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Lemuria (continent)

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Lemuria (IPA: /lɨˈmjʊəriə/^[1]) is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography. Lemuria has been rendered superfluous by modern understanding of plate tectonics. Although sunken continents do exist — see Zealandia in the Pacific and the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean — there is no known geological formation under the Indian or Pacific Oceans that corresponds to the hypothetical Lemuria. Though Lemuria has passed out of the realm of conventional science, it has been adopted by occult writers, as well as some Tamil writers of India. Accounts of Lemuria differ according to the requirements of their contexts, but all share a common belief that a continent existed in ancient times and sank beneath the ocean as a result of geological change, often cataclysmic.

1 Scientific origins
2 Madame Blavatsky's Lemuria
3 Lemuria and Mount Shasta
4 Kumari Kandam and Lemuria
5 Lemuria's reptilian beings
6 Modern fiction
7 Music
8 References
9 Further reading
10 See also
11 External links

Scientific origins

Though the living modern lemurs are only found in Madagascar and several surrounding islands, the biogeography of extinct lemurs extending from Pakistan to Malaysia inspired the name Lemuria, which was coined in 1864 by the geologist Philip Sclater in an article "The Mammals of Madagascar" in The Quarterly Journal of Science. Puzzled by the presence of fossil lemurs in both Madagascar and India, but not in Africa nor the Middle East, Sclater proposed that Madagascar and India had once been part of a larger continent, which he named "Lemuria" for its lemurs. Sclater's theory was hardly unusual for his time. The acceptance of Darwinism led scientists to seek to trace the diffusion of species from their points of evolutionary origin; prior to the acceptance of continental drift, biologists frequently postulated submerged land masses in order to account for populations of land-based species now separated by barriers of water. Similarly, geologists tried to account for striking resemblances of rock formations on different continents. The first systematic attempt was made by Melchior Neumayr in his book Erdgeschichte in 1887. Many hypothetical submerged land bridges and continents were proposed during the 19th century, in order to account for the present distribution of species. As Lemuria gained some acceptance within the scientific community, it began to appear in the works of other scholars. Ernst Haeckel, a German Darwinian taxonomist, proposed Lemuria as an explanation for the absence of "missing link" fossil records. According to another source, Haeckel put forward this thesis prior to Sclater (but without using the name 'Lemuria'). ^[2] Locating the origins of the human species on this lost continent, he claimed the fossil record could not be found because it had sunk beneath the sea. Other scientists hypothesized that Lemuria had extended across parts of the Pacific oceans, explaining distributions of species across Asia and the Americas. The Lemuria theory disappeared completely from conventional scientific consideration after the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift were accepted by the larger scientific community. In 1999, drilling by the JOIDES Resolution research vessel in the Indian Ocean discovered evidence [1] that a large island, the Kerguelen Plateau, was submerged about 20 million years ago by rising sea levels. Samples showed pollen and fragments of wood in a 90 million-year-old sediment. This might lead one to expect similarity of dinosaur fossil evidence and will help to understand the breakup of the Indian and Australian land masses; it does not support the concept of Lemuria as a land bridge for mammals.

Madame Blavatsky's Lemuria

Lemuria entered the lexicon of the Occult through the works of Madame Blavatsky, who claimed in the 1880s to have been shown an ancient, pre-Atlantean Book of Dzyan by the Mahatmas. Within Blavatsky's complex cosmology, which includes seven "Root Races", Lemuria was occupied by the "Third Root Race", which was about seven foot tall, sexually hermaphroditic, egg-laying, mentally undeveloped and spiritually more pure than the following "Root Races". Before the coming of the Lemurians, the second "Root Race" is said to have dwelled in Hyperborea. After the subsequent creation of mammals, Mme Blavatsky revealed to her readers, some Lemurians turned to bestiality. The gods, aghast at the behavior of these "mindless" men, sank Lemuria into the ocean and created a "Fourth Root Race"—endowed with intellect—on Atlantis. According to L. Sprague de Camp, Mme Blavatsky was influenced by other writers on the theme of Lost Continents, notably Ignatius L. Donnelly, a cult leader named Thomas Lake Harris and the French writer Louis Jacolliot.

