|
The Kingdom of Prestor John
|
Posted By:
Aug 21, 2004
|
Another great hoax about mythical lands was The Kindom of Prestor John . This mythical christian kingdom was said to be very glorious, and it was believed his armies would come to help fight against the Turks. Instead, along came an army lead by a ruler of a similar-sounding name, Ghengis Khan.
An interesting thing about this kingdom is that when it failed to turn up in the Orient, the people were still so sure it existed that they insisted it must be in Africa instead.
Category: ; Replies: 2
|
Comments
The Curator
in San Diego
Member
|
Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 | 01:12 AM
I've got a write-up about Prestor John in my Gallery of Medieval Travel Lies:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/presterjohn.html |
Whiskey
|
Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 | 10:44 PM
The Sign and the Seal by Graham Hancock
In 1145 the name 'Prester John,' an Ethiopian King, was first heard in Europe. Prester John is almost without doubt King Harbay of Ethiopia. Envoys of Prester John claimed him to be a Christian king, commanding grand armies. It was thought by the Europeans that Prester John lived on the Indian subcontinent. At that time, the name India was used for both Ethiopia and India, confusion dating back at least to the days of Virgil. For centuries, Europeans used the term 'Ethiopia' to mean anywhere that dark-skinned people lived.
In 1160, the Ethiopian Prince Lalibela arrived in Jerusalem as a political exile fleeing the persecutions of his half-brother Harbay (Prester John). Lalibela almost certainly made contact with the Knights Templar and told them that the Ark was in Ethiopia. Tradition, buttressed by some evidence, indicates that a contingent of Templar Knights accompanied Lalibela back to Ethiopia, where in 1185 Lalibela deposed Harbay as king. King Lalibela then reigned until 1211 AD. Although undocumented by reliable historical evidence, it is thought that a later Ethiopian king turned on the Templars in his country and expelled or annihilated them.
|
|
Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.
|
