In ancient times, among different peoples, the human body was considered a universal symbol of magical powers. Moreover, each part of it not only obeyed them, but also had the ability, under certain circumstances, to become a talisman or amulet, helping in the struggle for existence.
Moreover, “dummies” - parts of the human body made of various materials - could also perform protective functions. A special role in the system of magical knowledge was played by the head - the temple of man in the minds of our distant ancestors, spiritually connecting him with heaven and space.
Possession of a magically cooked skull of a man, a strong animal, the patron saint of the clan, was at first the lot of pagan priests. With the advent of Christianity, the new religion began to use this symbol in its rituals and images. The skull is an attribute of many Christian saints (Apostle Paul, Mary Magdalene, Francis of Assisi).
Some icons have a skull and bones at the foot of the crucifix. According to one of the biblical traditions, the Calvary cross stood on the bones of Adam, and the Savior, by his martyrdom and Resurrection, atoned for the sins of people, giving them eternal life.
And yet it is in ancient, pagan cultures that the skull is not only symbolism, but above all a magical experience. So, African tribes from time immemorial have the customs of feeding skulls and long conversations with them - those who have gone to another world, but are able to help those who are now living.
The Sabines believed that the human soul descends to the skull, so ritual bowls were made of them. According to their beliefs, a white skull is a sign of a higher power that brings the dead back to life.
Promotional video:
Human skulls were preserved for magical purposes not only by primitive cannibal tribes. In some Christian monasteries there are entire walls made of skulls and bones. All that has been said once again testifies to the special reverence for this part of the body, associated with spiritual energies, whose protection people needed.
Skulls made of gold, bronze, precious stones and other materials are of great interest to archaeologists and historians. One of these finds (its weight is 5.19 kg), which scientists called "the skull of death" or "the skull of fate", was found in Honduras. This work of human hands is made of transparent quartz, rock crystal of very high quality and consists of two parts, and the lower jaw is movable.
The product is beautifully polished, although rhinestone is among the hardest crystals. The unknown master perfectly maintained all anatomical proportions. At the base of the skull and at the bottom of the eye sockets, carefully polished lenses are mounted. If you bring a light source to an object, the eyes begin to glow.
The story of the discovery of the “skull of death” is associated with the name of the famous archaeologist Michael Mitchell-Hodgis, who spent a lot of effort searching for Atlantis, and also conducted excavations in the ancient city of Lubaantui, preserved in the jungles of Honduras. The scientist's adopted daughter, Anna, on the day of her seventeenth birthday, saw a skull under the altar of an ancient sanctuary.
However, it was suggested that the stone miracle was discovered earlier and simply planted on the girl's path that day. The researcher himself never talked about the origin of the find, which he did not part with until the end of his life (Mitchell-Hodges died in 1959).
Today, historical scholarship considers this cut crystal to be a ritual item of Mayan priests, created approximately 3,600 years ago. According to the ideas of the Indians, the skull embodies the forces of evil and portends death to the one who found it.
According to one legend, recorded in the year the crystal was found, the Maya made 12 "dead heads", which will gather together on the day specified by the priests, when the Mayan gods are to descend from heaven to earth.
The morphological study of the stone "portrait" established that the model for the master was a female skull, and the processing was carried out in two stages. At first, a piece of crystal was deeply carved, and then polished with great care. After that, lenses and a prism were mounted inside.
The lower jaw was attached with two hinges, which made it "alive". Small holes in the skull allow the jaw to be moved even from a distance using a fine thread. Studies have shown that both halves of the skull are made of one piece of quartz, without taking into account the crystallographic and optical axes. American experts who have studied the amazing work, said: "… this damned something simply should not exist, but it exists contrary to all the rules and laws of nature!"
The researcher of mysticism Richard Gerwin claims that from time to time around the creation of the ancient masters a glow appears - a halo, and sometimes the skull introduces people who have come close to it into a hypnotic sleep. Some researchers of the ritual object, who worked with it for a long time, fell into a period of long-term failures and even tragic circumstances.
The second crystal skull, however, with a fixed lower jaw, is now in London. This piece of ancient art was found in Mexico in 1889. As in the first case, the sacred object reproduces the skull of a young Indian woman.
Finally, in the mid-60s of the XX century, a third magic crystal appeared in Switzerland. At first, it was considered a fake, but a scrupulous examination confirmed the authenticity of the ritual product.
All these stories with skulls, perhaps, would have become routine over time, if not for the event that happened on Christmas Day 1994 in the state of Colorado.
A rancher near Craston, riding around her vast estates on horseback, remembered the stories of farmers about UFOs who, according to them, constantly visit these places. Farmers associated the appearance of newcomers with the slaughter of cattle and terrible executions that someone performed on sheep and cows.
Suddenly the horsewoman's gaze fell on an unusual object glittering in the rays of the setting sun. The rancher dismounted and froze in bewilderment. In front of her lay a human skull made of crystal (or quartz), polished to a mirror shine, but monstrously disfigured, as if it had been crushed for a long time by someone's giant hands or tentacles.
However, he was not only crumpled, but as if twisted by an incomprehensible force. True, all parts of the product were in place, and the woman even had the thought that the sculpture was sculptured in this form. With her fantastic appearance, she resembled both a man and a giant space alien, which can often be seen on TV screens.
The rancher handed her find to a group of Colorado entrepreneurs, who organized a press conference, inviting not only journalists, but also scientists to it. None of those who came to the meeting could comment on what they saw. A stone statue from Colorado has joined the list of crystal skulls found in different places on the planet.
Associated with the rituals of ancient peoples, these objects are primarily interesting for their origin, which is still shrouded in a veil of mystery.
The study of crystal skulls gave impetus to the collection of information regarding other similar finds. It turned out, for example, that the Indians of the Inca tribe often used the skulls of slain enemies, generously decorating them with ornamental stones and gold. This "material" was used to make cups of leaders, incense burners, inlaid with turquoise and black amber.