The best known Pillars of Hercules were
those of Gibraltar, which many experts mistake for the true archetypes
that indeed marked the site of Atlantis, as reported by Plato. Thus, Herodotus
(Hist. II:44) mentions Pillars of Hercules in Tyre, in Thasos, as
well as in other places.
Many other authorities mention Pillars of
Hercules posted in strategic straits such as the Bosphorus, the Syrtis,
the Bab-el-Mandeb, Gades, and so on. It is a mistake, then, to believe
that the name "Pillars of Hercules" used by Plato and others unequivocally
refer to the Strait of Gibraltar, for there were many such responding by
that name.
These phony pillars were just a trick of
the mendacious Phoenicians intended to divert the attention of their competitors
to the wrong side of the world, thereby preserving their lucrative monopoly
of the Indian trade. As we have abundantly contended elsewhere, the archetypal
Pillars of Hercules were the ones that indeed marked out the entrance into
Atlantis. Later, when Atlantis sunk away, these pillars again marked the
entrance into Hades, the half-sunken residue of paradise. There they flanked
the Strait of Sunda, in Indonesia, the true site of Atlantis and of Hades, which the Hindus call Atala.
It is interesting to recall that Plato
often connects Atlantis to the Pillars of Hercules and apparently implies
that this hero was indeed Gadeiros, the twin brother of Atlas. Plato also
speaks of golden pillars kept in Poseidon's temple, in Atlantis, which
its kings inscribed with their royal edits. It is from these that the pair
of pillars that decorated the Egyptian temples, the ones of the Jews and
those of many nations were indeed copied.
Why would the Egyptians who never sailed
the Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean, but confined their naval trade
to the Indian Ocean consider Gibraltar important and pay homage to its
guardian deities, Atlas and Hercules (Gadeiros) by posting twin pillars
in the forefront of their temples? Why would the Phoenicians and the Jews,
who were originary from beyond the Indian Ocean, from the region of the
East Indies, do the same, commemorating gods, places and symbols that were
not theirs, but indeed belonged t their enemies, the Greeks and the Romans?
The two enormous pylons that flanked the
main gateway of the Egyptian temples is perhaps the most striking feature
of these constructions. What do they indeed represent? The Egyptians claimed
that they represented the two mountains of Isis and Nephtys, her twin sister.
But, indeed, they symbolized the same thing as the twin obelisks, that
is, the Pillars of Hercules.
The Gateway of Paradise
The "door" flanked by the true Pillars
of Hercules corresponded to the strait that served as the Gateway of Paradise.
As can be seen in Fig.2, there were two pairs of pylons placed at the opposite
ends of the inner court. This is a very important feature, one that
tells
the true story of the Pillars of Hercules for those who can indeed read
the ancient symbols. The four feet of the Celestial Cow (Nut or Hathor)correspond to the four members of Isis, who is also often shown in a strange arched position, with her arms and
legs touching the ground (Fig.3).
This allegory is strange, but highly revealing.
Here, Nut, the Sky is shown decked with stars which represent the night
sky. The gods navigate along her body, in Heaven (Paradise), obviously
delimited by the two pairs of pillars (her four members) at each extremity.
These are indeed the Pillars of Hercules, one pair in the Occident (Gibraltar),
the other in the opposite extreme of the world (Sunda Strait), in the Far
Orient. Beneath her body is the god Shu ("Atmosphere") holding her up,
as well as the god Geb ("Earth") lying down on his back.
In certain versions of this picture, the
allegory is far more explicit, and shows that what indeed holds Nut up
is the huge phallus of Geb, here apparently missing. As we explain elsewhere,
the allegory depicts the separation of Heaven and Earth which is really
of Hindu origin and figures already in the
Rig Veda, where the deed
is ascribed to Purusha, the first man.
