Source: “The Lost Colony of the Templars: Verrazano's Secret Mission to America**”,** By Steven Sora, Destiny Books, 2004.
This podcast explores the possibility of pre-Columbian European contact with North America, arguing that ancient northern cultures, particularly those in the Orkney Islands and Ireland, possessed sophisticated astronomical and seafaring knowledge predating more commonly recognized civilizations like Egypt and Babylon. The text suggests this secret body of knowledge, symbolized by concepts like "Arcadia" and the "underground stream," was preserved and passed down through various groups, including shamans, initiates, and eventually the Norse (Vikings). It presents evidence from megalithic structures like New Grange and the Ring of Brodgar, sagas detailing voyages to lands like Vinland (North America), and archaeological finds in Canada to support the claim that Norse explorers reached and potentially settled in the Americas centuries before Columbus. Furthermore, it connects these northern sea voyages and the preservation of ancient wisdom to later groups like the Knights Templar and families like the Sinclairs, suggesting a continuous, albeit often hidden, link between these early explorations and later European history.
Topic 1 The sources discuss the concept of an "underground stream" of secret knowledge, particularly ancient wisdom concerning science and the universe. This knowledge, including complex understanding of astronomy and geometry, is presented as having been preserved through secret societies, shamans, seers, and small groups of initiates. The sources suggest that this ancient wisdom may have originated or been highly developed in the western isles of Western Europe (like the Orkneys and Ireland) at a much earlier time than traditionally credited to civilizations in the East, such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Vikings are mentioned as potential conduits for the transmission of such secrets. This hidden knowledge was often encoded within myths, understood by the initiated while serving as simple tales for the unlearned.
Topic 2 A significant topic is the description and importance of megalithic monuments found in Western Europe, specifically in the Orkney Islands north of Scotland and the Boyne Valley in Ireland. Sites like Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and Maes Howe in the Orkneys, and New Grange in Ireland are highlighted. These structures, some dating back thousands of years, are presented not just as simple buildings but as architectural wonders and sacred expressions demonstrating early knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. Details about their construction, such as the massive stones used (some weighing thirty tons), and their potential functions, such as serving as calendars and guides to seasons, are provided. The sources emphasize that the scale of these projects required massive labor and sophisticated technology, suggesting a level of civilization and collective effort far beyond simple hunter-gatherers.
Topic 3 The sources delve into the ancient understanding of astronomical science, focusing on the measurement of solar and lunar cycles. The megalithic monuments are presented as evidence of this knowledge, designed to assist priests or scientists in tracking the movements of the sun and moon. Specific astronomical alignments, such as the sun rising through the Stones of Stenness to enter Maes Howe on the winter solstice, and the light entering New Grange's passageway during the midwinter sunrise, are described. The Metonic cycle, a nineteen-year convergence of solar and lunar cycles, is mentioned as knowledge understood in Western Europe centuries before Meton of Athens or its use in the Babylonian calendar. This astronomical understanding was encoded in myths and symbolism, often with sexual connotations (sun as male, earth as female, rebirth). The ability to predict celestial events like eclipses is presented as a powerful tool for initiates, used to maintain awe among the masses, though the monuments' primary function is argued to be the preservation of scientific knowledge.
Topic 4 The history and culture of the Norse people are a major topic. The sources describe the Norse as originating from a widespread culture with a middle class of free farmers who transitioned into sea traders and raiders, now known as Vikings. Their exceptional sailing capabilities are highlighted, with descriptions of their ships and their ability to cross significant distances of water. The Norse expansion is detailed, covering their raids and settlements in areas including the Scottish Isles, Ireland, Britain, France (leading to the formation of the Normans), eastern Europe (becoming the Rus and Varangians), and ultimately west across the North Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and North America. Their motives included trade, plunder, and the search for new lands and goods. Their societal structure, centered on family units rather than feudal systems, is also noted.
Topic 5 The history and lineage of the St. Clair, later Sinclair, family are traced back to Norse origins. The family's ancestry is linked to Rogenwald the Rich, an earl in Norway favored by King Harald. The sources describe how Rogenwald's sons, Eynar and Rollo, were instrumental in expanding the family's influence. Eynar established the family's claim in northern Scotland and ruled the Orkneys for centuries after receiving a grant from King Harald. Rollo, known as Rollo the Walker, led Vikings to raid and settle in what is now France, becoming the founder of Normandy through a treaty with the French king, Charles the Simple, which also involved his conversion to Christianity and marriage. Rollo's descendants, the Normans, including branches of the St. Clair family, later participated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, leading to their settlement in England and Scotland. The family chose the name St. Clair from a sacred well in France and ultimately consolidated influence across northern Scotland, including Caithness and the islands, meeting where the two branches converged near Edinburgh.