Lemuria and Mount Shasta

In 1894, Frederick Spencer Oliver published A Dweller on Two Planets, which claimed that survivors from a sunken continent called Lemuria were living in or on Mount Shasta in northern California. The Lemurians lived in a complex of tunnels beneath the mountain and occasionally were seen walking the surface dressed in white robes. This belief has been repeated by such individuals as the cultist Guy Warren Ballard in the 1930s who formed the I AM Foundation. It is also repeated by followers of the Ascended Masters and the Great White Brotherhood. This list includes such organizations as Bridge to Freedom, The Summit Lighthouse, Church Universal and Triumphant, The Temple of The Presence, and The Hearts Center. Popular novels have also repeated the belief that Lemurians inhabit Mount Shasta. Among such novels, Vin Smith's The Outrageous Views of Professor Fogelman links Lemurians to Ancient Egypt, UFOs and a method of travel called vortex portals--essentially a pathway to sacred places on Earth as well as points unknown in the universe.

Kumari Kandam and Lemuria

"Lemuria" in Tamil nationalist mysticist literature, connecting Madagascar, South India and Australia (covering most of the Indian Ocean). Mount Meru stretches southwards from Sri Lanka.

Kumari Kandam is a sunken kingdom sometimes compared with Lemuria (cf. works of G. Devaneyan, Tamil: ஞானமுத்தன் தேவநேயன்). According to these modernist interpretations of motifs in classical Tamil literature — the epics Cilappatikaram and Manimekalai that describe the submerged city of Puhar — the Dravidians originally came from land south of the present day coast of South India that became submerged by successive floods. There are various claims from Tamil authors that there was a large land mass connecting Australia and the present day Tamil Nadu coast. It is interesting to note that Madame Blavatsky described the Lemurians (her third root race) as being colored black and described the Negroid race, the Dravidians and the Australoids, Papuans and Melanesians as being descended from them.

Lemuria's reptilian beings

In reptilian conspiracy literature, a sunken Pacific continent (usually styled as Lemuria or Mu) is sometimes posited as the homeland of a reptilian race of creatures, often identified with dragons or nagas. Various bits of mythology and folklore are assembled in support, such as the Cambodian naga traditions. Folkloric claims of Australian aborigines sighting "dinosaur-like" creatures are also often viewed as evidence. The earliest attestation of such notions in modern literature seems to have occurred in the works of H.P. Blavatsky, notably in The Secret Doctrine (1888), where she writes of "Dragon-men" who once had a mighty civilization on a Lemurian continent, until their rampant use of black magic brought about the end of their civilization, and their continent sank. Blavatsky in turn claims to have obtained this information from The Book of Dzyan. However, many consider that Blavatsky invented the book herself. Blavatsky believed that the terms "Dragon-men" or "Serpent-men" used to describe the Lemurian beings in the Book of Dzyan were symbolic, intended to symbolize their advanced knowledge and magical powers. Other occurrences of the idea seem to be in the Alley Oop (1932) comic-strip, and the Brazilian Piteco (1964), where lands named Moo (or "Mu") and Lem (adapted from Mu and Lemuria respectively) are presented as dinosaur-infested lands.

