Chatting prehistory/history, religion, and mythology with “rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) a historian and mythologist

by | Jan 6, 2026 | Blog

From Amazon: Journey Through The Origins Of History is a compelling exploration of humanity’s earliest civilizations, uncovering critical information about ancient myths, writing systems, and cultural developments that many people may not know. This book presents research that challenges widely accepted narratives, highlighting contradictions and the compelling arguments that cast doubt on conventional understandings. These uncertainties continue to puzzle scholars and spark debates, offering readers a chance to delve into the complexities of our shared history.

Grounded in meticulous research and aimed at uncovering truths often overlooked, Journey Through The Origins Of History serves as a vital resource for those curious about the origins of belief systems and the evolution of communication. Ideal for history enthusiasts and lifelong learners, this book invites readers to reconsider what they know about the past and engage with the enduring mysteries that still shape our understanding of humanity.

“A thorough examination of the breadth of prehistoric origins of man and his culture” – Ken Goudsward, author of the Atrahasis Epic: The Time of Men

“Tyrone does a masterful job of delving into the Sumerian renaissance (3200-1800 BC) and how it relates to his spiritual growth, in particular, and what we, in general, need to know about this captivating epoch. Despite potential readers coming from various backgrounds, Tyrone taps into all of our questions about the afterlife and evolution from polytheism to monotheism.” – Mark Eddy, author of “Lakes, Lizards, Linton and Leverett: Ohio River Drainage’s Antiquarians and What They Found.”

On Twitter/X: rebirthoftheword @rebirthofthewo1

Website: https://rebirthoftheword.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rebirthoftheword7099

Tyrone Ellington is a historian and mythologist dedicated to uncovering the hidden threads of global civilizations and ancestral wisdom. With a focus on cross-cultural connections, he explores myths, legends, and cosmologies from Mesopotamian, Mesoamerican, Norse, African, and Indigenous traditions, revealing patterns and symbols that resonate across time and cultures.

Tyrone Ellington states that he started the rebirthoftheword website out of his curiosity for ancient history, especially ancient civilizations and their gods. With all the reading and research he has done, he wanted a space to share his knowledge and hopefully learn from others in return. It’s all about collecting as much information as possible and organizing it in one central place to further my research. Through this website, his aim is to learn from others and their perspectives on the topics he shares. When we combine our pieces of the puzzle, there’s no limit to the picture we might create.

Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or Quotes, My YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, BlueSky: @damienmarieathope.bsky.social, Facebook: LINK, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com

When I asked Tyrone Ellington what our chat would be on, he responded: “Everything history, everything Anunnaki, and everything in between.” You’ve got a lot of subjects I’m interested in. I was actually just looking at your profile for some things to talk about.

My response: Right on. I am not big on the Anunnaki. I understand the basics of Sumerian mythology and its deities, but my focus is on how and why religious myths across the world are similar and related. I map the evolution of religion as my focus. I start in prehistory from 1 million to 4,000 years ago. With my more defined focus of 100,000 to 4,000 years ago, and the DNA, cultures, migrations, and myths they spread. To me, myths in a limited way started in Africa before the Out of Africa began, but there were not very many, only a few ideas, 100,000 to 50,000 years ago (Animism). Then, in Europe, 50,000 years ago, they became more developed and evolved related to Clans and laws in this life (Totemism). And in Siberia, 30,000 years ago, they also became more evolved related to the afterlife (Shamanism) and likely started animal helper spirit beliefs that would eventually inspire gods around 12,000 years ago in Turkey. It is from Shamanism that we get paganism. Shamanism laid down the foundation that later paganism developed its gods and the myths we commonly think of today. The mythological thinking in paganism is a combination of all the religious elements and evolution that came before it. Just a little on how I approach my reasoning and research. I started looking into the Evolution of religion in 2006. I also address the origins and migrations of the world’s language families to better grasp the mythology they share and how they likely migrated, to understand why or how so many beliefs are similar. I care less about the myths themselves than how they show cultural connections and thus relationships with each other. I prefer the big picture rather than a limited version.

Ancient History Debate: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Olmecs & Norse Mythology

“rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) and Damien Marie AtHope

Gods From the Deep: Ancient Stories of Beings Who Rose From the Waters (VIDEO)

Grok AI overview:

  • The post promotes a YouTube live stream examining Sumerian mythology, where Anunnaki deities like Enki originate from the primordial freshwater abyss (Abzu) rather than descending from the sky, positioning them as civilizing forces emerging from deep waters to teach humanity agriculture and laws.
  • Sumerian texts, including the Enuma Elish and Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, describe the primeval sea goddess Namma birthing the gods, with Enki as lord of the Abzu granting the “me” (divine decrees) to establish order and culture in Eridu, the first city.
  • The video challenges popular pseudoscientific views, such as alien origins from a Nibiru-like planet, by citing peer-reviewed sources like the Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture, advocating for direct engagement with cuneiform tablets to avoid modern distortions.

52:18 in the video – Gods From the Deep: Ancient Stories of Beings Who Rose From the Waters

  • Bringer of Light: Utu/Shamash provided warmth and illumination, a benevolent force in the world.
  • Symbols: Represented by a radiant solar disc or a star with four pointed and four wavy rays (the Star of Shamash).
  • Roles in Myths: Appeared in The Epic of Gilgamesh, helping the hero, and was associated with the underworld and divination.
Sumerian Astronomy & the Sun: Some Sumerian clay tablets depict detailed solar system maps, suggesting an understanding of the sun as a central star with planets revolving around it, though interpretations vary. They used specific symbols for the sun and stars, showing a clear differentiation in their celestial observations. Utu/Shamash was the son of the moon god Nanna and the twin brother of Inanna (Ishtar). 

Some think the Sun was the first god…

To Damien, the first god was related to stars, not the sun. From the 8-pointed Star of Ishtar, to the Dingir symbol in Sumerian cuneiform representing an 8-pointed star, not the sun, meaning “god.” Or in Egypt, an eight-pointed star symbolized the Ogdoad, eight primordial deities. I do think the sun god is very old, at least 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, and maybe older, but not the first. Certainly, the Sky father/sun god/sky god (“blue sky” thus “daytime sky” with the Sun at its most represented) is a universal archetype seen around the World in many different cultural mythologies and shares relatedness. Also commonly paired with an Earth mother goddess archetype.

AI Overview: (Blue Sky-related Deities)
 
Tengri (Turkic/Mongolic supreme sky god), Greek figures such as Ouranos (primordial sky) and Zeus (ruler of the sky), and even Hindu deities such as Vishnu, whose blue skin symbolizes the infinite sky and ocean. Other cultures feature sky gods like Anu (Sumerian), Nut (Egyptian), and Altjira (Australian Aboriginal), with blue representing the boundless, divine expanse. Gods associated with the blue sky often represent vastness, divinity, and celestial power. Tengri is the supreme deity in Tengrism, the ancient sky-worship religion of Turkic, Mongol, and other Central Asian peoples, representing the eternal blue sky, creator, and ruler of the cosmos, similar to a high god but often without detailed personification, with a pantheon of lesser spirits serving under him, and is sometimes equated with the concept of a singular, universal God. He is seen as the father of celestial bodies and protector of the world, with his will manifesting as natural phenomena like lightning, and rulers often claiming descent from him. 
 
Nut was different than some sky deities, serving several roles. To some, the Egyptian goddess Nut is limited to a night deity, but she was seen as the sky goddess in general. Nut represented the entire heavens, and thus she embodied the entire sky, encompassing both day and night, as she swallowed the sun at dusk and gave birth to it at dawn, with her body forming the celestial dome and the Milky Way.
 
Key Examples of Blue Sky Deities
  • Tengri (Tengrism): The supreme deity, high god, the “Eternal Blue Sky,” embodying boundless divinity, common in Eurasian steppe cultures.
  • Ouranos (Greek): The primordial god, a personification of the sky itself, the vast celestial dome.
  • Zeus (Greek) / Jupiter (Roman): Chief god, king of the gods, ruler of the sky, thunder, and weather, linked to the day-lit sky.
  • Vishnu (Hinduism): Often depicted with blue skin god, symbolizing his vast, infinite nature, like the sky and ocean.
  • Anu ((Sumerian/Akkadian/Babylonian): Supreme sky god, king of the gods, associated with the heavens and sky.
  • Nut (Egyptian): The goddess of the sky, depicted as a star-covered body arching over the earth.
  • Altjira (Australian Aboriginal): The primary sky and creator god for some groups.
 
Symbolism of Blue
  • Infinity & Boundlessness: The deep blue of the sky often signifies the endless, eternal nature of the divine.
  • Divinity: In many cultures, the sky is seen as the abode of the gods, making blue a sacred color.
  • Calmness & Power: For Vishnu, blue reflects a calm demeanor, while for others, it represents the overwhelming power of the heavens.
AI Overview: (Noon Sun Deities)
 
Deities associated with the midday sun often represent peak power, clarity, and heat, with prominent examples including Ra (Egyptian) as the noon sun, Aryaman (Hindu) for the midday sun within Surya’s aspects, and sometimes Apollo (Greek) or Huitzilopochtli (Aztec) embodying the sun’s intense noonday force, though many cultures view the sun as a single, multifaceted deity like Surya, Helios, or Amaterasu, each covering the whole day.
 
Specific Deities & Associations:
  • Ra (Egyptian): Often seen as the midday sun at its peak, though he also represented sunrise and sunset at different stages of his daily journey.
  • Aryaman (Hindu): An Aditya (solar deity) specifically associated with the midday sun, distinct from the broader Surya.
  • Huitzilopochtli (Aztec): The powerful sun and war god, representing the midday sun’s strength, as seen in the Aztec calendar’s “Fifth Sun”.
  • Apollo (Greek): While Helios was the Titan of the sun chariot, Apollo later absorbed many solar functions, representing light and power, including the sun’s height.
  • Surya (Hindu): The primary sun god, whose journey includes aspects like Aryaman (midday) and Savitr (twilight). 
General Concepts:
Multiplicity: Some belief systems, like Egyptian, saw different deities or aspects (e.g., Ra, Khepri, Atum) governing sunrise, noon, and sunset.
Unified Deities: Other traditions, like Japanese (Amaterasu) or Norse (Sól), often focus on a single, all-encompassing solar deity.
Sun as three gods and goddesses?
The three parts/beings of the sun in a mythological perspective?
Many cultures, unaware that the morning, noon, and evening sun appearances were the same object, gave them distinct names and associations. Was the Sun seen as a star sometimes or all the time? Well, a common belief held that Venus was both a morning and an evening star related to the morning and/or evening sun. But sometimes Venus was seen as only one, and sometimes related to male rather than female deities/divine beings. Unlike the morning and evening sun expressions, the noon sun isn’t typically seen as a star but rather as a powerful deity or celestial being. When I talk about the stars being related to the first deities but not the sun, I am referring to the noon sun/blue sky-related gods. The noon sun was sometimes depicted as a powerful, radiant star pattern, like the eight-pointed Star of Ishtar (linked to the planet Venus) or the sun-disc with rays.
And the noon Sun disc in art may be depicted as a radiant orb, a winged disk, or a star-like disc with rays. But all a symbol used does make the noon Sun a star god, even though we today understand the sun in all its expressions is one thing and is a star like other stars. It could be said a star symbolized all Sumerian gods, yet all gods were not star deities. The Dingir symbol in ancient Sumerian cuneiform was a sign shaped like an eight-pointed star, signifying “deity,” and was used before divine names of different deities to establish them as deities, but not specifically as star gods.
AI Overview: (Three parts/beings/aspects of the Sun as Deities)
 
The rising sun (dawn), the midday sun (zenith), and the setting sun (evening). This tripartite division symbolizes the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In a mythological perspective, sun deities may have three aspects/parts, or, more commonly, are one of the three parts/aspects, each part/deity representing a stage of the sun’s daily cycle and associated concepts.
 
The Three Parts of Sun Deities
 
The Rising Sun (Dawn) This aspect symbolizes creation, new beginnings, and the renewal of life. The deity associated with this phase is often depicted as young or emerging from the underworld or primordial waters. In Egyptian mythology, Khepri, the god of the rising sun, was depicted as a scarab beetle pushing the sun over the horizon, mirroring the beetle’s habit of pushing balls of dung. In Hindu mythology, Aruna is the charioteer of the sun god Surya, representing the reddish light of the morning sun.
 
The Midday Sun (Zenith) This aspect represents the sun at its peak power, embodying strength, justice, and sovereignty. The midday sun is often the most dominant and powerful form of the deity. In ancient Egypt, Ra (or Re) was the powerful midday sun god who sailed across the sky in his solar boat, maintaining cosmic order (Maat) and battling chaos. In Hindu texts, Aryaman is the god of the midday sun.
 
The Setting Sun (Evening) This aspect signifies the end of the day, old age, and the journey into the underworld or the west, often representing death or the transition to the night. In Egyptian mythology, Atum represented the sun as it set on the western horizon and was considered the “finisher of the world”. This phase prepares the way for the sun’s nightly journey and subsequent rebirth at dawn.
AI Overview: In many major mythologies, the sun was typically personified as a distinct deity who drove a chariot or sailed a boat across the sky each day, rather than being simply identified as a star among others. The understanding that the sun is a star is a scientific concept developed much later than ancient mythologies. To ancient observers, the sun’s unique daily movement and life-giving heat set it apart from the fixed, twinkling stars, which were often associated with different gods, heroes, or celestial objects. Many sun gods are associated with the noon sun, representing its peak power and brilliance, with Aryaman in Hinduism specifically known as the god of the midday sun, while the Hindu god Surya (also with three faces for dawn, noon, dusk) and the Roman Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) embodied the sun’s full might at its zenith. In essence, the noon sun, representing ultimate power and clarity, is a frequent manifestation of major solar deities across different mythologies, often depicted as a distinct deity or an aspect of the main sun god.
 
Examples of distinct sun deity personifications include:
  • Ra, in Egyptian mythology, who sailed his sun barge across the sky.
  • Celtic depictions of solar boats on ancient artifacts, possibly Lugh (or Lugus), journey for the sun god. Another prominent Celtic solar deity was Belenus, “the Fair Shining One,” linked to Beltane, fire, and horse-drawn chariots.
  • In Hindu Mythology, the sun god Surya travels in a chariot pulled by seven horses, guided by the charioteer Aruna.
  • Helios, later Apollo, in Greek mythology, drove a horse-drawn chariot across the heavens.
  • Sol in Roman mythology, moving across the sky, often in a fiery chariot pulled by horses.
  • Norse Mythology (Sól/Sunna), the sun goddess, drives a horse-drawn chariot across the sky daily.
AI Overview: (Sun Gods related to Sky Father Gods)
 
Sun gods are often deeply related to sky father gods, either as aspects of the same deity (like Ra in Egypt), as children/manifestations (like Surya from Dyaus Pita in Vedic myth), or as closely associated figures, with the sky father representing the overarching celestial power and the sun god embodying its most visible, life-giving force, a connection rooted in the Proto-Indo-European “*Dyēus Ph₂tḗr” (Father Sky) concept.
 
Key Connections
  • Dyaus Pita (Proto-Indo-European): The original sky father concept (*Dyēus Ph₂tḗr) directly links to the sun, with the sun often seen as the “eye” of this supreme sky deity, as seen with Vedic Dyaus Pita and his son Surya (the sun god).
  • Vedic Mythology: Dyaus Pita (sky father) is the progenitor of deities including Agni (fire) and Surya (sun), showing a direct lineage.
  • Greek Mythology: While Zeus (the sky father) became supreme, he absorbed powers, and ancient traditions sometimes connected him to solar aspects or figures like Helios (the sun god).
  • Egyptian Mythology: Ra, the sun god, is also a supreme creator and sky deity, often depicted rising from the primordial waters, fitting the sky father archetype.
  • Germanic/Norse: The sky father figure (like Odin/Tiwaz) could also embody solar traits, though sometimes distinct solar deities like Sol existed, or the sky god’s role shifted (e.g., Tyr).
 
How Sun Gods and Sky Father Gods Relate
  • Patriarchal Structure: Sky fathers are often the “King of Gods,” and the sun god, representing day, light, and energy, fits naturally as a powerful son or primary manifestation of this supreme celestial ruler.
  • Cosmic Eye/Light: The sun’s omnipresence and light make it a perfect symbol for the all-seeing sky father, blurring the lines between the abstract sky and its most potent visual form.
  • Evolution of Deities: Over time, some sky fathers absorbed solar traits, while some solar deities took on broader kingly or creator roles, unifying the sky and sun concepts.
AI Overview: (Sun Deities related to Eyes of Sky)
 
In many mythologies, the Sun was seen as the “eye of the sky” or “eye of the gods,” directly related to stars, often as a supreme celestial watcher. And in many cultures link sun gods to the “eyes of the sky,” most notably the Egyptian Horus (right eye = sun, left = moon) and Ra (Eye of Ra as the sun’s power), but also Hindu Surya (eye of Varuna), Persian Mithras (eye of Ahura Mazda), and Greek Helios, all embodying divine sight and power within the heavens. These myths portray the sun as a watchful, all-seeing organ of the sky or creator god, representing illumination, protection, and divine judgment.
 
Some myths even merge the Sun’s identity with that of stars or see stars as its divine retinue, as with some Vedic gods or Greek Titans, highlighting a shared divine presence in the heavens. In some Siberian and Mongolian mythologies, the sun and the moon are indeed described as the eyes of the sky god, Tengri. In a general sense across Indo-European and some related mythologies (which have some cultural exchange with southern Siberian traditions), the sun is a common motif for the “eye of the world” or “eye of the gods”.
likely date back 6,000 to 7,000 years or more, reflecting a Bronze Age (Copper Age) culture on the Eurasian Steppe (around 4500-2500 BCE), with themes like sky fathers, divine twins, dragon-slaying heroes (Trito), and cosmic creation myths involving primordial beings (Manu/Yimmo/cow) existing during that period. While no direct PIE texts exist, linguistic and archaeological evidence links these myths to the hypothesized homeland and culture of the PIE speakers, suggesting deep roots. 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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This art above explains my thinking from my life of investigation

I am an anarchist (Social anarchism, Left-wing anarchism, or Socialist anarchism) trying to explain prehistory as I see it after studying it on my own starting 2006. Anarchists are for truth and believe in teaching the plain truth; misinformation is against this, and we would and should fight misinformation and disinformation.

I see anarchism as a social justice issue not limited to some political issue or monetary persuasion. People own themselves, have self/human rights, and deserve freedoms. All humanity is owed respect for its dignity; we are all born equal in dignity and human rights, and no plot of dirt we currently reside on changes this.

I fully enjoy the value (axiology) of archaeology (empirical evidence from fact or artifacts at a site) is knowledge (epistemology) of the past, adding to our anthropology (evidence from cultures both the present and past) intellectual (rational) assumptions of the likely reality of actual events from time past.

I am an Axiological Atheist, Philosopher & Autodidact Pre-Historical Writer/Researcher, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Anarcho Humanist, LGBTQI, Race, & Class equality. I am not an academic, I am a revolutionary sharing education and reason to inspire more deep thinking. I do value and appreciate Academics, Archaeologists, Anthropologists, and Historians as they provide us with great knowledge, informing us about our shared humanity.

I am a servant leader, as I serve the people, not myself, not my ego, and not some desire for money, but rather a caring teacher’s heart to help all I can with all I am. From such thoughtfulness may we all see the need for humanism and secularism, respecting all as helpful servant leaders assisting others as often as we can to navigate truth and the beauty of reality.

