fruit trees. The ground was covered in sparkling gems. The grateful team spent forty days exploring the island before returning to their native Ireland.

Although there is no historical evidence of Saint Brendan's journey, the legend became incredibly popular during the medieval era. St. Brendan's Island has even been reflected on many maps of the Atlantic. At first, cartographers placed it near Ireland, but in subsequent years it migrated to the shores of North Africa, the Canary Islands and, finally, the Azores. Sailors often claimed that they had a glimpse of the island during the Great Geographical Discovery. It is likely that even Christopher Columbus himself believed in its existence. However, the legend eventually faded after several search expeditions failed to find it. By the 18th century, the famous "Promised Land" was excluded from most navigational charts.

6. Kingdom of Saguenay

The history of the mirage-like kingdom of Saguenay dates back to the 1530s. It was then that the French explorer Jacques Cartier made his second trip to Canada in search of gold and the northwest route to Asia. As his expedition traveled along the St. Lawrence River in present-day Quebec, Cartier guides from the Iroquois tribe began to whisper tales of the Saguenay to him. According to their stories, it was a huge kingdom that lay in the north of Canada. According to the leader of the tribe named Donnacona, the mysterious kingdom was rich in spices, furs and precious metals. It is inhabited by fair-haired, bearded men with pale skin. The stories eventually turned into a realm of absurdity - the natives claimed that the region was also home to races of one-legged people and entire tribes with "no anus." Cartier was incredibly keen on the prospect of finding Saguenay and plundering his wealth. Donnacona was returned to France by Cartier and continued to tell his fables about the fabulously wealthy state to the French king.

As a result, the legends of Saguenay would haunt French explorers in North America for several years. Avid treasure hunters have never found any trace of the mythical land of abundance or its mysterious white inhabitants. Most historians now dismiss this as myth or fiction. Some scholars argue that the locals may have really meant the copper deposits in the northwest. Some experts believe that the Native American tales of the mythical kingdom of Saguenay could be inspired by the centuries-old Scandinavian outpost. It survived after the Viking voyages to North America. There are scientists who put forward a version that the cunning Indians simply invented this story. They wanted to ward off the bloodthirsty conquerors from their lands, sending them to the harsh northern regions. There many of them died of hunger and scurvy.

Be that as it may, all these stories ultimately led to the age of great geographical discoveries. The world has changed forever to become gradually what we know it today. But even in our time, there are romantics who like to amuse themselves with the hope that someday they will find a fairyland. There are rivers of milk and jelly banks, placers of precious stones and mountains of gold. Fantastic intelligent creatures live there in an atmosphere of universal absolute happiness. People love utopias.

The existence of these places is questionable. History knows quite real examples of highly developed and fabulously rich civilizations that have practically disappeared from the face of the Earth without a trace. Read our article on because of what collapsed 6 of the most highly developed ancient civilizations.