Modern fiction

Richard Sharpe Shaver wrote at least one story on Lemuria that became featured in the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories.^[3]
The story and culture of Lemuria is dramatized on the Japanese tokusatsu children's show GoGo Sentai Boukenger which is adapted as Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive. In the Japanese version, the Yellow Ranger Natsuki discovers she is a Lemurian. The Lemurian culture is said to control a great dragon beast controlled by a powerful magical sword. Lemurians appear to be wearing head crests and white robes mentioned in occult fiction. One of the villain factions in the show, the Jaryuu, owe their origins to Lemuria as they are the result of Lemurian scientific experimentation with dinosaur D.N.A.
In 1982, TOEI released a tokusatsu series, Dai Sentai Goggle V, which each character represents the power of an ancient civilization with Goggle Yellow representing Mu or Lemuria.
Lemuria is also mentioned in the original 1970s Battlestar Galactica during the pilot episode, which featured an extended version of the opening narration "There are those who believe that life here began out there..." Actor Patrick Macnee, who appeared in the episode War of the Gods as Count Iblis, did the voiceover for the narration. (Mr. Macnee also provided the voice for the Imperious Leader.)
Lin Carter set a series of sword and sorcery novels in Lemuria.
H. P. Lovecraft mentioned Lemuria as a previous resting place for the Shining Trapezohedron in the Cthulhu Mythos story "The Haunter of the Dark". In this particular world of fiction, Lemuria may also be Mu or R'lyeh.
In the video game Golden Sun series for the Game Boy Advance, Lemuria is a major plot point. In the first title, the mythical land of Lemuria is mentioned as the motivation behind the construction of Babi's Lighthouse and in the sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age one of the main characters, Piers, is a Lemurian and later in the game travel to the hidden land of Lemuria is possible.
In the television show Mighty Max, Virgil was identified as a Lemurian, despite being fowl-like in appearance.
In Marvel Comics, Lemuria is the underwater home of Princess Llyra, an antagonist to Namor the Sub-Mariner of Atlantis.
In DC Comics, the Lemurians are a scaly race of humanoids living below the sea; they breathe air, unlike other submarine races of the DC Universe. (Super Team Family #13-14.)
In the Kull stories by Robert E. Howard, Lemuria is a group of islands that are the peaks of the sunken continent of Mu.
Lemuria is referenced in the bishoujo suspense game Ever17 and is also where the theme park LeMU, the game's main setting derives its name.
In episode 16 of Night Head Genesis, the continents of Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu are mentioned. It was said that these highly advanced civilizations capable of both space and time travel fell due to the impact the Minus Energy had on the Earth.
In Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings, Lemurés is the name of a floating continent, home to the Aegyl race of winged humans.
In the Afrikaans fiction series Fritz Deelman the main character goes on a rescue mission to save a professor who found a lost treasure that is supposed to come from Lemuria
In the 2007 S. Shankar-directed Tamil film Sivaji: The Boss, Vivek tells Rajinikanth that Tamil cultural women (standard Tamil women who look after their families) are hard to find in present days as they were absconded with Lemuria Kandam.
In Daniel Manus Pinkwater's book "Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars," Lemuria is mentioned and discussed.

Music

There is a pop-punk band from New York called Lemuria. [2]
The Austrian band Visions of Atlantis has a song called Lemuria on their Cast Away album.
A band based out of San Jose, CA has gone by the name of "Ghosts of Lemuria" since 2003, and whose lyrics reflect many of the Lemurian legends and folklore.
The Swedish symphonic metal band Therion has an album Lemuria with a matching song title in 2004.
A band in San Francisco, CA has gone by the name "The Lemurians"[3] since 2005
Mystical Sun, an ambient new-wave electronic band, also has a song entitled "Lemuria".
A Belgian Folk Black Metal band that dedicates its lyrics to mythology, is called "Lemuria".
British symphonic black metal band Bal-Sagoth's first album is entitled A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria. Later albums also include stories about Lemuria.
A song called "Lemuria Rising" by The Murder City Devils
The title character in the song "Velouria" by the Pixies is a Lemura-inspired character, the song based on reptilian conspiracy theory.

References

^ OED
^ L. Sprague de Camp, Lost Continents, 1954 (First Edition), p. 52
^ The cover of I remember Lemuria is featured in an article Warum Aliens nicht grün sein müssen (German) (Why Aliens don't have to be green) at Telepolis.