‘Reality’ ie. real/external world things, facts/evidence such as that confirmed by science, or events taken as a whole documented understanding of what occurred/is likely to have occurred; the accurate state of affairs. “Reason” is not from a mind devoid of “unreason” but rather demonstrates the potential ability to overcome bad thinking. An honest mind, enjoys just correction. Nothing is a justified true belief without valid or reliable reason and evidence; just as everything believed must be open to question, leaving nothing above challenge.

I don’t believe in gods or ghosts, and nor souls either. I don’t believe in heavens or hells, nor any supernatural anything. I don’t believe in Aliens, Bigfoot, nor Atlantis. I strive to follow reason and be a rationalist. Reason is my only master and may we all master reason. Thinking can be random, but reason is organized and sound in its Thinking. Right thinking is reason, right reason is logic, and right logic can be used in math and other scientific methods. I don’t see religious terms Animism, Totemism, Shamanism, or Paganism as primitive but original or core elements that are different parts of world views and their supernatural/non-natural beliefs or thinking.

I am inspired by philosophy, enlightened by archaeology, and grounded by science that religion claims, on the whole, along with their magical gods, are but dogmatic propaganda, myths, and lies. To me, religions can be summed up as conspiracy theories about reality, a reality mind you is only natural and devoid of magic anything. And to me, when people talk as if Atlantis is anything real, I stop taking them seriously. Like asking about the reality of Superman or Batman just because they seem to involve metropolitan cities in their stores. Or if Mother Goose actually lived in a shoe? You got to be kidding.

We are made great in our many acts of kindness, because we rise by helping each other.

NE = Proto-North Eurasian/Ancient North Eurasian/Mal’ta–Buret’ culture/Mal’ta Boy “MA-1” 24,000 years old burial

A = Proto-Afroasiatic/Afroasiatic

Y= Proto-Yeniseian/Yeniseian

S = Samara culture

ST = Proto-Sino-Tibetan/Sino-Tibetan

T = Proto-Transeurasian/Altaic

C = Proto-Northwest Caucasus language/Northwest Caucasian/Languages of the Caucasus

I = Proto-Indo-European/Indo-European

IB = Iberomaurusian Culture/Capsian culture

Natufian culture (15,000–11,500 years ago, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Negev desert)

Proto-Uralic/Uralic languages

Nganasan people/Nganasan language

Na-Dene languages/Dené–Yeniseian, Dené–Caucasian

Tlingit language

Proto-Semitic/Semitic languages

Sumerian language

Proto-Basque/Basque language

24,000 years ago, Proto-North Eurasian Language (Ancient North Eurasian) migrations?

My thoughts:

Proto-North Eurasian Language (Ancient North Eurasian) With related Y-DNA R1a, R1b, R2a, and Q Haplogroups.

R1b 22,0000-15,000 years ago in the Middle east creates Proto-Afroasiatic languages moving into Africa around 15,000-10,000 years ago connecting with the Iberomaurusian Culture/Taforalt near the coasts of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

R2a 10,000 years ago in Iran brings/creates Proto-Indo-European language and also a possibility is R1a in Russia around 9,000 years ago may have had a version of Proto-Indo-European language.

Around 14,000-10,000 years ago??? Proto-North Eurasian Language goes to the Yellow River basin (eventually relating with the Yangshao culture) in China creates Proto-Sino-Tibetan language.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan language then moves to the West Liao River valley (eventually relating with the Hongshan culture) in China creating Proto-Transeurasian (Altaic) language around 9,000 years ago.

N Haplogroups 9,000 years ago with Proto-Transeurasian language possibly moves north to Lake Baikal. Then after living with Proto-North Eurasian Language 24,000-9,000 years ago?/Pre-Proto-Yeniseian language 9,000-7,000 years ago Q Haplogroups (eventually relating with the Ket language and the Ket people) until around 5,500 years ago, then N Haplogroups move north to the Taymyr Peninsula in North Siberia (Nganasan homeland) brings/creates the Proto-Uralic language.

Q Haplogroups with Proto-Yeniseian language /Proto-Na-Dene language likely emerge 8,000/7,000 years ago or so and migrates to the Middle East (either following R2a to Iraq or R1a to Russia (Samara culture) then south to Iraq creates the Sumerian language. It may have also created the Proto-Caucasian languages along the way. And Q Haplogroups with Proto-Yeniseian language to a migration to North America that relates to Na-Dené (and maybe including Haida) languages, of which the first branch was Proto-Tlingit language 5,000 years ago, in the Pacific Northwest.

Sino-Tibetan language then moves more east in China to the Hemudu culture pre-Austronesian culture, next moved to Taiwan creating the Proto-Austronesian language around 6,000-5,500 years ago.

R1b comes to Russia from the Middle East around 7,500 years ago, bringing a version of Proto-Indo-European languages to the (Samara culture), then Q Y-DNA with Proto-Yeniseian language moves south from the (Samara culture) and may have been the language that created the Proto-Caucasian language. And R1b from the (Samara culture) becomes the 4,200 years or so R1b associated with the Basques and Basque language it was taken with R1b, but language similarities with the Proto-Caucasian language implies language ties to Proto-Yeniseian language.

24,000 Years Old Proto-North Eurasian Language (Ancient North Eurasian) migrations? Became: Proto-Afroasiatic, Proto-Sino-Tibetan, Proto-Transeurasian, Proto-Indo-European, Proto-Yeniseian, Proto-Na-Dene, Proto-Caucasian, Sumerian, Proto-Austronesian, and the Basque language

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Haplogroup migrations related to the Ancient North Eurasians: I added stuff to this map to help explain. 

People reached Lake Baikal Siberia around 25,000 years ago. They (to Damien) were likely Animistic Shamanists who were also heavily totemistic as well. Being animistic thinkers they likely viewed amazing things in nature as a part of or related to something supernatural/spiritual (not just natural as explained by science): spirit-filled, a sprit-being relates to or with it, it is a sprit-being, it is a supernatural/spiritual creature, or it is a great spirit/tutelary deity/goddess-god. From there comes mythology and faith in things not seen but are believed to somehow relate or interact with this “real world” we know exists.

Both areas of Lake Baikal, one on the west side with Ancient North Eurasian culture and one on the east side with Ancient Northern East Asian culture (later to become: Ancient Northeast Asian culture) areas are the connected areas that (to Damien) are the origin ancestry religion area for many mythologies and religious ideas of the world by means of a few main migrations and many smaller ones leading to a distribution of religious ideas that even though are vast in distance are commonly related to and centering on Lake Baikal and its surrounding areas like the Amur region and Altai Mountains region. 

To an Animistic Thinker: “Things are not just as they seem, they may have a spirit, or spirit energy relates to them” 

To a Totemistic Thinker: “Things are not just as they seem, they may have a spirit, or spirit energy relates to them; they may have religio-cultural importance.” 

“Ancient North Eurasian population had Haplogroups R, P, U, and Q DNA types: defined by maternal West-Eurasian ancestry components (such as mtDNA haplogroup U) and paternal East-Eurasian ancestry components (such as yDNA haplogroup P1 (R*/Q*).” ref 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Ancient North Eurasian (ANE)

Ancient Beringian/Ancestral Native American (AB/ANA)

Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG)

Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG)

Western Steppe Herders (WSH) 

Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherer (SHG)

Early European Farmers (EEF)

Jōmon people (Ainu people OF Hokkaido Island) 

Neolithic Iranian farmers (Iran_N) (Iran Neolithic)

Amur Culture (Amur watershed)

 

Haplogroup R possible time of origin about 27,000 years in Central Asia, South Asia, or Siberia:

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Early Russian Pottery in Cisbaikal Kitoi culture 7,500 years ago, Samara culture 7,000 years ago, and Yamnaya culture 5,600–4,600 years ago, as well as Proto-Indo-European emergence

“The area east of Lake Baikal in Siberia is one of the few regions in Eurasia where pottery was already used during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Such early pottery complexes were identified in Ust’-Karenga XII, Studenoye 1, Ust’-Menza 1, and Ust’-Khyakhta 3, dated at about 12-000-11,000 years ago. While around 20,000 years ago East Asian hunter-gatherers were already making ceramic pots. (It seems to Damien) that ceramics spread continually from the earliest centers in China, then Japan, and next the Russian Far East, lastly towards the west, all the way to Europe.” ref 

Early Russian Pottery in Cisbaikal Kitoi culture 7,500 years ago, Samara culture 7,000 years ago, and Yamnaya culture 5,600–4,600 years ago, as well as Proto-Indo-European emergence

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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R2a from Siberia spreading to Iran, influenced the creation of Proto-Indo-European languages, transferring to R1b, emerging south of the Caucasus, and then spreading north into Russia/Europe

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Human DNA from the oldest Eneolithic cemetery in Nalchik points the spread of farming from the Caucasus to the Eastern European steppes

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“The new study appears to align with the spread of Indo-European languages and was closely tied to the diffusion of agriculture from Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) around 8,000 to 9,500 years ago.” ref

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Indo-European dialects dispersed across Eurasia in successive waves over the course of 8,000 years.

Word origins and ancient DNA reveal the evolutionary path traveled by the languages spoken by half the world.

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“Approximately 7,000 years ago, the Indo-European linguistic lineage had already split into numerous distinct branches, according to the study published in Science. “This would rule out the steppe hypothesis,” said Heggarty. Around 8,120 years ago, the Proto-Indo-European language likely experienced its initial diversification event, give or take a few centuries. Recent studies of ancient DNA suggest that farmers from the Caucasus region — between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea — migrated towards Anatolia, which supports the Anatolian theory. Hittite, an extinct language spoken by the Anatolian civilization, is another significant branch of the Indo-European family. For decades, a large group of linguists argued that Hittite was the common ancestor of the other Indo-European languages, with some even considering it to be the direct heir of Proto-Indo-European.” ref

“Ancient DNA, on the other hand, has provided compelling evidence in support of the steppe hypothesis. Since 2015, it has become clear that individuals originating from the Pontic steppe, situated to the south and northeast of present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, migrated to Central Europe approximately 6,000 to 4,500 years ago. Their genetic legacy is evident in both modern Europeans and the indigenous populations of that era. Notably, studies conducted in 2018 and 2019 revealed how these migrant eastern populations replaced a significant proportion of males on the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, they brought with them Italic, Germanic, and Celtic languages. It is important to note that when they departed from their original homeland, they likely spoke a common or closely related language descended from Proto-Indo-European. However, as their very slow journey progressed (the Celts took centuries to reach present-day Ireland) and they settled in new territories, language diversification began to emerge.” ref

“The Albanians, Greek-speaking Mycenaeans, and Hittites do not have a dominant genetic signal from the steppe.” ref

Paul Heggarty, researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.

“Heggarty’s team made a significant contribution by shedding light on this question. By combining phylogenetic analysis of cognates with insights from ancient DNA, they found potentially two distinct origins. Expansion initially originated from the southern Caucasus region, resulting in the separation of five major language families approximately 7,000 years ago. “The Albanians, Greek-speaking Mycenaeans, and Hittites do not have a dominant genetic signal from the steppe,” said Heggarty. Several millennia later, another wave emerged, led by nomadic steppe herders from the north. This wave not only influenced the development of western branches of the language tree, but it also possibly played a role in the evolution of Slavic and Baltic languages. It even extended its influence to the Indian subcontinent, while giving rise to the now-extinct Tocharian languages in what is present-day Tibet.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Scheme of Indo-European language dispersals from c. 4000 to 1000 BCE according to the widely held Kurgan hypothesis. Center: Steppe cultures 1 (black): Anatolian languages (archaic PIE) 2 (black): Afanasievo culture (early PIE) 3 (black) Yamnaya culture expansion (Pontic-Caspian steppe, Danube Valley) (late PIE) 4A (black): Western Corded Ware 4B-C (blue & dark blue): Bell Beaker; adopted by Indo-European speakers 5A-B (red): Eastern Corded ware 5C (red): Sintashta (proto-Indo-Iranian) 6 (magenta): Andronovo 7A (purple): Indo-Aryans (Mittani) 7B (purple): Indo-Aryans (India) [NN] (dark yellow): proto-Balto-Slavic 8 (grey): Greek 9 (yellow): Iranian [not drawn]: Armenian, expanding from western steppe.” ref

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“The Sumerian Genesis describes the Abzu as a cosmic freshwater ocean that surrounds our planet (created in its midst) above and below. The sketch shows the same as Babylon’s map, now in side view. A breathable air bubble clings to Earth, with the Abzu as roof like on Athrahasis’ lifeboat. Further details, such as Noah’s island Dilmun, are taken from the epic of Gilgamesh. An important technical detail are the sluices built into sky. Through them, the gods, skilled in construction of irrigation systems, supplied their Garden of Eden with rain, but also unleashed the great flood.” ref 

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“The primeval history is the name given by biblical scholars to the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. These chapters convey the story of the first years of the world’s existence.

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Ancient Cosmology Shaped Everyone’s Theology

Sacred Flat Earth, often with hills/mountains: “Mound of Creation” or “Axis Mundi.”

“Cosmology in the ancient Near East (ANE) refers to the plurality of cosmological beliefs in the Ancient Near East, covering the period from the 4th millennium BCE to the formation of the Macedonian Empire by Alexander the Great in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE. These beliefs include the Mesopotamian cosmologies from Babylonia, Sumer, and Akkad; the Levantine or West Semitic cosmologies from Ugarit and ancient Israel and Judah (the biblical cosmology); the Egyptian cosmology from Ancient Egypt; and the Anatolian cosmologies from the Hittites. This system of cosmology went on to have a profound influence on views in early Greek cosmology, later Jewish cosmology, patristic cosmology, and Islamic cosmology (including Quranic cosmology). Until the modern era, variations of ancient near eastern cosmology survived with Hellenistic cosmology as the main competing system. Ancient near eastern cosmology can be divided into its cosmography, the physical structure and features of the cosmos; and cosmogony, the creation myths that describe the origins of the cosmos in the texts and traditions of the ancient near eastern world. The cosmos and the gods were also related, as cosmic bodies like heaven, earth, the stars were believed to be and/or personified as gods, and the sizes of the gods were frequently described as being of cosmic proportions.” ref

Cosmography

“Ancient Near Eastern civilizations held to a fairly uniform conception of cosmography. This cosmography remained remarkably stable in the context of the expansiveness and longevity of the ancient Near East, but changes were also to occur. Widely held components of ancient near eastern cosmography included:

  • a flat earth and a solid heaven (firmament), both of which are disk-shaped
  • a primordial cosmic ocean. When the firmament is created, it separates the cosmic ocean into two bodies of water:
    • the heavenly upper waters located on top of the firmament, which act as a source of rain
    • the lower waters that the earth is above and that the earth rests on; they act as the source of rivers, springs, and other earthly bodies of water
  • the region above the upper waters, namely the abode of the gods
  • the netherworld, the furthest region in the direction downwards, below the lower waters.” ref

“Keyser, categorizing ancient near eastern cosmology as belonging to a larger and more cross-cultural set of cosmologies he describes as a “cradle cosmology,” offers a longer list of shared features. Some cosmographical features have been misattributed to Mesopotamian cosmologies, including the idea that ziggurats represented cosmic objects reaching up to heaven or the idea of a dome- or vault-shaped (as opposed to a flat) firmament. Another controversy concerns if the ancient near eastern cosmography was purely observational or phenomenological. However, a number of lines of evidence, including descriptions from the cosmological texts themselves, presumptions of this cosmography in non-cosmological texts (like incantations), anthropological studies of contemporary primitive cosmologies, and cognitive expectations that humans construct mental models to explain observation, support that the ancient near eastern cosmography was not phenomenological.” ref

Cosmogony

“Ancient near eastern cosmogony also included a number of common features that are present in most if not all creation myths from the ancient near east. Widespread features included:

  • Creatio ex materia from a primordial state of chaos; that is, the organization of the world from pre-existing, unordered and unformed (hence chaotic) elements, represented by a primordial body of water
  • the presence of a divine creator
  • the Chaoskampf motif: a cosmic battle between the protagonist and a primordial sea monster
  • the separation of undifferentiated elements (to create heaven and earth)
  • the creation of mankind.” ref

“Lisman uses the broader category of “Beginnings” to encompass three separate though inter-related categories: the beginning of the cosmos (cosmogony), the beginning of the gods (theogony), and the beginning of humankind (anthropogeny). There is evidence that Mesopotamian creation myths reached as far as Pre-Islamic Arabia.” ref

Overview of the whole cosmos

“The Mesopotamian cosmos can be imagined along a vertical axis, with parallel planes of existence layered above each other. The uppermost plane of existence was heaven, being the residence of the god of the sky Anu. Immediately below heaven was the atmosphere. The atmosphere extended from the bottom of heaven (or the lowermost firmament) to the ground. This region was inhabited by Enlil, who was also the king of the gods in Sumerian mythology. The cosmic ocean below the ground was the next plane of existence, and this was the domain of the sibling deities Enki and Ninhursag. The lowest plane of existence was the underworld. Other deities inhabited these planes of existence even if they did not reign over them, such as the sun and moon gods. In later Babylonian accounts, the god Marduk alone ascends to the top rank of the pantheon and rules over all domains of the cosmos. The three-tiered cosmos (sky-earth-underworld) is found in Egyptian artwork on coffin lids and burial chambers.” ref

“A variety of terms or phrases were used to refer to the cosmos as a whole, acting as rough equivalents to contemporary terms like “cosmos” or “universe”. This included phrases like “heaven and earth” or “heaven and underworld”. Terms like “all” or “totality” similarly connoted the entire universe. These motifs are found in temple hymns and royal inscriptions located in temples. The temples symbolized cosmic structures that reached heaven at their height and the underworld at their depths/foundations. Surviving evidence does not specify the exact physical bounds of the cosmos or what lies beyond the region described in the texts.” ref

Three Heavens and Earths

“In Mesopotamian cosmology, heaven and earth both had a tripartite structure: a Lower Heaven/Earth, a Middle Heaven/Earth, and an Upper Heaven/Earth. The Upper Earth was where humans existed. Middle Earth, corresponding to the Abzu (primeval underworldly ocean), was the residence of the god Enki. Lower Earth, the Mesopotamian underworld, was where the 600 Anunnaki gods lived, associated with the land of the dead ruled by Nergal. As for the heavens: the highest level was populated by 300 Igigi (great gods), the middle heaven belonged to the Igigi and also contained Marduk’s throne, and the lower heaven was where the stars and constellations were inscribed into. The extent of the Babylonian universe therefore corresponded to a total of six layers spanning across heaven and Earth. Notions of the plurality of heaven and earth are no later than the 2nd millennium BC and may be elaborations of earlier and simpler cosmographies.” ref

“One text (KAR 307) describes the cosmos in the following manner, with each of the three floors of heaven being made of a different type of stone:

30 “The Upper Heavens are Luludānītu stone. They belong to Anu. He (i.e. Marduk) settled the 300 Igigū (gods) inside. 31 The Middle Heavens are Saggilmud stone. They belong to the Igīgū (gods). Bēl (i.e. Marduk) sat on the high throne within, 32 the lapis lazuli sanctuary. And made a lamp? of electrum shine inside (it). 33 The Lower Heavens are jasper. They belong to the stars. He drew the constellations of the gods on them. 34 In the … …. of the Upper Earth, he lay down the spirits of mankind. 35 [In the …] of the Middle earth, he settled Ea, his father. 36 […..] . He did not let the rebellion be forgotten. 37 [In the … of the Lowe]r earth, he shut inside 600 Anunnaki. 38 […….] … […. in]side jasper.” ref

