The Cygnus Connection With Oak Island
Part 1
For thousands of years, humans have gazed at the night sky and marveled at its beauty and vastness. Wondering what was up in the sky and what it all meant? Over time, humans began making astronomical alignments based on the changing of the seasons using the position of the sun, moon, and the stars. Groups of stars were observed that made familiar shapes that corresponded to their pagan religion and mythology. These shapes developed into the constellations. Cygnus, Latin for Swan, has been associated with Oak Island. But why Cygnus? Our new investigation will look at the Cygnus/Swan history and symbolism to better understand how a group of people, using astronomy, navigation, history, politics, mathematics, science, and mythology, were guided to an island in the North Atlantic.
In “The Cygnus Mystery” by Andrew Collins, he writes about the ancient belief that the human soul was transformed into a bird at death which involved a specific area of the night sky. This observation developed to include the stars of the constellation Cygnus, and the belief that the Milky Way was a road or river to the afterlife. This idea of the transformation of the human soul is one of the oldest fundamental beliefs of human beings. Archeological evidence shows that many ancient cultures viewed this phenomenon the same way, going back as far as 45,000 years and originating in Asia. The flight of this bird was the way in which the dead were able to reach “heaven”, “north beyond the north wind”.
From 16,000-13,000 BC, Cygnus was located at the northern celestial pole. In 15,000 BC in France at Lascaux cave, Cygnus was depicted as a bird on a pole. The Göbekli Tepe megaliths in Turkey were built around 9,500 BC. Göbekli Tepe aligns with Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus. Similar megalithic structures and alignments are found at Avebury, Wayland’s Smithy, Callanish and Newgrange in the UK, which are all aligned towards the setting or rising of stars in Cygnus. It’s believed that the Great Pyramids in Egypt are aligned to Orion’s Belt, but Cygnus fits this alignment much better. Cygnus was a major influence on the design and orientation of sacred architecture, including the megalithic structures of Europe, ancient mounds of the United States, and ancient temples in Mexico, Peru, and India.
Kalevala, a Scandinavian epic, depicts swans flying the souls of the dead beyond the horizon, and up the Milky Way to the north celestial pole. In Norse mythology, Valhalla was the destination of brave warriors who died in battle. Icelanders believed the swan was a supernatural entity that made an annual journey to Valhalla. The Druids believed the swan represented the soul, and guided it to the “Otherworld”, an Island of the Dead in the Western Sea. Swans were sacred to the Bards, poetic storytellers, who used their skin and feathers to make their ceremonial cloak. Massive feasts were held in stone circles coinciding with the departure of migratory birds in the fall. In Proto-Indo-Europe, swans were an ancient solar symbol associated with the divine twins that became the Greek’s Castor of Pollux and the Rome’s Romulus and Remus. This includes the original Indo-European sun goddess, Sehul.
Over time, knowledge of the night sky grew, and the Phoenicians mastered the art of navigation. Their skills involved astronomy using Polaris, aka The Pole Star, to establish the direction of north. The use of Polaris allowed the Phoenicians to venture away from their traditional sea routes that hugged the coast, without becoming lost. They kept the North Star to their right (starboard), to sail West and to their left (port), to sail East. Did they follow Cygnus to find Oak Island? Evidence suggests that the Phoenicians visited the Azores in the Atlantic, which is not far away. There’s considerable debate on whether they reached North America. Further investigation and the search for evidence is ongoing.
Was there a megalithic structure(s) on Oak Island before Nolan’s Cross? There are pillar/obelisk shaped stones that have been found on the island that are very similar to ones found in Phoenicia, which is modern day Lebanon and Israel. Anthropomorphic (face) stones found on Oak Island and Peggy’s Cove are very similar to ones found in the Azores and Scandinavia. Many other stones that have been found on the island may have been a part of a large megalithic structure that was disassembled and concealed. This indicates the possibility that Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Norse/Vikings, Celts, or others visited the island and surrounding area, which may have been motivated by exploration, religious worship, and trade. A separate investigation regarding this subject will be coming soon.
The Phoenicians were a major influence on the Greek culture and the pagan gods that they worshipped. This evolved into the Greek Mythology that we know today. In Greek tradition, the Swan is the symbol of the Muses, the nine patron goddesses of the arts. The Muses were originally nymphs, and the god Apollo became their patron. The swan was a symbol of music, and dedicated to Apollo, who was able to transform into a swan. In a play by Euripides, the Greek playwright, Apollo’s famous Lyre is tuned to the song of the swan. Apollo’s lyre was carved with a swan’s neck, head, feet, and feathers.
Greek Mythology was a major influence on Roman Mythology. Many of the same Gods and Goddesses had different names but were the same representation. One exception was Apollo, the Sun God who was in both mythologies. The mute swan is one of the sacred birds of Apollo, who was a symbol of light, and associated with the “Swan Song”. Socrates, Plato, and Chaucer all talked about this final gesture, effort, or performance immediately before a final act. This originates from the ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song right before death. According to Diodorus Siculus, the Greek historian, Whooper swans sang along with a human chorus conducted by Apollo on a mythical island in the “far north.”
As our investigation proceeds next Sunday, we will be looking at exactly how and why Cygnus the Swan and Oak Island are associated with each other and who, we believe, was working on the island.
Good day from The Compendium!