Topic 6 The sources present evidence of exploration and voyages across the North Atlantic to the far northern islands long before the Viking era. Pytheas, a Greek explorer from Phocaea, is mentioned as having sailed to the northern islands, including the Orkneys (Orcadies) and potentially Iceland (Thule), around 330 B.C., while seeking new trade routes. Pytheas encountered people in these islands who made their living from the sea and sheep farming. Roman historian Pliny in the first century recorded knowledge of the Orcades, Shetlands, and Hebrides, as well as the "Sacred Isle" of Ireland. Furthermore, the sources highlight the voyages of early Christian monks from Britain and Ireland to the Orkneys, Faeroes, and Iceland starting as early as the sixth century, according to accounts by the Venerable Bede in the eighth century. Figures like Saint Brendan and Dicuil recorded these journeys, often involving island-hopping and using open skin boats, demonstrating significant courage and seafaring ability decades before the Vikings.
Topic 7 The topic of Norse exploration and attempted settlement in North America, referred to as Vinland, is detailed through accounts from the Norse sagas and supporting archaeological evidence. Figures like Bjarni Herjolfsson are mentioned for having sighted lands west of Greenland, sparking interest. Leif Eriksson is credited with leading an expedition around 1002 that explored three lands: Helluland (possibly Baffin Island), Markland (possibly Labrador), and Vinland (location debated but described with favorable conditions like sweet dew, grass not withering, fish-filled waters, and longer winter days). Thorvald Eriksson, Leif's brother, led a subsequent expedition, encountered natives (Skraelings), and was killed. Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife Gudrid led a larger party, including women and livestock, attempting settlement in Vinland, where the first European child in the Americas, Snorri Thorfinnsson, was born. Despite some trade and interactions, conflict with natives led to the abandonment of these settlements. Archaeological finds at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, consistent with Norse construction methods, have provided tangible evidence supporting these saga accounts.
Topic 8 Evidence is presented in the sources suggesting a pre-Norse Irish presence in North America. The Norse saga, Landnamabok, recounts the tale of Ari Marson, an Icelandic trader who reached a land west of Vinland around 960, which was called Hvitramannaland (White Man's Land) or Albania (Greater Ireland). Marson reportedly encountered Irish emigrants there, was recognized by Irish traders, and was baptized by their priest. This suggests the Irish may have fled westward ahead of the encroaching Norse horde a century earlier. Another account from 1029 involves the Viking Gudleif Gudlaugsson, who traded out of Dublin and spoke Gaelic, reporting sailing to "Greater Ireland" and meeting hundreds of Irish people. While Norse sources focus on their own explorers, these accounts, along with the report of Gaelic-speaking people encountered by Norse scouts in Vinland, hint at an earlier Irish presence on the North American coast.
Topic 9 The sources describe the challenges faced by the Norse colony in Greenland and its eventual decline. Established around 982 by Erik the Red, the colony initially grew, engaging in farming (though poor due to climate), fishing, and trade, particularly in walrus products like ivory. However, the colony faced natural and man-made pressures. A deteriorating climate, marked by colder winters and expanding glaciers (part of the Little Ice Age), shortened growing seasons and made sea travel more dangerous. Conflict with the indigenous Inuit population (Skraelings) was incessant. The colony also suffered from isolation due to Norwegian trade policies (limiting ships to two per year) and conflict with the Hanseatic League, which disrupted shipping. The Black Death in Europe further reduced the population base in Scandinavia and the northern islands, potentially decreasing the need for new lands or support for the colony. By the late 14th century, the colony was in severe decline, with evidence suggesting its inhabitants may have migrated west to North America or intermarried with native populations, rather than staying on Greenland.
Topic 10 The sources argue that Europe was aware of lands to the west, including North America, centuries before Columbus's voyages. While Viking sagas recorded voyages to Vinland, other European groups also had knowledge or contact. Basque fishermen, distinct in culture and language, are presented as having fished the Grand Banks off Newfoundland well before the 16th century, potentially keeping their knowledge secret to protect their fishing grounds. The presence of fishing ships and shacks noted by later French explorers supports this. Medieval maps, such as the Caspar Vopel map of 1545 (showing Labrador with a Portuguese name) and the controversial Yale Vinland map (dating potentially to the early 15th century and showing Vinland), are discussed as possible evidence of pre-Columbian knowledge. The involvement of figures like Henry Sinclair, Earl of the Orkneys, in planning a voyage of exploration to the western lands around 1398, drawing on existing knowledge carried by Norse seafarers and potentially preserved by the Church, also indicates ongoing awareness. The Newport Tower in Rhode Island, with its resemblance to structures in the Orkneys, France, and Bornholm, is presented as potential evidence of construction by pre-Columbian European settlers, linking them to the ancient knowledge tradition. The decline of the Norse colony in Greenland coincides with events like the unraveling of the Knights Templar, some of whom may have also sought refuge or established a presence in the New World, further suggesting European groups beyond the Norse had reason and means to travel west.