“Another text (AO 8196) offers a slightly different arrangement, with the Igigi in the upper heaven instead of the middle heaven, and with Bel placed in the middle heaven. Both agree on the placement of the stars in the lower heaven. Exodus 24:9–10 identifies the floor of heaven as being like sapphire, which may correspond to the blue lapis lazuli floor in KAR 307, chosen potentially for its correspondence to the visible color of the sky. One hypothesis holds that the belief that the firmament is made of stone (or a metal, such as iron in Egyptian texts) arises from the observation that meteorites, which are composed of this substance, fall from the firmament.” ref

Proto-Indo-European Cosmology: There was a fundamental opposition between the never-aging gods dwelling above in the skies and the mortal humans living beneath on the earth. Earth (*dʰéǵʰōm) was perceived as a vast, flat, and circular continent surrounded by waters (“the Ocean”). Although they may sometimes be identified with mythical figures or stories, the stars (*h₂stḗr) were not bound to any particular cosmic significance and were perceived as ornamental more than anything else. According toMartin L. West, the idea of theworld-tree(L.axis mundi) is probably a later import from North Asiatic cosmologies: “The Greek myth might be derived from the Near East, and the Indic and Germanic ideas of a pillar from the shamanistic cosmologies of theFinno-Ugricand other peoples of central and northern Asia.” ref

“Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, speakers of the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested – since Proto-Indo-European speakers lived in preliterate societies – scholars of comparative mythology have reconstructed details from inherited similarities in mythological concepts found in Indo-European languages, based on the assumption that parts of the Proto-Indo-Europeans’ original belief systems survived in the daughter traditions. The Proto-Indo-European pantheon includes a number of securely reconstructed deities, since they are both cognates—linguistic siblings from a common origin—and associated with similar attributes and body of myths: such as *Dyḗws Ph₂tḗr, the daylight-sky god; his consort *Dʰéǵʰōm, the earth mother; his daughter *H₂éwsōs, the dawn goddess; his sons the Divine Twins; and *Seh₂ul and *Meh₁not, a solar deity and moon deity, respectively. Some deities, like the weather god *Perkʷunos or the herding-god *Péh₂usōn, are only attested in a limited number of traditions—Western (i.e. European) and Graeco-Aryan, respectively—and could therefore represent late additions that did not spread throughout the various Indo-European dialects. Some myths are also securely dated to Proto-Indo-European times, since they feature both linguistic and thematic evidence of an inherited motif: a story portraying a mythical figure associated with thunder and slaying a multi-headed serpent to release torrents of water that had previously been pent up; a creation myth involving two brothers, one of whom sacrifices the other in order to create the world; and probably the belief that the Otherworld was guarded by a watchdog and could only be reached by crossing a river. Various schools of thought exist regarding possible interpretations of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European mythology. The main mythologies used in comparative reconstruction are Indo-Iranian, Baltic, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Greek, Slavic, Hittite, Armenian, and Albanian. One of the earliest attested and thus one of the most important of all Indo-European mythologies is Vedic mythology, especially the mythology of the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas.” ref

“The Vedic period is held to have ended around 500 BCE or around 2,500 years ago. The period between 800–200 BCE or around 2,800 to 2,200 years ago, is the formative period for later Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The Vedic religion has roots in the Indo-Iranian culture and religion of the Sintashta (c. 2200–1750 BCE or around 4,200 to 3,750 years ago) and Andronovo (c. 2000–1150 BCE or around 4,000 to 3,150 years ago) cultures of Eurasian Steppe. The Vedic period (c. 1500–500 BCE or around 3,500 to 2,500 years ago). These ideas and practices are found in the Vedic texts, and some Vedic rituals are still practised today. The Vedic religion is one of the major traditions which shaped modern Hinduism, though present-day Hinduism is significantly different from the historical Vedic religion.” ref

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“6,000-year-old eight-point Star of Ghassul (somewhat similar to the “Star of Ishtar/Inanna” is a Mesopotamian which usually had eight points) at the site of Teleilat Ghassul, Jordan.” ref, ref, ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art 

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“The Sumerian word for “god” Dingir (????) that originally was an ideogram for the Sumerian word “sky” or “heaven” was then extended to a logogram for the word (Dingir) (“goddess” or “god”). The three symbols relate to the holy triad: Inanna/Ishtar, Nanna/Sin, Utu/Shamash, that is morning star (Venus), lunar (moon crescent), solar disk (sun). The concept of “divinity” in Sumerian is closely associated with the heavens, as is evident from the fact that the cuneiform sign doubles as the ideogram for “sky”, and that its original shape is the picture of a star. The original association of “divinity” is thus with “bright” or “shining” hierophanies in the sky.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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  1. From a Gerzeh/Naqada II Late Predynastic Egyptian palette with a goddess “Bat/Hathor” cow-head sun/stars motif.
  2. From a Hierakonpolis late Gerzeh/Naqada II Predynastic or early Naqada III Proto-Dynastic Egyptian porphyry fluted bowl with two reliefs on the rim, one of which was a goddess “Hathor/Bat” cow-head sun/stars motif.
  3. From an Abydos tomb, u-210 which held a small seal with a goddess “Bat/Hathor” sun/stars motif from the Gerzeh/Naqada II Late Predynastic Egyptian period.
  4. A Mongolian Copper Age bull sun/star shamanism petroglyph
  5. A Mongolian Bronze Age deer sun/star shamanism petroglyph symbol.
  6. A Kyrgyzstan Saimaly-Tash possibly Bronze Age shamanism cow-sun person symbol petroglyph.
  7. Similar X-ray style images among different peoples of the North from Siberia to Central Asia with shamanism petroglyphs of horned animals with sun symbols from possibly as old as the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. ref, ref, ref

Stars: Ancestors, Spirit Animals, and Deities (around 6,000 years ago, with connections to shamanism at 30,000 years ago and possibly further back to 40,000 years ago with totemism)

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Trinity Evolution Started over 30,000 years ago, Maybe?

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Milky Way Mythology: Often a Path to the Afterlife, Souls of the Dead on the Milky Way

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Sun and Moon Goddesses

My response: AI Overview: While the Anunnaki are often called “those who descended from heaven,” their origins are deeply tied to water in Mesopotamian myth, with the primeval waters (Apsu/Abzu and Tiamat) giving birth to the first gods, including the early forms of the Anunnaki triad (Anu, Enlil, Enki), with Enki specifically ruling the freshwater ocean, linking them to water, creation, and life. Water (Abzu) was seen as the source of all freshwater, fertility, and life, and the gods emerged from these primordial waters, making water a fundamental element of their divine existence. Primordial Waters: The Babylonian creation epic Enuma Elish describes the first gods emerging from the union of Apsu (freshwater) and Tiamat (saltwater). Nammu (Sumerian): The original cosmic ocean (space/universe), the primordial abyss, and mother of the first gods (An and Ki), embodying pure chaos and fertility. Nammu, the primal goddess, personified the original, endless cosmic ocean or abyss from which the universe and the gods emerged. 

AI Overview: The primary Anunnaki god associated with water is Enki (also known as Ea), the Sumerian deity of wisdom, freshwater, creation, and magic, ruling over the subterranean ocean Abzu and teaching humans irrigation and civilization. While Enki governs fresh water, the broader Anunnaki pantheon included other powerful gods like Anu (sky) and Enlil (air/storms), and other deities like Ninhursag (earth/motherhood) also interacted with water and fertility, shaping life through control over elements. 

“All Earth-like characteristics.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, Yes, in the sense that once the earth and sky deities were joined as one mythologically. AI Overview: In Sumerian mythology, the heavens (An) and the earth (Ki) were once united as a single entity, often depicted as a cosmic mountain, until the god Enlil (god of air/wind) separated them to create distinct realms, with An taking the sky and Enlil taking the earth, establishing the cosmos and allowing for the creation of humanity to serve the gods. 

Sumerians and Ancient Egyptians: mountains, mounds, and temples: Ziggurats or Pyramids, with related Deities, as well as Mythology

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Water and Mythology: Water Deities and Creation

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Goddess Nammu, who later becomes Tiamat female sea serpent or dragon, Primeval Sea/Cosmic Ocean.” ref, ref

“Nammu was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as a creator deity, especially in the early Sumerian city, Eridu. Mother of An (Heaven/Sky god) and Ki (Earth/Mound of Creation?), as well as a primeval sea/Cosmic ocean, related to the goddess Tiamat.” ref

“Nammu (𒀭𒇉 dENGUR = dLAGAB×ḪAL; also read Namma) was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as a creator deity in the local theology of Eridu. It is assumed that she was associated with water. She is also well-attested in connection with incantations and apotropaic magic. She was regarded as the mother of Enki, and in a single inscription she appears as the wife of Anu, but it is assumed that she usually was not believed to have a spouse. From the Old Babylonian period onwards, she was considered to be the mother of An (Heaven) and Ki (Earth), as well as a representation of the primeval sea/ocean, an association that may have come from influence from the goddess Tiamat.” ref

“While Nammu is already attested in sources from the Early Dynastic period, such as the zame hymns and an inscription of Lugal-kisalsi, she was not commonly worshiped. A temple dedicated to her existed in Ur in the Old Babylonian period, she is also attested in texts from Nippur and Babylon. Theophoric names invoking her were rare, with that of king Ur-Nammu until recently being believed to be the only example. In the Old Babylonian myth Enki and Ninmah, Nammu is one of the deities involved in the creation of mankind alongside the eponymous pair and a group of seven minor goddesses. Her presence differentiates this narrative from other texts dealing with the same motif, such as Atra-Hasis.” ref

“Nammu’s name was represented in cuneiform by the Sumerogram ENGUR (LAGAB×ḪAL). Lexical lists provide evidence for multiple readings, including Nammu, Namma, and longer, reduplicated variants such as Namnamu and Nannama. A bilingual text from Tell Harmal treats the short and long forms of the name as if they were respectively the Akkadian and Sumerian versions of the same word. The name is conventionally translated as “creatrix.” ref 

‘This interpretation depends on the theory that it is etymologically related to the element imma (SIG7) in the name of the goddess Ninimma, which could be explained in Akkadian as nabnītu or bunnannû, two terms pertaining to creation. However, this proposal is not universally accepted. Another related possibility is to interpret it as a genitive compound, (e)n + amma(k), “lady of the cosmic river,” but it is similarly not free of criticism, and it has been argued no clear evidence for the etymology for Nammu’s name exists. Ancient authors secondarily etymologized it as nig2-nam-ma, “creativity,” “totality,” or “everything.” ref

“The sign ENGUR could also be read as engur, a synonym of apsu, but when used in this context, it was not identical with the name of the goddess, and Nammu could be referred to as the creator of engur, which according to Frans Wiggermann confirms she and the mythical body of water were not identical. Nammu could be referred to with epithets such as “lady who is great and high in the sea” (nin-ab-gal-an-na-u5-a),” mother who gave birth to heaven and earth” (dama-tu-an-ki) or “first mother who gave birth to all (or senior) gods” (ama-palil-u3-tu-diĝir-šar-šar-ra-ke4-ne). The motherhood of Nammu to heaven and earth is attested in texts like the god-list TCL XV 10 and is related to the status attained from the Old Babylonian period onwards as the mother of An (Heaven) and Ki (Earth).” ref

“Few sources providing information about Nammu’s character are known. Most of them come from the Old Babylonian period. Based on indirect evidence, it is assumed she was associated with water, though there is debate among researchers over whether sweet or saline. No explicit references to Nammu being identical with the sea are known, and Manuel Ceccarelli in a recent study suggests she might have represented groundwater. Jan Lisman, who views Nammu as having been a representation of the primordial ocean/sea from which the rest of the cosmos emerged, believes that Nammu’s association with this body of water may have come from the influence of the goddess Tiamat.” ref

“In Mesopotamian religion, Tiamat (Akkadian: 𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳 DTI.AMAT or 𒀭𒌓𒌈 DTAM.TUM, Ancient Greek: Θαλάττη, romanized: Thaláttē) is the primordial sea, mating with Abzû (Apsu), the groundwater, to produce the gods in the Babylonian epic Enûma Elish, which translates as “when on high.” She is referred to as a woman, and has—at various points in the epic—a number of anthropomorphic features (such as breasts) and theriomorphic features (such as a tail). In the Enûma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation, Tiamat bears the first generation of deities after mingling her waters with those of Apsu, her consort. The gods continue to reproduce, forming a noisy new mass of divine children. Apsu, driven to violence by the noise they make, seeks to destroy them and is killed.” ref

“Enraged, Tiamat also wars upon those of her own and Apsu’s children who killed her consort, bringing forth a series of monsters as weapons. She also takes a new consort, Qingu, and bestows on him the Tablet of Destinies, which represents legitimate divine rulership. She is ultimately defeated and slain by Enki‘s son, the storm-god Marduk, but not before she conjures forth monsters whose bodies she fills with “poison instead of blood.” Marduk dismembers her, and then constructs and structures elements of the cosmos from Tiamat’s body. Some sources have dubiously identified her with images of a sea serpent or dragon. Tiamat also has been claimed to be cognate with the Northwest Semitic word tehom (תְּהוֹם; ‘the deeps, abyss’), in the Book of Genesis 1:2.” ref

“The Babylonian epic Enuma Elish is named for its incipit: “When on high [or: When above],” the heavens did not yet exist, nor the earth below, Abzu the subterranean ocean was there, “the first, the begetter,” and Tiamat, the overground sea, “she who bore them all”; they were “mixing their waters.” It is thought that female deities are older than male ones in Mesopotamia, and Tiamat may have begun as part of the cult of Nammu, a female principle of a watery creative force, with equally strong connections to the underworld, which predates the appearance of Ea-Enki. Harriet Crawford finds this “mixing of the waters” to be a natural feature of the middle Persian Gulf, where fresh waters from the Arabian aquifer mix and mingle with the salt waters of the sea.” ref 

“This characteristic is especially true of the region of Bahrain, whose name in Arabic means “two seas”, and which is thought to be the site of Dilmun, the original site of the Sumerian creation beliefs. The difference in density of salt and fresh water drives a perceptible separation. In the Enuma Elish, Tiamat’s physical description includes a tail, a thigh, “lower parts” (which shake together), a belly, an udder, ribs, a neck, a head, a skull, eyes, nostrils, a mouth, and lips. She has insides (possibly “entrails”), a heart, arteries, and blood. Tiamat was once regarded as a sea serpent or dragon, although Assyriologist Alexander Heidel has previously recognized that a “dragon form can not be imputed to Tiamat with certainty.” She is still often referred to as a monster, though this identification has been credibly challenged. In Enuma Elish, Tiamat is clearly portrayed as a mother of monsters but, before this, she is just as clearly portrayed as a mother to all the gods.” ref

“With Tiamat, Abzu (or Apsû) fathered the elder deities Lahmu and Lahamu (masc. the ‘hairy’), a title given to the gatekeepers at Enki’s Abzu/E’engurra-temple in Eridu. Lahmu and Lahamu, in turn, were the parents of the ‘ends’ of the heavens (Anshar, from an-šar, ‘heaven-totality/end’) and the earth (Kishar); Anshar and Kishar were considered to meet at the horizon, becoming, thereby, the parents of Anu (Heaven) and Ki (Earth). Tiamat was the “shining” personification of the sea who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Abzu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is “Ummu-Hubur who formed all things.” ref

“In the myth recorded on cuneiform tablets, the deity Enki (later Ea) believed correctly that Abzu was planning to murder the younger deities as a consequence of his aggravation with the noisy tumult they created. This premonition led Enki to capture Abzu and hold him prisoner beneath Abzu’s own temple, the E-Abzu (‘temple of Abzu’). This angered Kingu, their son, who reported the event to Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned eleven monsters to battle the deities in order to avenge Abzu’s death. These were her own offspring: Bašmu (‘Venomous Snake’), Ušumgallu (‘Great Dragon’), Mušmaḫḫū (‘Exalted Serpent’), Mušḫuššu (‘Furious Snake’), Laḫmu (the ‘Hairy One’), Ugallu (the ‘Big Weather-Beast’), Uridimmu (‘Mad Lion’), Girtablullû (‘Scorpion-Man’), Umū dabrūtu (‘Violent Storms’), Kulullû (‘Fish-Man’), and Kusarikku (‘Bull-Man’).” ref

“Tiamat was in possession of the Tablet of Destinies, and in the primordial battle, she gave the relic to Kingu, the deity she had chosen as her lover and the leader of her host, and who was also one of her children. The terrified deities were rescued by Anu, who secured their promise to revere him as “king of the gods.” He fought Tiamat with the arrows of the winds, a net, a club, and an invincible spear. Anu was later replaced first by Enlil, and (in the late version that has survived after the First Dynasty of Babylon) then subsequently by Marduk, the son of Ea.” ref

“Slicing Tiamat in half, Marduk made from her ribs the vault of heaven and earth. Her weeping eyes became the sources of the Tigris and the Euphrates, her tail became the Milky Way. With the approval of the elder deities, he took the Tablet of Destinies from Kingu, and installed himself as the head of the Babylonian pantheon. Kingu was captured and later was slain: his red blood mixed with the red clay of the Earth would make the body of humankind, created to act as the servant of the younger Igigi deities.” ref

“The principal theme of the epic is the rightful elevation of Marduk to command over all the deities. “It has long been realized that the Marduk epic, for all its local coloring and probable elaboration by the Babylonian theologians, reflects in substance older Sumerian material,” American Assyriologist E. A. Speiser remarked in 1942, adding, “The exact Sumerian prototype, however, has not turned up so far.” However, this surmise that the Babylonian version of the story is based upon a modified version of an older epic, in which Enlil, not Marduk, was the god who slew Tiamat, has been more recently dismissed as “distinctly improbable.” ref

“One example of an icon that was more so a motif of Tiamat was within the Temple of Bêl, located in Palmyra. The motif depicts Nabu and Marduk defeating Tiamat. In this picture, Tiamat is shown as a woman’s body with legs which are made of snakes. It was once thought that the myth of Tiamat was one of the earliest recorded versions of a Chaoskampf, a mythological motif that generally involves the battle between a culture hero and a chthonic or aquatic monster, serpent, or dragon. Chaoskampf motifs in other mythologies perhaps linked to the Tiamat myth include: the Hittite Illuyanka myth; the Greek lore of Apollo‘s killing of the Python as a necessary action to take over the Delphic Oracle; and to Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.” ref

“A number of writers have put forth ideas about Tiamat: Robert Graves, for example, considered Tiamat’s death by Marduk as evidence for his hypothesis of an ancient shift in power from a matriarchal society to a patriarchy. The theory suggested that Tiamat and other ancient monster figures were depictions of former supreme deities of peaceful, woman-centered religions. Their defeat at the hands of a male hero corresponded to the overthrow of these matristic religions and societies by male-dominated ones. Nu (mythology) – an ancient Egyptian deity with a similar role. Chaos (cosmogony) – Ancient Greek deity with a similar role. Ymir (Norse) is similar, as well as Pangu (Chinese), and Sea of Suf – a primordial sea in the World of Darkness in Mandaean cosmology.” ref

“Nu (“Watery One”) or Nun (“The Inert One”) (Ancient Egyptian: nnw Nānaw; Coptic: Ⲛⲟⲩⲛ Noun), in ancient Egyptian religion, is the personification of the primordial watery abyss which existed at the time of creation and from which the creator sun god Ra arose. Nu is one of the eight deities of the Ogdoad representing ancient Egyptian primordial Chaos from which the primordial mound arose. Nun can be seen as the first of all the gods and the creator of reality and personification of the cosmos. Nun is also considered the god that will destroy existence and return everything to the Nun whence it came. No cult was addressed to Nun.” ref

“The ancient Egyptians envisaged the oceanic abyss of the Nun as surrounding a bubble in which the sphere of life is encapsulated, representing the deepest mystery of their cosmogony. In ancient Egyptian creation accounts, the original mound of land comes forth from the waters of the Nun. The Nun is the source of all that appears in a differentiated world, encompassing all aspects of divine and earthly existence. In the Ennead cosmogony, Nun is perceived as transcendent at the point of creation alongside Atum the creator god. In the beginning the universe only consisted of a great chaotic cosmic ocean, and the ocean itself was referred to as Nu. In some versions of this myth, at the beginning of time Mehet-Weret, portrayed as a cow with a sun disk between her horns, gives birth to the sun, said to have risen from the waters of creation and to have given birth to the sun god Ra in some myths.” ref

“The universe was enrapt by a vast mass of primordial waters, and the Benben, a pyramid mound, emerged amid this primal chaos. There was a lotus flower with Benben, and from this when it blossomed emerged Ra. There were many versions of the sun’s emergence, and it was said to have emerged directly from the mound or from a lotus flower that grew from the mound, in the form of a heron, falcon, scarab beetle, or human child. In Heliopolis, the creation was attributed to Atum, a deity closely associated with Ra, who was said to have existed in the waters of Nu as an inert potential being.” ref

“Beginning with the Middle Kingdom, Nun is described as “the father of the gods” and he is depicted on temple walls throughout the rest of ancient Egyptian religious history. The Ogdoad includes along with Naunet and Nun, Amaunet and Amun; Hauhet and Heh; and Kauket and Kek. Like the other Ogdoad deities, Nu did not have temples or any center of worship. Even so, Nu was sometimes represented by a sacred lake, or, as at Abydos, by an underground stream. Nun was depicted as an anthropomorphic large figure and a personification of the primordial waters, with water ripples filling the body, holding a notched palm branch. Nun was also depicted in anthropomorphic form but with the head of a frog, and he was typically depicted in ancient Egyptian art holding aloft the solar barque or the sun disc. He may appear greeting the rising sun in the guise of a baboon.” ref

“Nun is otherwise symbolized by the presence of a sacred cistern or lake as in the sanctuaries of Karnak and Dendara. Nu was shown usually as male but also had aspects that could be represented as female or male. Naunet (also spelt Nunet) is the female aspect, which is the name Nu with a female gender ending. The male aspect, Nun, is written with a male gender ending. As with the primordial concepts of the Ogdoad, Nu’s male aspect was depicted as a frog, or a frog-headed man. In Ancient Egyptian art, Nun also appears as a bearded man, with blue-green skin, representing water. Naunet is represented as a snake or snake-headed woman. In the 12th Hour of the Book of Gates, Nu is depicted with upraised arms holding a solar bark (or barque, a boat). The boat is occupied by eight deities with Khepri, Ra’s morning aspect, standing in the middle and being surrounded by the seven other deities.” ref

“In the local tradition of Eridu, Nammu was regarded as a creator deity. There is no indication in known texts that she had a spouse when portrayed as such. Julia M. Asher-Greve suggests that while generally treated as a goddess, Nammu can be considered asexual in this context. Joan Goodnick Westenholz assumed the process of creation she was involved in was imagined as comparable to parthenogenesis. While primordial figures were often considered to no longer be active by the ancient Mesopotamians, in contrast with other deities, Nammu was apparently believed to still exist as an active figure.” ref

“Nammu was also associated with incantations, apotropaic magic, and tools and materials used in them. In a single incantation she is called bēlet egubbê, “mistress of the holy water basin“, but this epithet was usually regarded as belonging to Ningirima, rather than her. In texts of this genre, she could be invoked in order to purificate or consecrate something, or against demons, illness, or scorpions. Nammu was regarded as the mother of Enki (Ea), as indicated by the myth Enki and Ninmah, the god list An = Anum and a bilingual incantation. However, references to her being his sole parent are less common than the well-attested tradition according to which he was one of the children of Anu. Julia Krul assumes that in the third millennium BCE, Nammu was regarded as the spouse of the latter god.” ref 

“She is designated this way in an inscription of Lugal-kisalsi from the Early Dynastic period. However, this is the only known reference to the existence of such a tradition. Wilfred G. Lambert concluded that Nammu had no traditional spouse. In incantations, Nammu could appear alongside deities such as Enki, Asalluhi, and Nanshe. An early literary text known from a copy from Ebla mentions a grouping of deities presumed to share judiciary functions, which includes Nammu, Shamash, Ishtaran, and Idlurugu.” ref

“A single explanatory text equates Nammu with Apsu. It seemingly reinterprets her as a male deity and as the spouse of Nanshe. However, it most likely depends on traditions pertaining to Enūma Eliš and does not represent a separate independent tradition. As of 2017, no clear evidence for the belief in personified Apsu predating the composition of this text was known. Additionally, while the presumed theogony focused on Nammu is the closest possible parallel to Tiamat‘s role in Enūma Eliš, according to Manuel Ceccarelli the two were not closely connected. In particular, there is no evidence Nammu was ever regarded as an antagonistic figure.” ref

“Evidence for the worship of Nammu is scarce in all periods it is attested in. She belonged to the local pantheon of Eridu, and could be referred to as the divine mother of this city. The only indication of an association with a local pantheon other than that of Eridu is the epithet assigned to her in the god list An = Anum (tablet I, line 27), munusagrig-zi-é-kur-(ra-)ke4, “true housekeeper of Ekur,” but it might have only been assigned to her due to confusion with similarly named Ninimma, who was a member of Enlil‘s court. The Early Dynastics zame hymns assign a separate settlement to her, but the reading of its name remains uncertain. Lugal-kisalsi, a king of Uruk, built a temple dedicated to her, but its ceremonial name is not known.” ref

“In the Ur III period, Nammu is attested in various incantations invoking deities associated with Eridu. She received offerings in Ur in the Old Babylonian period, and texts from this location mention the existence of a temple and clergy (including gudu4 priests) dedicated to her, as well as a field named after her. She also appears in the contemporary god list from Nippur as the 107th entry. According to Frans Wiggermann, a kudurru (inscribed boundary stone) inscription indicates that a temple of Nammu existed in the Sealand at least since the reign of Gulkišar, that it remained in use during the reign of Enlil-nadin-apli of the Second Dynasty of Isin, and that its staff included a šangû priest.” ref 

“The latter king also invoked her alongside Nanshe in a blessing formula. A dedicatory inscription from the Kassite period which mentions Nammu is also known, though its point of origin remains uncertain. Based on a document most likely written during the reign of Esarhaddon, Nammu was also worshiped in É-DÚR-gi-na, the temple of Lugal-asal in Bāṣ. Shrines named kius-Namma, “footstep of Nammu”, existed in Ekur in Nippur and in Esagil in Babylon. Andrew R. George suggests that the latter, attested in a source from the reign of Nabonidus, was named after the former.” ref

“It is assumed that Nammu was not a popular deity. As of 1998, the only known example of a theophoric name invoking Nammu was that of king Ur-Nammu. Further studies identified no other names invoking her in sources from the Ur III period. However, two further examples have been identified in a more recent survey of texts from Kassite Nippur. Texts dealing with the study of calendars (hemerologies) indicate that the twenty-seventh day of the month could be regarded as a festival of Nammu and Nergal, and prescribe royal offerings to these two deities during it. “Nammu appears in the myth Enki and Ninmah. While the text comes from the Old Babylonian period, it might reflect an older tradition from the Ur III period. Two complete copies most likely postdating the reign of Samsu-iluna are known, in addition to a bilingual Sumero-Akkadian version from the library of Ashurbanipal.” ref

“In the beginning of the composition, Nammu wakes up her son Enki to inform him that other gods are complaining about the heavy tasks assigned to them. As a solution, he suggests the creation of mankind, and instructs Nammu how to form men from clay with the help of Ninmah and her assistants (Ninimma, Shuzianna, Ninmada, Ninšar, Ninmug, Mumudu and Ninnigina according to Wilfred G. Lambert‘s translation). After the task is finished, Enki prepares a banquet for Nammu and Ninmah, which other deities, such as Anu, Enlil and the seven assistants, also attend. Nammu’s presence sets the account of creation of mankind in this myth from other compositions dealing with the same topic, such as Atra-Hasis.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Not infrequently, the God of Heaven (Sky Father) and the Goddess of Earth (Earth Mother) are fused into a hermaphroditic higher deity. According to legends, the heavens and earth were once inseparable until Enlil was born; Enlil cleaved them in two. Customs and myths highlight dualistic dichotomies—for example, of heaven and earth, day and night, or man and woman—that need to be surmounted by a kind of bisexual spiritual force.” ref, ref, ref, ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“In Sumerian texts, Enlil is referred to as Kur-gal (the Great Mountain). Enlil is the first attested chief deity in the Sumerian pantheon and is associated with wind, air, earth, and storms.” ref

“Enlil, later known as Elil and Ellil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hurrians. Enlil’s primary center of worship was the Ekur temple in the city of Nippur, which was believed to have been built by Enlil himself and was regarded as the “mooring-rope” of heaven and earth. He is also sometimes referred to in Sumerian texts as Nunamnir. According to one Sumerian hymn, Enlil himself was so holy that not even the other gods could look upon him. Enlil rose to prominence during the twenty-fourth century BCE with the rise of Nippur. His cult fell into decline after Nippur was sacked by the Elamites in 1230 BCE, and he was eventually supplanted as the chief god of the Mesopotamian pantheon by the Babylonian national god Marduk.” ref

“Enlil plays a vital role in the ancient near eastern cosmology; he separates An (heaven) from Ki (earth), thus making the world habitable for humans. In the Sumerian flood myth Eridu Genesis, Enlil rewards Ziusudra with immortality for having survived the flood and, in the Babylonian flood myth, Enlil is the cause of the flood himself, having sent the flood to exterminate the human race, who made too much noise and prevented him from sleeping. The myth of Enlil and Ninlil is about Enlil’s serial seduction of the goddess Ninlil in various guises, resulting in the conception of the moon-god Nanna and the Underworld deities Nergal, Ninazu, and Enbilulu. Enlil was regarded as the inventor of the mattock and the patron of agriculture. Enlil also features prominently in several myths involving his son Ninurta, including Anzû and the Tablet of Destinies and Lugale.” ref

“Enlil’s name comes from ancient Sumerian EN (𒂗), meaning “lord” and LÍL (𒆤), the meaning of which is contentious, and which has sometimes been interpreted as meaning winds as a weather phenomenon (making Enlil a weather and sky god, “Lord Wind” or “Lord Storm”), or alternatively as signifying a spirit or phantom whose presence may be felt as stirring of the air, or possibly as representing a partial Semitic loanword rather than a Sumerian word at all. Enlil’s name is not a genitive construction, suggesting that Enlil was seen as the personification of LÍL rather than merely the cause of LÍL.” ref 

 

“Piotr Steinkeller has written that the meaning of LÍL may not actually be a clue to a specific divine domain of Enlil’s, whether storms, spirits, or otherwise, since Enlil may have been “a typical universal god […] without any specific domain.” Piotr Steinkeller and Piotr Michalowski have doubts about the Sumerian origin of Enlil. They have questioned the true meaning of the name, and identified Enlil with the Eblaite word I-li-lu. As noted by Manfred Krebernik and M. P. Streck; Enlil being referred to as Kur-gal (the Great Mountain) in Sumerian texts suggests he might have originated in eastern Mesopotamia.” ref

“Enlil was the patron god of the Sumerian city-state of Nippur and his main center of worship was the Ekur temple located there. The name of the temple literally means “Mountain House” in ancient Sumerian. The Ekur was believed to have been built and established by Enlil himself. It was believed to be the “mooring-rope” of heaven and earth, meaning that it was seen as “a channel of communication between earth and heaven.” A hymn written during the reign of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, describes the E-kur in great detail, stating that its gates were carved with scenes of Imdugud, a lesser deity sometimes shown as a giant bird, slaying a lion and an eagle snatching up a sinner.” ref

“The Sumerians envisioned Enlil as a benevolent, fatherly deity, who watches over humanity and cares for their well-being. One Sumerian hymn describes Enlil as so glorious that even the other gods could not look upon him. The same hymn also states that, without Enlil, civilization could not exist. Enlil’s epithets include titles such as “the Great Mountain” and “King of the Foreign Lands”. Enlil is also sometimes described as a “raging storm”, a “wild bull”, and a “merchant”. The Mesopotamians envisioned him as a creator, a father, a king, and the supreme lord of the universe. He was also known as “Nunamnir” and is referred to in at least one text as the “East Wind and North Wind.” ref

“Kings regarded Enlil as a model ruler and sought to emulate his example. Enlil was said to be supremely just and intolerant towards evil. Rulers from all over Sumer would travel to Enlil’s temple in Nippur to be legitimized. They would return Enlil’s favor by devoting lands and precious objects to his temple as offerings. Nippur was the only Sumerian city-state that never built a palace; this was intended to symbolize the city’s importance as the center of the cult of Enlil by showing that Enlil himself was the city’s king. Even during the Babylonian Period, when Marduk had superseded Enlil as the supreme god, Babylonian kings still traveled to the holy city of Nippur to seek recognition of their right to rule. Enlil first rose to prominence during the twenty-fourth century BCE, when the importance of the god An began to wane.” ref

Damien’s thoughts on the Evolution of Gods?
 
Animal protector tutelary deities at least 13,000/12,000 years ago, from old totems/spirit animal beliefs (tutelary animal spirits as protectors are at least 30,000 years old, as seen with dogs or dog-like animals) come first to me. Next, human sky/star/constellation deities focused representation on life-size or large nude male statues 11,000/10,000 years ago (Sky Father?), as well as small female figurines and female animal statues (Sky Mother?). Then, males (Hunter/Hurder) seem to lose some importance (Agriculture reliance may explain why), and the rise of Earth Mother (Gatherer becomes more important/powerful) female goddesses develop and are in control around 8,000 years ago. Women as the main power did not last long. Then male gods came roaring back about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago with clan wars. The “male god” seems to have forcefully become prominent/dominant around 7,000 years ago (Supreme Gods?). The “King of the Gods” idea likely is from the time of priest-kings 6,000 years ago. Whereas the now favored monotheism “male god” is more like after 4,000 years ago or so. Moralistic gods seem to relate to around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods are last at around 4,000/3,000 years ago. Many monotheism-themed religions started in henotheism, emerging out of polytheism/paganism.
 
Gods?
“Animism” is needed to begin supernatural thinking.
“Totemism” is needed for supernatural thinking connecting human actions & related to clan/tribe.
“Shamanism” is needed for supernatural thinking to be controllable/changeable by special persons.
Together = Gods/paganism
 
Gods, like religions in general, are cultural products. To me, high gods, like “Sky Father” (Sun or Blue Sky usually, or Storm deities on the deity’s “dark side” like Yin and Yang) or “Sky Mother” (Moon or Stars) myths beliefs are at 39% when tested, in hunter-gatherers the world over.
The Evolution of Deities was not a one-and-done?
 
To me, the God of Sky, relating to stars 12,000 to 11,000 years ago, is older than the sun god of the sky 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago, but 10,000 seems more evident. Likewise, to me, the Mother Goddess of the sky was first 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago. All in the Middle East. Then, around 9,000 to 8,000, seemingly more evident 8,000 years ago, is the Earth Goddesses, also from the Middle East, likely once the Dawn goddesses or another goddess of the sky, possibly the night. Who dies in the childbirth of the Twins and by going to the underworld, is associated with the earth? Or is believed to live in the Earth at night, making her an Earth Goddess. These ideas were spread in several different ways, which impacted the entire world both directly and indirectly. It involved several different languages and DNA moving in different directions at various times. It is complicated and moving in different ways, even back and forth with different ideas moving both back and forth, especially in and out of the Middle East and Siberia.

Around 10,000 years ago, ideas went into Africa. Around 10,000 to 9,000 years ago, these ideas from the Middle East were in Siberia then moved to China and to the Americas by around 9,000 years ago. Religious ideas also left the Middle East from 9,000 to 8,000 years ago to Europe. Around 8,000 years ago, new ideas got to Ukraine but didn’t spread far. From 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, ideas again entered Africa with evolved beliefs from the Middle East. By 7,000 years ago, evolved deities from the Middle East moved again to Europe and Ukraine. And 7,000 years ago, the Siberian sun god of the sky, with a warrior culture, armed forts, and pre-kurgans, moved from Siberia to Ukraine and then returned to the Middle East around 6,000 years ago, influencing the Sumerian religious ideas. 6,000 to 5,000 years ago, these new Siberian influenced ideas from the Middle East were also in Africa. Then new evolved ideas moved back out of from Ukraine to the East by 5,500 to 5,000 years ago to Siberia, then China, and the Americas. Ideas from Ukraine went into Europe as well. Then, 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, the new ideas, now somewhat evolved again, from Siberia headed back to Europe, and so did ideas from the Middle East. ETC. This is just a rough outline to grasp some of the details, as I feel I understand them. There is a bit more, but this gives a good idea of how complicated it was.

Grok AI overview:

  • The post promotes a video theorizing that Enkidu, the hairy wild man from the Epic of Gilgamesh who lives among animals and gains human traits through civilization, shares striking parallels with Bigfoot lore as an ancient archetype of elusive, nature-bound humanoids.
  • Drawing from Michael Cremo and Richard Thompson’s “Forbidden Archeology,” the theory highlights Enkidu’s physical descriptions—long hair, immense strength, and wilderness affinity—as early evidence of anatomical variations persisting into modern cryptid sightings, though Mesopotamian texts blend myth and potential history.
  • This fringe connection echoes discussions in cryptozoology communities and shows like “Ancient Aliens,” where Enkidu’s transformation symbolizes humanity’s edge between animal and divine, intriguing replies that tie it to shapeshifting myths in Native American traditions.

“Enkidu (Sumerian: 𒂗𒆠𒄭 EN.KI.DU10) was a legendary figure in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian poems and in the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh, written during the 2nd millennium BC. He is the oldest literary representation of the wild man, a recurrent motif in artistic representations in Mesopotamia and in Ancient Near East literature. The apparition of Enkidu as a primitive man seems to be a potential parallel of the Old Babylonian version (1300–1000 BCE or around 3,300 to 3,000 years ago), in which he was depicted as a servant-warrior in the Sumerian poems. There have been suggestions that he may be the “bull-man” shown in Mesopotamian art, having the head, arms, and body of a man, and the horns, ears, tail, and legs of a bull. Thereafter a series of interactions with humans and human ways bring him closer to civilization, culminating in a wrestling match with Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Enkidu embodies the wild or natural world. Though equal to Gilgamesh in strength and bearing, he acts in some ways as an antithesis to the cultured, city-bred warrior-king.” ref

“The tales of Enkidu’s servitude are narrated in five surviving Sumerian poems, developing from a slave of Gilgamesh into his “precious friend” and “companion” by the last poem. In the epic, Enkidu is created as a rival to king Gilgamesh, who tyrannizes his people, but they become friends and together slay the monster Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven; because of this, Enkidu is punished and dies, representing the mighty hero who dies early. The deep, tragic loss of Enkidu profoundly inspires in Gilgamesh a quest to escape death by obtaining godly immortality. Enkidu has virtually no existence outside the stories relating to Gilgamesh. To the extent of current knowledge, he was never a god to be worshipped, and is absent from the lists of deities of ancient Mesopotamia. He seems to appear in an invocation from the Paleo-Babylonian era aimed at silencing a crying baby, a text which also evokes the fact that Enkidu would be held to have determined the measurement of the passage of time at night, apparently in relation to his role as herd keeper at night in the epic.” ref

“Deep in the misty forests of North America, a towering, ape-like figure is said to roam—the legendary Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. Stories of this elusive giant date back centuries, with Indigenous legends describing a powerful, wild being that lurks beyond the reach of civilization. The modern Bigfoot craze began in 1958, when massive footprints were discovered at a California logging site. But the most famous “evidence” came in 1967—the Patterson-Gimlin film, showing a dark, bipedal figure striding through Bluff Creek. Was it proof, or just another hoax? The debate continues. Some claim hair samples, eerie howls, and eyewitness reports support Bigfoot’s existence. Skeptics argue that sightings are misidentifications (bears, anyone?) or elaborate hoaxes. Despite countless expeditions, no definitive evidence—like bones or DNA—has been found. Whether a real cryptid or a legend that won’t die, Bigfoot remains a pop culture icon, inspiring movies, TV shows, and even local businesses. One thing’s for sure—the mystery of Sasquatch keeps the wilderness alive with possibility. What do you think? Is Bigfoot lurking in the shadows or just a mythic misstep?” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

“The Mystery of the Wild Man Across the world, legends tell of towering, hairy beings living on the edge of civilization. In North America, he is Bigfoot (or Sasquatch), a massive, ape-like figure said to roam the forests. In the snowy Himalayas, he becomes the Yeti, the “Abominable Snowman,” dwelling among icy peaks. In Central Asia, he’s the Almas; in Australia, the Yowie; and in Europe, echoes of him survive in medieval “woodwose” carvings. Despite cultural differences, the theme is strikingly consistent: a primal, human-like being who is both feared and revered. Who Was Enkidu? From the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is the wild man created by the gods to balance King Gilgamesh’s arrogance. He is described as shaggy, covered in hair, living among the animals, and drinking from the watering holes. Hunters fear him, for he breaks their traps and frees their game. Only after being tamed through human contact does he enter the city of Uruk, bridging wilderness and civilization. Enkidu is, in many ways, Mesopotamia’s “Bigfoot.” Archetype or Ancestral Memory? Bigfoot / Sasquatch (North America): Gigantic, forest-dwelling, sometimes linked to spiritual powers. Yeti (Tibet / Nepal): Associated with glaciers, mountains, and sometimes even guardianship of sacred places. Almas (Mongolia): A wild, human-like hominid still whispered about by nomadic herders. Woodwose (Europe): Depicted in medieval art as hairy wild men living outside Christian society. Enkidu (Sumeria): Hairy, primal, untamed, until drawn into human life. These beings may represent humanity’s ancient memory of contact with hominin cousins (like Neanderthals or Denisovans), or they may stand as mythic reminders of our own untamed nature. Why This Myth Persists The wild man archetype reflects humanity’s tension with nature: the longing for connection to the primal world and the fear of being consumed by it. In Enkidu’s story, his death marks the loss of innocence for Gilgamesh, pushing him to seek immortality. In Bigfoot tales, the creature is both mystery and mirror, reminding us of the untamed past just beyond the tree line. Picture this: A shadowy figure, half-human, half-beast, emerging from a dense forest mist. Behind him, a carved image of Enkidu battling Gilgamesh overlays the trees, suggesting two faces of the same legend separated by millennia. Is Bigfoot just folklore, a living relic of ancient humans, or the same archetype that once gave birth to Enkidu?” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) Oct 11, 2025

My response, Interesting, I see them both as related to shapeshifting mythology.

“In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children’s literature and popular culture. Examples of shape-shifters include changelings, jinns, kitsunes, vampires, and werewolves, along with deities such as Loki and Vertumnus.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Shaman Wearing a Jaguar Pelt” 

Photo credits for the second Pic come from an Ecuadorian book about Valdivia.

shape-shift·​er: one that seems able to change form or identity at will. especially: a mythical figure that can assume different forms (as of animals) ref

Shapeshifters: found among Totemists, Shamanists, and Paganists?

AI Overview: Bigfoot (Sasquatch) beliefs often intertwine with shapeshifting, especially in Native American traditions, where it’s seen less as a physical ape and more as a supernatural, magical “forest person” with abilities like shape-shifting, mind-speak, and spirit-realm travel, contrasting with the purely biological view, though some modern theories suggest shapeshifting explains its elusive nature.

AI Overview: Enkidu, from the Epic of Gilgamesh, undergoes a significant metamorphosis, shifting from a wild, animal-like being into a more civilized, human-like figure after a prolonged encounter with the courtesan Shamhat, symbolizing humanity’s transition from nature to civilization, though this is a narrative change, not true shapeshifting in the magical sense; however, the concept of malleability, often tied to their clay origins in modern interpretations like the Fate series, grants them literal shapeshifting powers, allowing them to alter their form into beasts, humans, or even objects, a key aspect of their power as a “Heroic Spirit”. 

“You’ve got a lot of subjects I’m interested in. I was actually just looking at your profile for some things to talk about. Our video discussion is going to be good; we might even have to have two or three of them. I’m excited, honestly. I like what you post.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, I appreciate a lot of what “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) addresses as well. I really like that you address stuff from all over the world and from different cultures, as that is what I do, though in my own way, just as you do. It is always great to hear different things from different approaches. I started with archaeology, then added anthropology, then cultures, then DNA and migrations, then mythology. So while some start with the mythology, then expand to other fields of study, that was the last thing I focused hard on. Lol

“I like mythology because religion was a major part of my life when I was younger, and as I got older and researched more, I learned what’s fact and heads fiction.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, I understand. I was raised in religion, but turned atheist in college, and learned I had been lied to, and hated religion, not wanting to read much on myths. I just wanted to understand the evolution of religion, which, when I started, I thought was no older than 12,000 years ago. How limited I thought when I started. As I researched more, I developed, becoming less angry with religion and more open to understanding religion and gods as cultural products.

rebirthoftheword: @rebirthofthewo1

Chatting prehistory/history, religion, and mythology with “rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) a historian and mythologist

My response, No Africans were in the Americas before Europeans brought them. There is only DNA evidence of indigenous people of non-African DNA before Europeans arrived.
 
“Haplogroups show otherwise, though. Interesting discussion.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, No haplogroups show African DNA before Columbus.
 
AI Overview: No pre-Columbian African DNA was in the Americas, as is largely supported by mainstream science, with overwhelming evidence showing African ancestry predominantly entered through the Transatlantic Slave Trade after 1492, leading to significant mixing with Native American and Europeans, as shown in genetic studies. While theories and anecdotal reports of earlier contact exist, mainstream genetics and archaeology find no definitive, widely accepted evidence of large-scale African populations or widespread DNA before Columbus.
“The Olmec heads represent people from Mali. One of the haplogroups found in both Mali and Mesoamerica is E1b1a. E1b1a goes back almost 30,000 years. Therefore, Africans from Mali were present in Mesoamerica before or at the time of the Olmecs.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, I asked if there was African DNA before Europeans in the Americas?
 
AI Overview: While some theories suggest pre-Columbian African presence, archaeogenetic studies find overwhelming Native American ancestry with only tiny hints of Melanesian ancestry, finding no African haplogroups like E1b1a in pre-Columbian American remains, indicating the primary peopling was from Asia, with potential for isolated, unrecorded contacts, but no established African lineage in indigenous DNA.
My response, AI Overview: Olmec DNA confirms they were indigenous to the Americas, sharing common maternal haplogroups (A2, B2, C1, D1) with Northeast Asian ancestors who crossed the Bering Land Bridge, and paternal lineages (like Q-M3) from Siberia, forming the foundation for later Mesoamerican groups like the Maya and Aztecs. Genetic studies show deep continuity, with their genetic present in nearly 90% of modern indigenous Mexicans, debunking pseudoscientific claims of non-American origins, and highlighting their role as a foundational culture.
 
“I’m not denying that they had that DNA, but you said there was no African DNA before Columbus; we know this because E1b1a shows you from the oldest people still living there.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, There was no E haplogroup before the Europeans brought it there. Show a research document that shows otherwise. The E haplogroup did not go to the Americas until it was brought by Europeans. No haplogroups show African DNA before Columbus. The E haplogroup went to Europe, especially the Balkans, thousands of years ago. There were two different migrations into there, one 10,000 years ago and the other 5,000 years ago.

ref

“That’s a misconception. Africans have been traveling way way way way way before Columbus.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, Post a scientific article that establishes that. I am open to what science shows is reality.

AI Overview: The theory that Olmec heads are African is unsupported by evidence; scholarly consensus holds that the Olmecs were indigenous to Mesoamerica. Archaeological, genetic, and historical evidence confirms that the Olmecs were the first civilization in Mesoamerica, with genetic studies showing their maternal ancestry is not African but Native American, and that they share haplogroups common to indigenous populations on the continent. The theory of African origin, popularized in the late 19th century, is considered pseudoscience by the vast majority of researchers and is based on superficial similarities in the facial features of the sculptures. No, the theory that Olmec heads are African is not supported by evidence.

“You should look up the San people cause youre not making a good argument with these pictures. You’re close, but you’re denying something that’s a fact. The Mali Empire literally had helmets like the Olmec heads; that’s a fact.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, I understand the “San people.” I wrote a blog post on them. I am very informed on DNA haplogroups.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Khoi-san and Hadza peoples of southern Africa: The Khoekhoen people have an “Indigenous nomadic pastoralist culture,” and the San people have an “Indigenous hunter-gatherer culture,” which is one of the oldest surviving cultures of the region. The Hadza people, who have an “indigenous hunter-gatherer culture,” were a pre-Bantu expansion culture not closely related to Khoisan speakers.

Khoi-San peoples of southern Africa: The Khoekhoen people have an “Indigenous nomadic pastoralist culture,” and the San people have an “Indigenous hunter-gatherer culture,” which is one of the oldest surviving cultures of the region

AI Overview: Haplogroup A (A-M14, A-M51): Considered the most basal (earliest branching) human Y-DNA haplogroup, with specific branches like A-M51 being prominent and potentially unique to the Khoe-San, linking them to shared ancestry with Central African hunter-gatherers. Haplogroup B (B-M112): Another very ancient lineage, also found in Khoe-San populations, suggesting early gene flow between East and South Africa. E-M2 (E1b1a) and E-M35 (E1b1b), which indicate deep genetic roots and connections with early migrations out of Africa, though their most unique lineages often fall under Haplogroup A and B, highlighting their distinct ancient heritage within Southern Africa, predating many other groups. Haplogroup E (E-M2 / E1b1a and E-M35 / E1b1b) is present, with E-M2 often associated with Bantu agriculturalists and E-M35 with Eastern African pastoralists, indicating historical interactions and complex migration patterns within Southern Africa. The presence of E-M2 and E-M35, alongside A and B, reflects the San’s long history in Southern Africa, including contact and admixture with groups associated with later migrations, like the Bantu.

AI Overview: E1b1a1-M2 (formerly E3a), which is found at high frequencies across West, Central, and Southern Africa. This lineage is strongly associated with the Bantu expansion, a, major demographic shift that began around 3,000–4,000 years ago from the Cameroon/Nigeria region. Dominant Lineage (E-M2): E1b1a1-M2 (or its subclades like E-U175 or E-L485) is the primary paternal marker, often representing over 60% of Y-DNA in Bantu-speaking groups. Other Haplogroups: While E-M2 is dominant, Bantu populations, particularly those in East and Southern Africa, may show lower frequencies of other haplogroups like B (B2a1a-M109) and E2b-M54, likely due to admixture with indigenous populations encountered during their expansion. Bantu Expansion: The spread of this haplogroup coincides with the agricultural expansion of Bantu speakers, which brought both farming techniques and this specific Y-DNA marker across the sub-continent.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Main African Language families, shown above:

African Bantu Languages and Peoples: Their Migrations, Culture, Beliefs, and Mythology

“We have a lot to discuss in our upcoming discussion. Great conversation.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, I look forward to it. You like me adress lots of different subjects. I admire you for that. Lots of people focus on just a few things and are thus limited.
 
“I admire your due diligence.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

Chatting prehistory/history, religion, and mythology with “rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) a historian and mythologist

Link to the post

Genetic history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas – Wikipedia

My response, I understand DNA and haplogroups for the whole world. It is something I have focused on.

“Same here, I actually had a podcast discussion with a geneticist. I love it.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

Link to post

My response, That is pseudohistory claims and wishful thinking, not facts or proof that Africans came to the Americas before Columbus.

Post: by @thebookofheru promotes Ivan Van Sertima’s 1976 book “They Came Before Columbus,” quoting excerpts that argue for pre-Columbian African influence on Olmec culture through artifacts like clay vessels and skeletal features resembling West African traits.

“Ivan Gladstone Van Sertima was a Guyanese-born British associate professor of Africana Studies at Rutgers University in the United States. He was best known for his Olmec alternative origin speculations, a brand of pre-Columbian contact theory, which he proposed in his book They Came Before Columbus.” –  Wikipedia

Grok AI Overview: Genetic evidence from peer-reviewed studies, of Mesoamerican ancient DNA, shows Olmec maternal haplogroups—consistent with Asian-derived Native American ancestry via Beringia—contradicting assertions of pre-Columbian E1b1a paternal lineages from Africa. Mesoamerican remains, including Olmecs, reveal maternal haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1—tracing to Siberian and Northeast Asian origins via Beringia—alongside paternal Q lineages, with no pre-Columbian E1b1a detected. E1b1a, prevalent in West and Central African populations, appears in modern African American genetics due to the transatlantic slave trade, not ancient migrations, as confirmed by studies like those in PNAS and Nature.

“That’s incorrect. How do I know, cause they found artifacts that come from Africa that is older than when Columbus crossed the waters.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, Where is the scientific article that states African artifacts in the Americas before Columbus? You are likely meaning that a claim is made that Mesoamerican artifacts before Columbus look like something seen in Africa. But masks are something seen in Asia and Siberia.

They Came Before Columbus: Reception

“Van Sertima’s work on Olmec civilization has been criticised by Mesoamerican academics, who describe his claims to be ill-founded and false. Van Sertima’s Journal of African Civilizations was not considered for inclusion in Journals of the Century. In 1997 academics in an article in the journal Current Anthropology criticised in detail many elements of They Came Before Columbus (1976). Except for a brief mention, the book had not previously been reviewed in an academic journal. The researchers wrote a systematic rebuttal of Van Sertima’s claims, stating that Van Sertima’s “proposal was without foundation” in claiming African diffusion as responsible for prehistoric Olmec culture (in present-day Mexico). They noted that no “genuine African artifact had been found in a controlled archaeological excavation in the New World.” They noted that Olmec stone heads were carved hundreds of years prior to the claimed contact and only superficially appear to be African; the Nubians whom Van Sertima had claimed as their originators do not resemble these “portraits.” ref

“They further noted that in the 1980s, Van Sertima had changed his timeline of African influence, suggesting that Africans made their way to the New World in the 10th century BCE, to account for more recent independent scholarship in the dating of Olmec culture. They further called “fallacious” his claims that Africans had diffused the practices of pyramid building and mummification, and noted the independent rise of these in the Americas. Additionally, they wrote that Van Sertima “diminishe[d] the real achievements of Native American culture” by his claims of African origin for them. Van Sertima wrote a response to be included in the article (as is standard academic practice) but withdrew it. The journal required that reprints must include the entire article and would have had to include the original authors’ response (written but not published) to his response. Instead, Van Sertima replied to his critics in “his” journal volume published as Early America Revisited (1998).” ref

“In a New York Times 1977 review of Van Sertima’s 1976 book They Came Before Columbus, the archaeologist Glyn Daniel labelled Van Sertima’s work as “ignorant rubbish”, and concluded that the works of Van Sertima, and Barry Fell, whom he was also reviewing, “give us badly argued theories based on fantasies”. In 1981, Dean R. Snow, a professor of anthropology, wrote that Van Sertima “uses the now familiar technique of stringing together bits of carefully selected evidence, each surgically removed from the context that would give it a rational explanation”. Snow continued, “The findings of professional archaeologists and physical anthropologists are misrepresented so that they seem to support the [Van Sertima] hypothesis”. In 1981, They Came Before Columbus received the “Clarence L. Holte Literary Prize”. Sertima was inducted into the “Rutgers African-American Alumni Hall of Fame” in 2004.” ref

“A study published in the Cell journal in 2019, analysed 49 ancient Indigenous American samples from all over North and South America, and concluded that all Indigenous American populations descended from a single ancestral source population (Y-DNA Q haplogroup) which divided from Ancient East Asians, and admixed with Ancient North Eurasians (ANE), and gave rise to the “Ancestral Indigenous Americans”, which later diverged into the various Indigenous groups. The authors further dismissed previous claims for the possibility of two distinct population groups among the peopling of the Americas. Both Northern and Southern Indigenous Americans are closest to each other and do not show evidence of admixture with hypothetical previous populations.” ref

Reconstructing the Deep Population History of Central and South America (Cell journal)

“Genetic studies of present-day and ancient Native Americans have revealed that the great majority of ancestry in indigenous people in non-Arctic America derives from a homogeneous ancestral population. This population was inferred to have diversified 17,500–14,600 calendar years ago into two branches that have been called “Southern Native American” or “Ancestral A” (ANC-A) and “Northern Native American” or “Ancestral B” (ANC-B). We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals forming four parallel time transects in Belize, Brazil, the Central Andes, and the Southern Cone, each dating to at least ∼9,000 years ago. The common ancestral population radiated rapidly from just one of the two early branches that contributed to Native Americans today. We document two previously unappreciated streams of gene flow between North and South America. One affected the Central Andes by ∼4,200 years ago, while the other explains an affinity between the oldest North American genome associated with the Clovis culture and the oldest Central and South Americans from Chile, Brazil, and Belize. However, this was not the primary source for later South Americans, as the other ancient individuals derive from lineages without specific affinity to the Clovis-associated genome, suggesting a population replacement that began at least 9,000 years ago and was followed by substantial population continuity in multiple regions.” ref

“Native Americans have African DNA also like E1b1ba” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, Resulting from post-Columbian, historical interactions.

ref

John Hoopes: @KUHoopes Anthropologist. Archaeologist. Specializes in the archaeology of southern Central America and northern South America.

“It’s not his words; anyone who has read his books knows he used symbolism, artifacts, language, and so much more. This is the kicker, though, it’s not his work but what he learned from others. So John Hoopes never read his books cause if he did, he would’ve never made that statement. Maybe he should point out his colleagues that Sertima got his information from.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, Ivan Van Sertima and his ideas in “They Came Before Columbus” are wrong. And you have yet to prove a scientific research paper that states the Y-DNA E haplogroup was in the Americas before Columbus. You never will because it doesn’t exist and didn’t happen. As I have already provided you.

“Have you read his book? They don’t even have DNA from that time frame. So of course I can’t. Why is that? Cause they know it would originate in Africa? There is no reason why we don’t have genetic DNA from the Olmecs; they literally found their remains. But what I can prove is that the Olmec helmets originated in Mali. The braids from the Olmecs are a style from the surrounding areas of Mali. The Signs and Symbolism can most certainly be traced to the surrounding area as well. The mythology of Mesoamerica draws heavily on that of Africa and Mesopotamia. As I said before, we do have DNA from some of the indigenous people of the Americas, and they most certainly have African in them.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, So you don’t have evidence of your claim and state a conspiracy theory as to why we don’t have this evidence. That is nonsense; no one has a problem showing DNA analysis. You are using this conspiracy claim to keep a bad claim of Africans in the Americas before Columbus.

“I gave you the book, ‘They Came Before Columbus,’ three times. Have you read that book?” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, A discredited book with pseudohistorical speculations. Some Problems with They Came Before Columbus | by Dwayne Wong (Omowale) | Medium
“And also African DNA in the Americas. Don’t forget.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, “Analysis of the human Y-chromosome haplogroup Q characterizes ancient population movements in Eurasia and the Americas – PMC article Y-DNA haplogroup Q, which is the only Pan-American in virtually all Native Americans in Mesoamerica and South America.” – Analysis of the human Y-chromosome haplogroup Q characterizes ancient population movements in Eurasia and the Americas
 
My response, They can tell that ancient DNA is in current populations, and that is one way they know that the Q haplogroup Y-DNA goes back thousands of years in both North, Central, and South America.
“Yes, and that’s why I said the indigenous people have African DNA that predates Columbus. Thank you for proving my point. Much appreciated.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, You offered a conspiracy theory that they didn’t want to show African DNA before Columbus but understand they show African E haplogroup DNA in Europe at least 10,000 years old and 5,000 years old. So they don’t have an issue showing the African E haplogroup if it is confirmed.
 
“Yes, cause they use indigenous people of TODAY. I made that very clear.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, So you believe no African haplogroup Y-DNA from pre-Columbus lived on? As we know, people today are from the time of pre-Columbus. Indigenous people of the Americas today all have the ancient Y-DNA Q haplogroup, and even some have the ancient Y-DNA C haplogroup, but no ancient Y-DNA E haplogroup.

ref

My response, As per the Genetic history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas by Wikipedia, there are only Q and C Y-DNA haplogroups, with some R. No E haplogroup is listed at all. Read the link and update your knowledge.

“I like actual sources. https://www.eupedia.com/genetics/” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
Eupedia.com is an online resource focusing on European population genetics, ancient history, and anthropology, recognized for its detailed maps and linking of Y-DNA haplogroups to historical      cultures.

My response, Eupedia.com is someone’s blog (I use it too, though), but it still doesn’t say that the African E Y-DNA haplogroup was in the Americas before Columbus.

ref

“Laughing at Wikipedia, as a source.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)

My response, Native Americans Descended From a Single Ancestral Group (Y-DNA Q haplogroup and its several sup-groups), DNA Study Confirms | UC Davis

“No, they do not descend from a single ancestral group; that’s found in the many different haplogroups and where those haplogroups came from. If one came from the Bering Strait and some came across the ocean, then it’s apparent that they are not the same.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
(Both were a subglade of the Y-DNA Q-haplogroup)
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Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Earth Diver Mythology and Religious Migrations into the Americas from Siberia:

1. Early Shamanism (Yana Rhinoceros Horn Site, 32,000 years ago and pre-Ancient North Eurasian/Mal’ta–Buret’ culture, 24,000 years ago) No Raeth Diver Myth and no Great Spirit

“The Earth-Diver myth has gone through 3 evolutionary stages: MNP-0, MNP-1, and MNP-2.”

2. Evolved Shamanism mixed with ideas from European totemism-shamanism, but no paganism. Earth Diver Mythology (MNP-0) with a great spirit (limited to “great mystery”). This Earth Diver myth can have any creature (and any number of creatures) become the demiurge’s helper as long as the least likely creature succeeds.

3. Early Paganistic-Shamanism, influenced by the early paganism of the Middle East. Sky god and goddess are now involved. Earth Diver Mythology (MNP-1) with a great spirit (sky deity-like). This Earth Diver myth has a plot that is now crystallized around a pair of waterfowl in Siberia and Western North America, as well as a pair of animals in Eastern North America.

4. Evolved Paganistic-Shamanism, influenced by the evolved paganism of the Middle East. Sky god and goddess are now involved. Earth Diver Mythology (MNP-2) with a great spirit (now a High-God/Supreme-God). This Earth Diver myth now only has one of the creatures dropped off, and the demiurge used the help of only one helper. The “cladistics” of the myth is, therefore, relatively simple: the dynamic and variable ancestral forms crystallize into progressively fewer characters.

ref

Multiple Migrations into the Americas from North Asia, bringing different DNA, Languages, Cultural thinking, and Religious Ideas

“The book I showed. There’s plenty. I’ll show you when we have our discussion.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, While Olmec theory has “spread widely in the African American community, both lay and scholarly”, it has been called Afrocentric pseudoarchaeology and pseudohistory to the effect of “robbing native American cultures.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Homo erectus to the common ancestor split of Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo Denisovans around 750,000 to 550,000 years ago, as well as the common ancestor split of Homo neanderthalensis and Homo Denisovans around 473,000 to 381,000 years ago.

Origin of Humans and Migrations, both Out-of-Africa as well as Back-to-Africa

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My response, It will be a good decision as such topics need to be thoughtfully addressed.
 
“This is how it should be.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
“The Female DNA out shines male. You have to look at the female DNA.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, I know Female DNA from the Americas as well, haplogroups A, B, C, D all come from Asia except haplogroup X, which came from the Middle East.

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Native American Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups

Distribution of mtDNA haplogroups A, B, C, & D.

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“Haplogroup X is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. It is found in North America, Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.” ref
“Now look at the time of Asia and where that haplogroup comes from. I was born in Germany and my moms who is German. Her background doesn’t consist of African at all, her oldest haplogroup is from Africa because they trace the genetics all the way to the beginning, not the time of. I am a retired vet in America that never been to Africa but can trace my oldest haplogroup which is from Africa. Native Americans have DNA older than Columbus which comes from Africa. Ask me how i know. I got a good ass book that confirms what I say. Trust me, I’m bringing all kinds of sources. Not Ai, not YouTube, but my own sources I’ve researched. That’s why I have that playlist, what I’ve learned from reading this book on YouTube. I only share what I’ve learned. That’s facts. I can bring both and every argument. I’m just telling you that the in those Olmecs heads, it represents African culture and tradition. That’s facts. I have two good ass symbolism and signs books that will back me up on that too.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
My response, Stating claims is not the same as facts, reading claims in a book doesn’t mean they are facts either. All humans alive today outside Africa are descendants of the recent Out-of-Africa migration, around 60,000 years ago. As for Germanic DNA, around 4,000-4,500 years ago, with the arrival of Yamna steppe herders, bringing Indo-European languages and new ancestry that formed much of modern German DNA, though older hunter-gatherer and early farmer lineages also persist.

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“Also, you just said earlier than 2000 BCE. Which means it came from a group of people older than that time frame. You still haven’t said anything about the artifacts, signs, and symbols. Youre jumping to new topics each time. Ivan Van Sertima, as I said, tells you exactly where he gets his information from. It has nothing to do with Afrocentric; if anything, you should call it Eurocentric, because it comes from Europeans. I asked earlier, do you know who Albert Churchward, Albert Pike, or even Godfrey Higgins? Where does it say that in the Popul Vuh? I have a copy.” – “Rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington)
 
AI Overview: The Popol Vuh is a K’iche’ Maya sacred text, originally oral, but written down around 1550-1558 CE in the Guatemalan highlands to preserve traditions under Spanish conquest, making the written version over 450 years old, while its stories reflect beliefs developed over millennia and connect to even older art, with its oldest known written manuscript from the early 18th century, discovered by Fray Francisco Ximénez.

“Popol Vuh (also Popul Vuh or Pop Vuj) is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, as well as areas of Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. The Popol Vuh is a foundational sacred narrative of the Kʼich’eʼ people from long before the Spanish conquest of the Maya. It includes the Mayan creation myth, the exploits of the Hero Twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué, and a chronicle of the Kʼicheʼ people.” ref

Beliefs that Mesoamerica inspired Egypt are just as fictional as Beliefs that Africans inspired Mesoamerica Olmecs

AI Overview: Beliefs that Mesoamerican civilizations (such as the Olmec, Maya, or Aztecs) inspired or contacted Ancient Egypt are generally considered part of alternative history or pseudo-archaeology. Mainstream archaeology, history, and anthropology find no evidence of direct contact, with the similarities between the two cultures being attributed to independent development—or “convergent evolution”—where different societies create similar solutions to similar problems (e.g., building high to reach the heavens or for astronomical observation). The idea that a “Proto-Aztec” civilization taught or influenced ancient Egyptians is a fringe theory and historically baseless myth. It is not supported by mainstream archaeological or historical evidence.

AI Overview: The idea that the Aztecs taught the Egyptians (or that any direct, ancient, trans-oceanic contact occurred between them) is a fictional myth with no basis in archaeology or history. Such claims are typically classified as pseudoscience or fringe history, often stemming from “diffusionist” theories that suggest all advancements in civilization spread from a single source. Both cultures were polytheistic, with supreme, high-ranking sun gods (Ra in Egypt, Huitzilopochtli in Aztec culture). Both cultures were led by god-kings or divine rulers (Pharaohs in Egypt, Tlatoani in Aztec society) who served as the intersection of political and divine power. Both civilizations constructed massive stone pyramids. However, Egyptian pyramids were primarily designed as tombs (burial sites) for pharaohs, while Mesoamerican pyramids were primarily stepped temples meant to elevate ceremonies and sacrifices closer to the gods.

AI Overview: The idea that Africans taught or were the Olmec is a pseudohistorical fringe theory, not supported by mainstream archaeology; scholarly consensus confirms the Olmec civilization was indigenous to Mesoamerica, developing its culture independently as the “mother culture” for later civilizations like the Maya, with evidence pointing to origins in New World populations, not African contact. These “alternative origin” theories, often popular in certain cultures but dismissed by researchers, propose Old World contact, but lack credible evidence, contradicting established archaeological and linguistic findings about Olmec development within the Americas. 

AI Overview: The theory that Africans carrying Y-chromosome haplogroup E or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) L-haplogroups were present in the Americas before Native Americans (pre-Columbian) is considered a myth or, at best, a non-mainstream, unsupported theory by mainstream anthropology, archaeology, and genetics. While some amateur researchers and pseudohistorians have argued for a pre-Columbian African presence—often pointing to the Olmec “colossal heads” or specific mitochondrial markers—overwhelming scientific evidence confirms that Indigenous Americans are descended from populations that migrated from Asia via Beringia, with no pre-Columbian African settlement.

AI Overview: Native American Genetics: Modern genetic testing consistently reveals that Indigenous American populations carry specific mitochondrial haplogroups (A, B, C, D, and sometimes X) that originate from Siberia and Asia. L-Haplogroups in the Americas: African L-haplogroups (L1, L2, L3) are found in the Americas, but they are recognized as arriving with enslaved people during the Atlantic Slave Trade from the 15th to 19th centuries, not before. Haplogroup E: Y-chromosome haplogroup E (particularly E1b1a) is common among people of recent African descent, but it is not associated with pre-Columbian indigenous populations, attributed to post-contact admixture (mixing of populations) or modern contamination of samples, not ancient migration.

Speculations and Opinions may seem persuasive in a rhetorical sense, even inspire further investigation, but are neither evidence nor constitute facts, and thus are not worthy to be labeled as truth either. This understanding of ideas and what makes them epistemically robust and soundly thought out, reflecting the principles of good philosophical argumentation, critical thinking, law, and evidence-based argument.

Hijacking History (The Problem With The “Black Olmec” Myth): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJCxZt-cwQ

African Origins of Olmec Civilization – Debunked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ0OwYjVHhI

Journal retracts claim that the Ancient Olmecs were Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgICK8HHF1g

The Sumerian oldest written language 3200 BCE, and the Akkadian language dates back to 2600 BCE.

Who Were the Anunnaki? Facts, Origins, and the Truth About Nibiru: Video link (from time 17:00 to 17:50): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dvUVJVeKhA

Assessing Sumerian is the oldest recorded written language, 3200 BCE, “rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) stated: “The thing is that the Sumerians were trading, and their writing system developed because of trading. Well, if they were trading with somebody” (they traded with other Sumerian city-states).

“rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) stated: “If they were trading with somebody, then that other group of peak people had to have a type of writing system (no, they did not; lots of groups in before recorded history traded without a writing system), which were of course, so they could trade their goods with the Sumerians.”

“rebirthoftheword” (Tyrone Ellington) stated: “So, in reality, could the Sumerians and Akkadians been the same civilization?” (No, they are much younger and a different culture, one that conquered the Samaritans.)

AI Overview: Sumerian city-states (such as Ur, Uruk, and Lagash) engaged in extensive trade with each other and distant regions to acquire essential resources like timber, stone, and metals, which were scarce in southern Mesopotamia. Sumerian city-states engaged in extensive, long-distance trade with diverse, foreign-language-speaking populations across the Ancient Near East, including regions like Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman), Meluhha (Indus Valley), Anatolia, and Lebanon. To facilitate this commerce, they utilized “eme-bal” (linguistic mediators or interpreters) to manage trade with different language groups.

AI Overview: Sumerian is an ancient, unrelated language isolate, while Akkadian is a Semitic language; despite having no common ancestor, they formed a Sprachbund (linguistic area) due to centuries of co-existence in Mesopotamia. Akkadian adopted the cuneiform script from Sumerian, and they extensively exchanged vocabulary and grammatical features.

Here is a blog you can check out that explains a lot about me and what I do: Damien Marie AtHope’s Prehistory Knowledge: Art, Blog Posts, and videos

My Atheist Activism Acknowledged in a College Paper 2015

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Who should win? The Truth or one of Our EGO’s?

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Atlantis (Fake Story): like the “Creation Myth” for Racists

But is Atlantis real?

No. Atlantis (an allegory: “fake story” interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning) can’t be found any more than one can locate the Jolly Green Giant that is said to watch over frozen vegetables. Lol

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May Reason Set You Free

There are a lot of truly great things said by anarchists in history, and also some deeply vile things, too, from not supporting Women’s rights to Anti-Semitism. There are those who also reject those supporting women’s rights as well as fight anti-Semitism. This is why I push reason as my only master, not anarchist thinking, though anarchism, to me, should see all humans everywhere as equal in dignity and rights.

We—Cory and Damien—are following the greatness that can be found in anarchist thinking.

As an Anarchist Educator, Damien strives to teach the plain truth. Damien does not support violence as my method to change. Rather, I choose education that builds Enlightenment and Empowerment. I champion Dignity and Equality. We rise by helping each other. What is the price of a tear? What is the cost of a smile? How can we see clearly when others pay the cost of our indifference and fear? We should help people in need. Why is that so hard for some people? Rich Ghouls must End. Damien wants “billionaires” to stop being a thing. Tax then into equality. To Damien, there is no debate, Capitalism is unethical. Moreover, as an Anarchist Educator, Damien knows violence is not the way to inspire lasting positive change. But we are not limited to violence, we have education, one of the most lasting and powerful ways to improve the world. We empower the world by championing Truth and its supporters.

Anarchism and Education

“Various alternatives to education and their problems have been proposed by anarchists which have gone from alternative education systems and environments, self-education, advocacy of youth and children rights, and freethought activism.” ref

“Historical accounts of anarchist educational experiments to explore how their pedagogical practices, organization, and content constituted a radical alternative to mainstream forms of educational provision in different historical periods.” ref

“The Ferrer school was an early 20th century libertarian school inspired by the anarchist pedagogy of Francisco Ferrer. He was a proponent of rationalist, secular education that emphasized reason, dignity, self-reliance, and scientific observation. The Ferrer movement’s philosophy had two distinct tendencies: non-didactic freedom from dogma and the more didactic fostering of counter-hegemonic beliefs. Towards non-didactic freedom from dogma, and fulfilled the child-centered tradition.” ref

Teach Real History: all our lives depend on it.

#SupportRealArchaeology

#RejectPseudoarchaeology

Damien sees lies about history as crimes against humanity. And we all must help humanity by addressing “any and all” who make harmful lies about history.

Anarchists Cory Johnston (in Saskatchewan) and Damien Marie AtHope (in Florida) seek to learn more about the indigenous peoples of the Americas (First Nations/Native Americans) where they both live.

“The First Nations of Saskatchewan are: Nêhiyawak (Plains Cree), Nahkawininiwak (Saulteaux), Nakota (Assiniboine), Dakota and Lakota (Sioux), and Denesuline (Dene/Chipewyan).” ref

“Native Americans in Florida are: Ais, Apalachee, Calusa, Creek, Miccosukee, Seminole, Timucua, and Yemassee.” ref

Investigating and Visiting Several Prehistoric Indian Mounds in Florida; Culture, Religion, and Power

Colonization and Colonialism of Canada: learning about Indigenous Peoples of Canada and Saskatchewan (VIDEO)

Colonization and Colonialism of the USA: learning about Indigenous Peoples of America and Florida (VIDEO)

Colonization and Colonialism of Florida, its Indigenous Peoples, and a little on Masculinity (VIDEO)

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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My favorite “Graham Hancock” Quote?

“In what archaeologists have studied, yes, we can say there is NO Evidence of an advanced civilization.” – (Time 1:27) Joe Rogan Experience #2136 – Graham Hancock & Flint Dibble

Help the Valentine fight against pseudoarchaeology!!!
 
In a world of “Hancocks” supporting evidence lacking claims, be a “John Hoopes” supporting what evidence explains.
 
#SupportEvidenceNotWishfullThinking
 
Graham Hancock: @Graham__Hancock
John Hoopes: @KUHoopes

Addressing Graham Hancock the Pseudoarchaeological Theorist, as well as Flaws in his Ancient Apocalypse, Great flood, and Seafaring R1b (BLOG POST)

Addressing Graham Hancock, the Pseudoarchaeological Theorist, AND Flaws in his Ancient Apocalypse (VIDEO)

My best Video talking about My thoughts on “Religion and Deity Evolution” with Questions and Answers

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

People don’t commonly teach religious history, even that of their own claimed religion. No, rather they teach a limited “pro their religion” history of their religion from a religious perspective favorable to the religion of choice. 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Do you truly think “Religious Belief” is only a matter of some personal choice?

Do you not see how coercive one’s world of choice is limited to the obvious hereditary belief, in most religious choices available to the child of religious parents or caregivers? Religion is more commonly like a family, culture, society, etc. available belief that limits the belief choices of the child and that is when “Religious Belief” is not only a matter of some personal choice and when it becomes hereditary faith, not because of the quality of its alleged facts or proposed truths but because everyone else important to the child believes similarly so they do as well simply mimicking authority beliefs handed to them. Because children are raised in religion rather than being presented all possible choices but rather one limited dogmatic brand of “Religious Belief” where children only have a choice of following the belief as instructed, and then personally claim the faith hereditary belief seen in the confirming to the belief they have held themselves all their lives. This is obvious in statements asked and answered by children claiming a faith they barely understand but they do understand that their family believes “this or that” faith, so they feel obligated to believe it too. While I do agree that “Religious Belief” should only be a matter of some personal choice, it rarely is… End Hereditary Religion!

Opposition to Imposed Hereditary Religion

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Animism: Respecting the Living World by Graham Harvey 

“How have human cultures engaged with and thought about animals, plants, rocks, clouds, and other elements in their natural surroundings? Do animals and other natural objects have a spirit or soul? What is their relationship to humans? In this new study, Graham Harvey explores current and past animistic beliefs and practices of Native Americans, Maori, Aboriginal Australians, and eco-pagans. He considers the varieties of animism found in these cultures as well as their shared desire to live respectfully within larger natural communities. Drawing on his extensive casework, Harvey also considers the linguistic, performative, ecological, and activist implications of these different animisms.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

We are like believing machines we vacuum up ideas, like Velcro sticks to almost everything. We accumulate beliefs that we allow to negatively influence our lives, often without realizing it. Our willingness must be to alter skewed beliefs that impend our balance or reason, which allows us to achieve new positive thinking and accurate outcomes.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

My thoughts on Religion Evolution with external links for more info:

“Religion is an Evolved Product” and Yes, Religion is Like Fear Given Wings…

Atheists talk about gods and religions for the same reason doctors talk about cancer, they are looking for a cure, or a firefighter talks about fires because they burn people and they care to stop them. We atheists too often feel a need to help the victims of mental slavery, held in the bondage that is the false beliefs of gods and the conspiracy theories of reality found in religions.

“Understanding Religion Evolution: Animism, Totemism, Shamanism, Paganism & Progressed organized religion”

Understanding Religion Evolution:

“An Archaeological/Anthropological Understanding of Religion Evolution”

It seems ancient peoples had to survived amazing threats in a “dangerous universe (by superstition perceived as good and evil),” and human “immorality or imperfection of the soul” which was thought to affect the still living, leading to ancestor worship. This ancestor worship presumably led to the belief in supernatural beings, and then some of these were turned into the belief in gods. This feeble myth called gods were just a human conceived “made from nothing into something over and over, changing, again and again, taking on more as they evolve, all the while they are thought to be special,” but it is just supernatural animistic spirit-belief perceived as sacred.

 

Quick Evolution of Religion?

Pre-Animism (at least 300,000 years ago) pre-religion is a beginning that evolves into later Animism. So, Religion as we think of it, to me, all starts in a general way with Animism (Africa: 100,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in supernatural powers/spirits), then this is physically expressed in or with Totemism (Europe: 50,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in mythical relationship with powers/spirits through a totem item), which then enlists a full-time specific person to do this worship and believed interacting Shamanism (Siberia/Russia: 30,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in access and influence with spirits through ritual), and then there is the further employment of myths and gods added to all the above giving you Paganism (Turkey: 12,000 years ago) (often a lot more nature-based than most current top world religions, thus hinting to their close link to more ancient religious thinking it stems from). My hypothesis is expressed with an explanation of the building of a theatrical house (modern religions development). Progressed organized religion (Egypt: 5,000 years ago)  with CURRENT “World” RELIGIONS (after 4,000 years ago).

Historically, in large city-state societies (such as Egypt or Iraq) starting around 5,000 years ago culminated to make religion something kind of new, a sociocultural-governmental-religious monarchy, where all or at least many of the people of such large city-state societies seem familiar with and committed to the existence of “religion” as the integrated life identity package of control dynamics with a fixed closed magical doctrine, but this juggernaut integrated religion identity package of Dogmatic-Propaganda certainly did not exist or if developed to an extent it was highly limited in most smaller prehistoric societies as they seem to lack most of the strong control dynamics with a fixed closed magical doctrine (magical beliefs could be at times be added or removed). Many people just want to see developed religious dynamics everywhere even if it is not. Instead, all that is found is largely fragments until the domestication of religion.

Religions, as we think of them today, are a new fad, even if they go back to around 6,000 years in the timeline of human existence, this amounts to almost nothing when seen in the long slow evolution of religion at least around 70,000 years ago with one of the oldest ritual worship. Stone Snake of South Africa: “first human worship” 70,000 years ago. This message of how religion and gods among them are clearly a man-made thing that was developed slowly as it was invented and then implemented peace by peace discrediting them all. Which seems to be a simple point some are just not grasping how devastating to any claims of truth when we can see the lie clearly in the archeological sites.

I wish people fought as hard for the actual values as they fight for the group/clan names political or otherwise they think support values. Every amount spent on war is theft to children in need of food or the homeless kept from shelter.

Here are several of my blog posts on history:

I am not an academic. I am a revolutionary that teaches in public, in places like social media, and in the streets. I am not a leader by some title given but from my commanding leadership style of simply to start teaching everywhere to everyone, all manner of positive education. 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

To me, Animism starts in Southern Africa, then to West Europe, and becomes Totemism. Another split goes near the Russia and Siberia border becoming Shamanism, which heads into Central Europe meeting up with Totemism, which also had moved there, mixing the two which then heads to Lake Baikal in Siberia. From there this Shamanism-Totemism heads to Turkey where it becomes Paganism.

My thoughts on the Evolution of Religion: from Animism to Paganism

Philosophy to the Rescue: explaining Reason, Logic, Evidence, Truth, Certainty, Reality, and Science

Talking about “Religion and Deity Evolution” on Twitter (X) Questions and Answers

You can’t change people, by reason and evidence. WRONG, I do it all the time.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Not all “Religions” or “Religious Persuasions” have a god(s) but

All can be said to believe in some imaginary beings or imaginary things like spirits, afterlives, etc.

Animism, Totemism, Shamanism, and Paganism

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Paganism? Siberian Shamanism migrated to Turkey and then emerged as Paganism because of Agriculture.

Paganism 12,000-4,000 years old

12,000-7,000 years old: related to (Pre-Capitalism)

7,000-5,000 years old: related to (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves!

5,000 years old: related to (Kings and the Rise of the State)

4,000 years old: related to (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism)

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Low Gods “Earth” or Tutelary deity and High Gods “Sky” or Supreme deity

“An Earth goddess is a deification of the Earth. Earth goddesses are often associated with the “chthonic” deities of the underworld. Ki and Ninhursag are Mesopotamian earth goddesses. In Greek mythology, the Earth is personified as Gaia, corresponding to Roman Terra, Indic Prithvi/Bhūmi, etc. traced to an “Earth Mother” complementary to the “Sky Father” in Proto-Indo-European religion. Egyptian mythology exceptionally has a sky goddess and an Earth god.” ref

“A mother goddess is a goddess who represents or is a personification of nature, motherhood, fertility, creation, destruction or who embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world, such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother. In some religious traditions or movements, Heavenly Mother (also referred to as Mother in Heaven or Sky Mother) is the wife or feminine counterpart of the Sky father or God the Father.” ref

“Any masculine sky god is often also king of the gods, taking the position of patriarch within a pantheon. Such king gods are collectively categorized as “sky father” deities, with a polarity between sky and earth often being expressed by pairing a “sky father” god with an “earth mother” goddess (pairings of a sky mother with an earth father are less frequent). A main sky goddess is often the queen of the gods and may be an air/sky goddess in her own right, though she usually has other functions as well with “sky” not being her main. In antiquity, several sky goddesses in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Near East were called Queen of Heaven. Neopagans often apply it with impunity to sky goddesses from other regions who were never associated with the term historically. The sky often has important religious significance. Many religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, have deities associated with the sky.” ref

“In comparative mythology, sky father is a term for a recurring concept in polytheistic religions of a sky god who is addressed as a “father”, often the father of a pantheon and is often either a reigning or former King of the Gods. The concept of “sky father” may also be taken to include Sun gods with similar characteristics, such as Ra. The concept is complementary to an “earth mother“. “Sky Father” is a direct translation of the Vedic Dyaus Pita, etymologically descended from the same Proto-Indo-European deity name as the Greek Zeûs Pater and Roman Jupiter and Germanic Týr, Tir or Tiwaz, all of which are reflexes of the same Proto-Indo-European deity’s name, *Dyēus Ph₂tḗr. While there are numerous parallels adduced from outside of Indo-European mythology, there are exceptions (e.g. In Egyptian mythology, Nut is the sky mother and Geb is the earth father).” ref

Tutelary deity

“A tutelary (also tutelar) is a deity or spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of “tutelary” expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship. In late Greek and Roman religion, one type of tutelary deity, the genius, functions as the personal deity or daimon of an individual from birth to death. Another form of personal tutelary spirit is the familiar spirit of European folklore.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Korean shamanism, jangseung and sotdae were placed at the edge of villages to frighten off demons. They were also worshiped as deities. Seonangshin is the patron deity of the village in Korean tradition and was believed to embody the Seonangdang. In Philippine animism, Diwata or Lambana are deities or spirits that inhabit sacred places like mountains and mounds and serve as guardians. Such as: Maria Makiling is the deity who guards Mt. Makiling and Maria Cacao and Maria Sinukuan. In Shinto, the spirits, or kami, which give life to human bodies come from nature and return to it after death. Ancestors are therefore themselves tutelaries to be worshiped. And similarly, Native American beliefs such as Tonás, tutelary animal spirit among the Zapotec and Totems, familial or clan spirits among the Ojibwe, can be animals.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Austronesian beliefs such as: Atua (gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians), Hanitu (Bunun of Taiwan‘s term for spirit), Hyang (Kawi, Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese Supreme Being, in ancient Java and Bali mythology and this spiritual entity, can be either divine or ancestral), Kaitiaki (New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land), Kawas (mythology) (divided into 6 groups: gods, ancestors, souls of the living, spirits of living things, spirits of lifeless objects, and ghosts), Tiki (Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne and represents deified ancestors found in most Polynesian cultures). ” ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

Mesopotamian Tutelary Deities can be seen as ones related to City-States 

“Historical city-states included Sumerian cities such as Uruk and Ur; Ancient Egyptian city-states, such as Thebes and Memphis; the Phoenician cities (such as Tyre and Sidon); the five Philistine city-states; the Berber city-states of the Garamantes; the city-states of ancient Greece (the poleis such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth); the Roman Republic (which grew from a city-state into a vast empire); the Italian city-states from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, such as Florence, Siena, Ferrara, Milan (which as they grew in power began to dominate neighboring cities) and Genoa and Venice, which became powerful thalassocracies; the Mayan and other cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica (including cities such as Chichen Itza, Tikal, Copán and Monte Albán); the central Asian cities along the Silk Road; the city-states of the Swahili coast; Ragusa; states of the medieval Russian lands such as Novgorod and Pskov; and many others.” ref

“The Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BCE; also known as Protoliterate period) of Mesopotamia, named after the Sumerian city of Uruk, this period saw the emergence of urban life in Mesopotamia and the Sumerian civilization. City-States like Uruk and others had a patron tutelary City Deity along with a Priest-King.” ref

“Chinese folk religion, both past, and present, includes myriad tutelary deities. Exceptional individuals, highly cultivated sages, and prominent ancestors can be deified and honored after death. Lord Guan is the patron of military personnel and police, while Mazu is the patron of fishermen and sailors. Such as Tu Di Gong (Earth Deity) is the tutelary deity of a locality, and each individual locality has its own Earth Deity and Cheng Huang Gong (City God) is the guardian deity of an individual city, worshipped by local officials and locals since imperial times.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) in Hinduism, personal tutelary deities are known as ishta-devata, while family tutelary deities are known as Kuladevata. Gramadevata are guardian deities of villages. Devas can also be seen as tutelary. Shiva is the patron of yogis and renunciants. City goddesses include: Mumbadevi (Mumbai), Sachchika (Osian); Kuladevis include: Ambika (Porwad), and Mahalakshmi. In NorthEast India Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism) of Manipur, there are various types of tutelary deities, among which Lam Lais are the most predominant ones. Tibetan Buddhism has Yidam as a tutelary deity. Dakini is the patron of those who seek knowledge.” ref

“A tutelary (also tutelar) The Greeks also thought deities guarded specific places: for instance, Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. Socrates spoke of hearing the voice of his personal spirit or daimonion:

You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me … . This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything, and this is what stands in the way of my being a politician.” ref

“Tutelary deities who guard and preserve a place or a person are fundamental to ancient Roman religion. The tutelary deity of a man was his Genius, that of a woman her Juno. In the Imperial era, the Genius of the Emperor was a focus of Imperial cult. An emperor might also adopt a major deity as his personal patron or tutelary, as Augustus did Apollo. Precedents for claiming the personal protection of a deity were established in the Republican era, when for instance the Roman dictator Sulla advertised the goddess Victory as his tutelary by holding public games (ludi) in her honor.” ref

“Each town or city had one or more tutelary deities, whose protection was considered particularly vital in time of war and siege. Rome itself was protected by a goddess whose name was to be kept ritually secret on pain of death (for a supposed case, see Quintus Valerius Soranus). The Capitoline Triad of Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva were also tutelaries of Rome. The Italic towns had their own tutelary deities. Juno often had this function, as at the Latin town of Lanuvium and the Etruscan city of Veii, and was often housed in an especially grand temple on the arx (citadel) or other prominent or central location. The tutelary deity of Praeneste was Fortuna, whose oracle was renowned.” ref

“The Roman ritual of evocatio was premised on the belief that a town could be made vulnerable to military defeat if the power of its tutelary deity were diverted outside the city, perhaps by the offer of superior cult at Rome. The depiction of some goddesses such as the Magna Mater (Great Mother, or Cybele) as “tower-crowned” represents their capacity to preserve the city. A town in the provinces might adopt a deity from within the Roman religious sphere to serve as its guardian, or syncretize its own tutelary with such; for instance, a community within the civitas of the Remi in Gaul adopted Apollo as its tutelary, and at the capital of the Remi (present-day Rheims), the tutelary was Mars Camulus.” ref 

Household deity (a kind of or related to a Tutelary deity)

“A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit into two types; firstly, a specific deity – typically a goddess – often referred to as a hearth goddess or domestic goddess who is associated with the home and hearth, such as the ancient Greek Hestia.” ref

“The second type of household deities are those that are not one singular deity, but a type, or species of animistic deity, who usually have lesser powers than major deities. This type was common in the religions of antiquity, such as the Lares of ancient Roman religion, the Gashin of Korean shamanism, and Cofgodas of Anglo-Saxon paganism. These survived Christianisation as fairy-like creatures existing in folklore, such as the Anglo-Scottish Brownie and Slavic Domovoy.” ref

“Household deities were usually worshipped not in temples but in the home, where they would be represented by small idols (such as the teraphim of the Bible, often translated as “household gods” in Genesis 31:19 for example), amulets, paintings, or reliefs. They could also be found on domestic objects, such as cosmetic articles in the case of Tawaret. The more prosperous houses might have a small shrine to the household god(s); the lararium served this purpose in the case of the Romans. The gods would be treated as members of the family and invited to join in meals, or be given offerings of food and drink.” ref

“In many religions, both ancient and modern, a god would preside over the home. Certain species, or types, of household deities, existed. An example of this was the Roman Lares. Many European cultures retained house spirits into the modern period. Some examples of these include:

“Although the cosmic status of household deities was not as lofty as that of the Twelve Olympians or the Aesir, they were also jealous of their dignity and also had to be appeased with shrines and offerings, however humble. Because of their immediacy they had arguably more influence on the day-to-day affairs of men than the remote gods did. Vestiges of their worship persisted long after Christianity and other major religions extirpated nearly every trace of the major pagan pantheons. Elements of the practice can be seen even today, with Christian accretions, where statues to various saints (such as St. Francis) protect gardens and grottos. Even the gargoyles found on older churches, could be viewed as guardians partitioning a sacred space.” ref

“For centuries, Christianity fought a mop-up war against these lingering minor pagan deities, but they proved tenacious. For example, Martin Luther‘s Tischreden have numerous – quite serious – references to dealing with kobolds. Eventually, rationalism and the Industrial Revolution threatened to erase most of these minor deities, until the advent of romantic nationalism rehabilitated them and embellished them into objects of literary curiosity in the 19th century. Since the 20th century this literature has been mined for characters for role-playing games, video games, and other fantasy personae, not infrequently invested with invented traits and hierarchies somewhat different from their mythological and folkloric roots.” ref

“In contradistinction to both Herbert Spencer and Edward Burnett Tylor, who defended theories of animistic origins of ancestor worship, Émile Durkheim saw its origin in totemism. In reality, this distinction is somewhat academic, since totemism may be regarded as a particularized manifestation of animism, and something of a synthesis of the two positions was attempted by Sigmund Freud. In Freud’s Totem and Taboo, both totem and taboo are outward expressions or manifestations of the same psychological tendency, a concept which is complementary to, or which rather reconciles, the apparent conflict. Freud preferred to emphasize the psychoanalytic implications of the reification of metaphysical forces, but with particular emphasis on its familial nature. This emphasis underscores, rather than weakens, the ancestral component.” ref

“William Edward Hearn, a noted classicist, and jurist, traced the origin of domestic deities from the earliest stages as an expression of animism, a belief system thought to have existed also in the neolithic, and the forerunner of Indo-European religion. In his analysis of the Indo-European household, in Chapter II “The House Spirit”, Section 1, he states:

The belief which guided the conduct of our forefathers was … the spirit rule of dead ancestors.” ref

“In Section 2 he proceeds to elaborate:

It is thus certain that the worship of deceased ancestors is a vera causa, and not a mere hypothesis. …

In the other European nations, the Slavs, the Teutons, and the Kelts, the House Spirit appears with no less distinctness. … [T]he existence of that worship does not admit of doubt. … The House Spirits had a multitude of other names which it is needless here to enumerate, but all of which are more or less expressive of their friendly relations with man. … In [England] … [h]e is the Brownie. … In Scotland this same Brownie is well known. He is usually described as attached to particular families, with whom he has been known to reside for centuries, threshing the corn, cleaning the house, and performing similar household tasks. His favorite gratification was milk and honey.” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“These ideas are my speculations from the evidence.”

I am still researching the “god‘s origins” all over the world. So you know, it is very complicated but I am smart and willing to look, DEEP, if necessary, which going very deep does seem to be needed here, when trying to actually understand the evolution of gods and goddesses. I am sure of a few things and less sure of others, but even in stuff I am not fully grasping I still am slowly figuring it out, to explain it to others. But as I research more I am understanding things a little better, though I am still working on understanding it all or something close and thus always figuring out more. 

Sky Father/Sky God?

“Egyptian: (Nut) Sky Mother and (Geb) Earth Father” (Egypt is different but similar)

Turkic/Mongolic: (Tengri/Tenger Etseg) Sky Father and (Eje/Gazar Eej) Earth Mother *Transeurasian*

Hawaiian: (Wākea) Sky Father and (Papahānaumoku) Earth Mother *Austronesian*

New Zealand/ Māori: (Ranginui) Sky Father and (Papatūānuku) Earth Mother *Austronesian*

Proto-Indo-European: (Dyḗus/Dyḗus ph₂tḗr) Sky Father and (Dʰéǵʰōm/Pleth₂wih₁) Earth Mother

Indo-Aryan: (Dyaus Pita) Sky Father and (Prithvi Mata) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

Italic: (Jupiter) Sky Father and (Juno) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

Etruscan: (Tinia) Sky Father and (Uni) Sky Mother *Tyrsenian/Italy Pre–Indo-European*

Hellenic/Greek: (Zeus) Sky Father and (Hera) Sky Mother who started as an “Earth Goddess” *Indo-European*

Nordic: (Dagr) Sky Father and (Nótt) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

Slavic: (Perun) Sky Father and (Mokosh) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

Illyrian: (Deipaturos) Sky Father and (Messapic Damatura’s “earth-mother” maybe) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

Albanian: (Zojz) Sky Father and (?) *Indo-European*

Baltic: (Perkūnas) Sky Father and (Saulė) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

Germanic: (Týr) Sky Father and (?) *Indo-European*

Colombian-Muisca: (Bochica) Sky Father and (Huythaca) Sky Mother *Chibchan*

Aztec: (Quetzalcoatl) Sky Father and (Xochiquetzal) Sky Mother *Uto-Aztecan*

Incan: (Viracocha) Sky Father and (Mama Runtucaya) Sky Mother *Quechuan*

China: (Tian/Shangdi) Sky Father and (Dì) Earth Mother *Sino-Tibetan*

Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian: (An/Anu) Sky Father and (Ki) Earth Mother

Finnish: (Ukko) Sky Father and (Akka) Earth Mother *Finno-Ugric*

Sami: (Horagalles) Sky Father and (Ravdna) Earth Mother *Finno-Ugric*

Puebloan-Zuni: (Ápoyan Ta’chu) Sky Father and (Áwitelin Tsíta) Earth Mother

Puebloan-Hopi: (Tawa) Sky Father and (Kokyangwuti/Spider Woman/Grandmother) Earth Mother *Uto-Aztecan*

Puebloan-Navajo: (Tsohanoai) Sky Father and (Estsanatlehi) Earth Mother *Na-Dene*

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Sky Father/Sky Mother “High Gods” or similar gods/goddesses of the sky more loosely connected, seeming arcane mythology across the earth seen in Siberia, China, Europe, Native Americans/First Nations People and Mesopotamia, etc.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Hinduism around 3,700 to 3,500 years old. ref

 Judaism around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (The first writing in the bible was “Paleo-Hebrew” dated to around 3,000 years ago Khirbet Qeiyafa is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley. And many believe the religious Jewish texts were completed around 2,500) ref, ref

Judaism is around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (“Paleo-Hebrew” 3,000 years ago and Torah 2,500 years ago)

“Judaism is an Abrahamic, its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Some scholars argue that modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions.” ref

“Yahwism is the name given by modern scholars to the religion of ancient Israel, essentially polytheistic, with a plethora of gods and goddesses. Heading the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with his consort, the goddess Asherah; below them were second-tier gods and goddesses such as Baal, Shamash, Yarikh, Mot, and Astarte, all of whom had their own priests and prophets and numbered royalty among their devotees, and a third and fourth tier of minor divine beings, including the mal’ak, the messengers of the higher gods, who in later times became the angels of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yahweh, however, was not the ‘original’ god of Israel “Isra-El”; it is El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon, whose name forms the basis of the name “Israel”, and none of the Old Testament patriarchs, the tribes of Israel, the Judges, or the earliest monarchs, have a Yahwistic theophoric name (i.e., one incorporating the name of Yahweh).” ref

“El is a Northwest Semitic word meaning “god” or “deity“, or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ‘ila, represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite. The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil-, meaning “god”. Specific deities known as ‘El or ‘Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period. ʼĒl is listed at the head of many pantheons. In some Canaanite and Ugaritic sources, ʼĒl played a role as father of the gods, of creation, or both. For example, in the Ugaritic texts, ʾil mlk is understood to mean “ʼĒl the King” but ʾil hd as “the god Hadad“. The Semitic root ʾlh (Arabic ʾilāh, Aramaic ʾAlāh, ʾElāh, Hebrew ʾelōah) may be ʾl with a parasitic h, and ʾl may be an abbreviated form of ʾlh. In Ugaritic the plural form meaning “gods” is ʾilhm, equivalent to Hebrew ʾelōhîm “powers”. In the Hebrew texts this word is interpreted as being semantically singular for “god” by biblical commentators. However the documentary hypothesis for the Old Testament (corresponds to the Jewish Torah) developed originally in the 1870s, identifies these that different authors – the Jahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, and the Priestly source – were responsible for editing stories from a polytheistic religion into those of a monotheistic religion. Inconsistencies that arise between monotheism and polytheism in the texts are reflective of this hypothesis.” ref

 

Jainism around 2,599 – 2,527 years old. ref

Confucianism around 2,600 – 2,551 years old. ref

Buddhism around 2,563/2,480 – 2,483/2,400 years old. ref

Christianity around 2,o00 years old. ref

Shinto around 1,305 years old. ref

Islam around 1407–1385 years old. ref

Sikhism around 548–478 years old. ref

Bahá’í around 200–125 years old. ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Knowledge to Ponder: 

Stars/Astrology:

  • Possibly, around 30,000 years ago (in simpler form) to 6,000 years ago, Stars/Astrology are connected to Ancestors, Spirit Animals, and Deities.
  • The star also seems to be a possible proto-star for Star of Ishtar, Star of Inanna, or Star of Venus.
  • Around 7,000 to 6,000 years ago, Star Constellations/Astrology have connections to the “Kurgan phenomenon” of below-ground “mound” stone/wood burial structures and “Dolmen phenomenon” of above-ground stone burial structures.
  • Around 6,500–5,800 years ago, The Northern Levant migrations into Jordon and Israel in the Southern Levant brought new cultural and religious transfer from Turkey and Iran.
  • “The Ghassulian Star,” a mysterious 6,000-year-old mural from Jordan may have connections to the European paganstic kurgan/dolmens phenomenon.

“Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Different cultures have employed forms of astrology since at least the 2nd millennium BCE, these practices having originated in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Most, if not all, cultures have attached importance to what they observed in the sky, and some—such as the Hindus, Chinese, and the Maya—developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from where it spread to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Islamicate world and eventually Central and Western Europe. Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person’s personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems.” ref 

Around 5,500 years ago, Science evolves, The first evidence of science was 5,500 years ago and was demonstrated by a body of empirical, theoretical, and practical knowledge about the natural world. ref

Around 5,000 years ago, Origin of Logics is a Naturalistic Observation (principles of valid reasoning, inference, & demonstration) ref

Around 4,150 to 4,000 years ago: The earliest surviving versions of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, which was originally titled “He who Saw the Deep” (Sha naqba īmuru) or “Surpassing All Other Kings” (Shūtur eli sharrī) were written. ref

Hinduism:

  • 3,700 years ago or so, the oldest of the Hindu Vedas (scriptures), the Rig Veda was composed.
  • 3,500 years ago or so, the Vedic Age began in India after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Judaism:

  • around 3,000 years ago, the first writing in the bible was “Paleo-Hebrew”
  • around 2,500 years ago, many believe the religious Jewish texts were completed

Myths: The bible inspired religion is not just one religion or one myth but a grouping of several religions and myths

  • Around 3,450 or 3,250 years ago, according to legend, is the traditionally accepted period in which the Israelite lawgiver, Moses, provided the Ten Commandments.
  • Around 2,500 to 2,400 years ago, a collection of ancient religious writings by the Israelites based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament is the first part of Christianity’s bible.
  • Around 2,400 years ago, the most accepted hypothesis is that the canon was formed in stages, first the Pentateuch (Torah).
  • Around 2,140 to 2,116 years ago, the Prophets was written during the Hasmonean dynasty, and finally the remaining books.
  • Christians traditionally divide the Old Testament into four sections:
  • The first five books or Pentateuch (Torah).
  • The proposed history books telling the history of the Israelites from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and exile in Babylon.
  • The poetic and proposed “Wisdom books” dealing, in various forms, with questions of good and evil in the world.
  • The books of the biblical prophets, warning of the consequences of turning away from God:
  • Henotheism:
  • Exodus 20:23 “You shall not make other gods besides Me (not saying there are no other gods just not to worship them); gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.”
  • Polytheism:
  • Judges 10:6 “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.”
  • 1 Corinthians 8:5 “For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords.”
  • Monotheism:
  • Isaiah 43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

Around 2,570 to 2,270 Years Ago, there is a confirmation of atheistic doubting as well as atheistic thinking, mainly by Greek philosophers. However, doubting gods is likely as old as the invention of gods and should destroy the thinking that belief in god(s) is the “default belief”. The Greek word is apistos (a “not” and pistos “faithful,”), thus not faithful or faithless because one is unpersuaded and unconvinced by a god(s) claim. Short Definition: unbelieving, unbeliever, or unbelief.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Expressions of Atheistic Thinking:

  • Around 2,600 years ago, Ajita Kesakambali, ancient Indian philosopher, who is the first known proponent of Indian materialism. ref
  • Around 2,535 to 2,475 years ago, Heraclitus, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor or modern Turkey. ref
  • Around 2,500 to 2,400 years ago, according to The Story of Civilization book series certain African pygmy tribes have no identifiable gods, spirits, or religious beliefs or rituals, and even what burials accrue are without ceremony. ref
  • Around 2,490 to 2,430 years ago, Empedocles, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of Agrigentum, a Greek city in Sicily. ref
  • Around 2,460 to 2,370 years ago, Democritus, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher considered to be the “father of modern science” possibly had some disbelief amounting to atheism. ref
  • Around 2,399 years ago or so, Socrates, a famous Greek philosopher was tried for sinfulness by teaching doubt of state gods. ref
  • Around 2,341 to 2,270 years ago, Epicurus, a Greek philosopher known for composing atheistic critics and famously stated, “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god?” ref

This last expression by Epicurus, seems to be an expression of Axiological Atheism. To understand and utilize value or actually possess “Value Conscious/Consciousness” to both give a strong moral “axiological” argument (the problem of evil) as well as use it to fortify humanism and positive ethical persuasion of human helping and care responsibilities. Because value-blindness gives rise to sociopathic/psychopathic evil.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Theists, there has to be a god, as something can not come from nothing.”

Well, thus something (unknown) happened and then there was something. This does not tell us what the something that may have been involved with something coming from nothing. A supposed first cause, thus something (unknown) happened and then there was something is not an open invitation to claim it as known, neither is it justified to call or label such an unknown as anything, especially an unsubstantiated magical thinking belief born of mythology and religious storytelling.

How do they even know if there was nothing as a start outside our universe, could there not be other universes outside our own?
 
For all, we know there may have always been something past the supposed Big Bang we can’t see beyond, like our universe as one part of a mega system.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Advocating Anarchism: Morality, Non-coercion, Anti-hierarchy, Solidarity, Internationalism, Mutualism, Cooperationism, Empowermentism, etc.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

While hallucinogens are associated with shamanism, it is alcohol that is associated with paganism.

The Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries Shows in the prehistory series:

Show one: Prehistory: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” the division of labor, power, rights, and recourses.

Show two: Pre-animism 300,000 years old and animism 100,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Show tree: Totemism 50,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Show four: Shamanism 30,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Show five: Paganism 12,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

Show six: Emergence of hierarchy, sexism, slavery, and the new male god dominance: Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves!

Show seven: Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion and the state: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Kings and the Rise of the State)

Show eight: Paganism 4,000 years old: Moralistic gods after the rise of Statism and often support Statism/Kings: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism)

Prehistory: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” the division of labor, power, rights, and recourses: VIDEO

Pre-animism 300,000 years old and animism 100,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

Totemism 50,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

Shamanism 30,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

Paganism 12,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Pre-Capitalism): VIDEO

Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves: VIEDO

Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion and the state: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Kings and the Rise of the State): VIEDO

Paganism 4,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism): VIEDO

I do not hate simply because I challenge and expose myths or lies any more than others being thought of as loving simply because of the protection and hiding from challenge their favored myths or lies.

The truth is best championed in the sunlight of challenge.

An archaeologist once said to me “Damien religion and culture are very different”

My response, So are you saying that was always that way, such as would you say Native Americans’ cultures are separate from their religions? And do you think it always was the way you believe?

I had said that religion was a cultural product. That is still how I see it and there are other archaeologists that think close to me as well. Gods too are the myths of cultures that did not understand science or the world around them, seeing magic/supernatural everywhere.

I personally think there is a goddess and not enough evidence to support a male god at Çatalhöyük but if there was both a male and female god and goddess then I know the kind of gods they were like Proto-Indo-European mythology.

This series idea was addressed in, Anarchist Teaching as Free Public Education or Free Education in the Public: VIDEO

Our 12 video series: Organized Oppression: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of power (9,000-4,000 years ago), is adapted from: The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFjxmY7jQA by “History with Cy“

Show #1: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid)

Show #2: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Eridu: First City of Power)

Show #3: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Uruk and the First Cities)

Show #4: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (First Kings)

Show #5: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Early Dynastic Period)

Show #6: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (King Lugalzagesi and the First Empire)

Show #7: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Sargon and Akkadian Rule)

Show #8: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Naram-Sin, Post-Akkadian Rule, and the Gutians)

Show #9: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Gudea of Lagash and Utu-hegal)

Show #10: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Third Dynasty of Ur / Neo-Sumerian Empire)

Show #11: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Amorites, Elamites, and the End of an Era)

Show #12: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Aftermath and Legacy of Sumer)

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

The “Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries”

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ Atheist Leftist @Skepticallefty & I (Damien Marie AtHope) @AthopeMarie (my YouTube & related blog) are working jointly in atheist, antitheist, antireligionist, antifascist, anarchist, socialist, and humanist endeavors in our videos together, generally, every other Saturday.

Why Does Power Bring Responsibility?

Think, how often is it the powerless that start wars, oppress others, or commit genocide? So, I guess the question is to us all, to ask, how can power not carry responsibility in a humanity concept? I know I see the deep ethical responsibility that if there is power their must be a humanistic responsibility of ethical and empathic stewardship of that power. Will I be brave enough to be kind? Will I possess enough courage to be compassionate? Will my valor reach its height of empathy? I as everyone, earns our justified respect by our actions, that are good, ethical, just, protecting, and kind. Do I have enough self-respect to put my love for humanity’s flushing, over being brought down by some of its bad actors? May we all be the ones doing good actions in the world, to help human flourishing.

I create the world I want to live in, striving for flourishing. Which is not a place but a positive potential involvement and promotion; a life of humanist goal precision. To master oneself, also means mastering positive prosocial behaviors needed for human flourishing. I may have lost a god myth as an atheist, but I am happy to tell you, my friend, it is exactly because of that, leaving the mental terrorizer, god belief, that I truly regained my connected ethical as well as kind humanity.

Cory and I will talk about prehistory and theism, addressing the relevance to atheism, anarchism, and socialism.

At the same time as the rise of the male god, 7,000 years ago, there was also the very time there was the rise of violence, war, and clans to kingdoms, then empires, then states. It is all connected back to 7,000 years ago, and it moved across the world.

Cory Johnston: https://damienmarieathope.com/2021/04/cory-johnston-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftist/?v=32aec8db952d  

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist (YouTube)

Cory Johnston: Mind of a Skeptical Leftist @Skepticallefty

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist By Cory Johnston: “Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Cory Johnston has been thoughtfully talking to people and attempting to promote critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics.” http://anchor.fm/skepticalleft

Cory needs our support. We rise by helping each other.

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ @Skepticallefty Evidence-based atheist leftist (he/him) Producer, host, and co-host of 4 podcasts @skeptarchy @skpoliticspod and @AthopeMarie

Damien Marie AtHope (“At Hope”) Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist. Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Poet, Philosopher, Advocate, Activist, Psychology, and Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Historian.

Damien is interested in: Freedom, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Ethics, Humanism, Science, Atheism, Antiteism, Antireligionism, Ignosticism, Left-Libertarianism, Anarchism, Socialism, Mutualism, Axiology, Metaphysics, LGBTQI, Philosophy, Advocacy, Activism, Mental Health, Psychology, Archaeology, Social Work, Sexual Rights, Marriage Rights, Woman’s Rights, Gender Rights, Child Rights, Secular Rights, Race Equality, Ageism/Disability Equality, Etc. And a far-leftist, “Anarcho-Humanist.”

I am not a good fit in the atheist movement that is mostly pro-capitalist, I am anti-capitalist. Mostly pro-skeptic, I am a rationalist not valuing skepticism. Mostly pro-agnostic, I am anti-agnostic. Mostly limited to anti-Abrahamic religions, I am an anti-religionist.

My updated thoughts on the Evolution of Gods?
 
Animal protector tutelary deities at least 13,000/12,000 years ago, from old totems/spirit animal beliefs (tutelary animal spirits as protectors are at least 30,000 years old, as seen with dogs or dog-like animals) come first to me. Next, human sky/star/constellation deities focused representation on life-size or large nude male statues 11,000/10,000 years ago (Sky Father?), as well as small female figurines and female animal statues (Sky Mother?). Then, males (Hunter/Hurder) seem to lose some importance (Agriculture reliance may explain why), and the rise of Earth Mother (Gatherer becomes more important/powerful) female goddesses develop and are in control around 8,000 years ago. Women as the main power did not last long. Then male gods came roaring back about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago with clan wars. The “male god” seems to have forcefully become prominent/dominant around 7,000 years ago (Supreme Gods?). The “King of the Gods” idea likely is from the time of priest-kings 6,000 years ago. Whereas the now favored monotheism “male god” is more like after 4,000 years ago or so. Moralistic gods seem to relate to around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods are last at around 4,000/3,000 years ago. Many monotheism-themed religions started in henotheism, emerging out of polytheism/paganism.
 
Gods?
“Animism” is needed to begin supernatural thinking.
“Totemism” is needed for supernatural thinking connecting human actions & related to clan/tribe.
“Shamanism” is needed for supernatural thinking to be controllable/changeable by special persons.
Together = Gods/paganism
 
Gods, like religions in general, are cultural products. To me, high gods, like “Sky Father” (Sun or Blue Sky usually, or Storm deities on the deity’s “dark side” like Yin and Yang) or “Sky Mother” (Moon or Stars) myths beliefs are at 39% when tested, in hunter-gatherers the world over.
The Evolution of Deities was not a one-and-done?
 
To me, the God of Sky, relating to stars 12,000 to 11,000 years ago, is older than the sun god of the sky 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago, but 10,000 seems more evident. Likewise, to me, the Mother Goddess of the sky was first 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago. All in the Middle East. Then, around 9,000 to 8,000, seemingly more evident 8,000 years ago, is the Earth Goddesses, also from the Middle East, likely once the Dawn goddesses or another goddess of the sky, possibly the night. Who dies in the childbirth of the Twins and by going to the underworld, is associated with the earth? Or is believed to live in the Earth at night, making her an Earth Goddess. These ideas were spread in several different ways, which impacted the entire world both directly and indirectly. It involved several different languages and DNA moving in different directions at various times. It is complicated and moving in different ways, even back and forth with different ideas moving both back and forth, especially in and out of the Middle East and Siberia.

Around 10,000 years ago, ideas went into Africa. Around 10,000 to 9,000 years ago, these ideas from the Middle East were in Siberia then moved to China and to the Americas by around 9,000 years ago. Religious ideas also left the Middle East from 9,000 to 8,000 years ago to Europe. Around 8,000 years ago, new ideas got to Ukraine but didn’t spread far. From 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, ideas again entered Africa with evolved beliefs from the Middle East. By 7,000 years ago, evolved deities from the Middle East moved again to Europe and Ukraine. And 7,000 years ago, the Siberian sun god of the sky, with a warrior culture, armed forts, and pre-kurgans, moved from Siberia to Ukraine and then returned to the Middle East around 6,000 years ago, influencing the Sumerian religious ideas. 6,000 to 5,000 years ago, these new Siberian influenced ideas from the Middle East were also in Africa. Then new evolved ideas moved back out of from Ukraine to the East by 5,500 to 5,000 years ago to Siberia, then China, and the Americas. Ideas from Ukraine went into Europe as well. Then, 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, the new ideas, now somewhat evolved again, from Siberia headed back to Europe, and so did ideas from the Middle East. ETC. This is just a rough outline to grasp some of the details, as I feel I understand them. There is a bit more, but this gives a good idea of how complicated it was.

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or Quotes, My YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com

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