The Basques live in the western Pyrenees, on both sides of the border between Spain and France.
Nobody has settled where the Basques came from, and that gap is where the stories grow.
Basque Myths: Ancient Origins, Legends, and Mysteries is the overview.
It says Basque myths mix biblical family trees, oral folklore and older beliefs, and that many were written down in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially by the anthropologist José Miguel de Barandiarán.
Another tradition names Tubal, a son of Japheth in Genesis 10, as the ancestor of the Basques and the Iberians.
Mari, Supreme Deity: Goddess of Nature, Weather, and Justice describes the central figure of Basque belief.
Mari's partner is the serpent-dragon Sugaar, according to Basque mythology - Atlantis connection?.
Andrew Tomas gives the Basque serpent as Erensuge, the seven-headed one, which leads into The Seven-Headed Dragon: Revelation, the Beast of Babylon and the Naga of Mu.
Basque mythology - Atlantis connection?
The same page says the Basques have myths of an ancestral homeland in the ocean called Atlaintika.
The Iberians are represented to-day by the Basques.
Atlantis: From Legend to Discovery (1972) adds the memory of a destruction by fire and water and a flight into caves, and Tomas sets Basque and Maya counting by twenties side by side.
In The Lost Atlantis and Other Ethnographic Studies (1892) he treats Basque as a surviving language of pre-Aryan Europe.
He says the idea that Basque is a stepping-stone to American languages has proved illusory beyond a general likeness in grammar.
Basque Myths: Ancient Origins, Legends, and Mysteries
Basque mythology - Atlantis connection?
For every page I tagged with Basque, see the Basque tag archive.
In Basque folklore, Mari moves from one mountain home to another every seven years, and she travels through the sky in a storm of fire.
The Basque stories give Mari several shapes.
For more of her world, see Basque myths.
Mari has all four in a Basque valley, and Ezekiel, Moses and Elijah have them in the Near East.
Basque myths
It has established beyond question some long-forgotten relationship between the Aryans of India and Persia and those ofEurope ; it connects the Einn and Lapp with their Asiatic forefathers ; it marks the independent origin of the Basques and their priority to the oldest Aryan intruders ; it links together widely diverse branches of the great Semitic family.
Those who attach significance to the references in the Timceus to political relations common to Atlantis and parts of Libya and Europe ; or who, on other grounds, look with favour on the idea of early intercourse between the Mediterranean and the western continent, have naturally turned to the Eskuara of the Basques.
Here, therefore, is a tempting glimpse of possible affinities ; and Professor Whitney, accordingly, remarks in his Life and Growth of Languages, that the Basque " forms a suitable stepping-stone from which to enter the peculiar linguistic domain of the New World, since there is no other dialect of the Old World which so much resembles in structure the American languages." But this glimpse of possible relationship has proved, thus far, illusory.
Elements common to the Anglo-American of the nineteenth century and the Sanskrit-speaking race beyond the Indus, in the era of Alexander of Macedon, are suggested at once by the grammatical structure of their languages ; whereas there is nothing in the resemblance between the Basque and any of the North American languages that is not compatible with a " stepping-stone " from Asia to America by the islands of the Pacific.
modified by later reconsideration of the question of the origin of the Aryans, as well as the European melanochroic Metis of Huxley, pertains to a prehistoric era of which the Finns and the Basques are assumed to be survivals ; and to that elder era, rather than to any date within the remotest limits of authentic history, the languages of America seem to refer us in the search for any common origin with those of the eastern hemisphere.
Alone of all the races of the old continent the Basques or Euskarians, of northern Spain and south-western France, have a speech of that highly complex and polysynthetic character which distinguishes the American languages." But to this he has to add the statement that " there is not, indeed, any such positive similarity in words or grammar as would prove a direct affiliation.
The likeness is merely in the general cast and mould of speech, but this likeness is so marked as to have awakened much attention." Assuming the affinity thus based on a general likeness in cast and mould of speech to be well founded, there need be no surprise at the lack of any positive similarity in words or grammar ; for, used only as a test of the intervening time since Basque and Bed Indian parted, it points to representatives of a prehistoric race that occupied Europe before the advent of Keltic or other Aryan pioneer, long prior to the historic dawn.
There was a time, as is assumed, when the sparsely peopled areas of Europe were occupied by a population still imperfectly represented by the Einns, the Lapps, and the Basques.
Professor Whitney, after dwelling on the " exaggeratedly agglutinative type " of the ancient Iberian language, and its isolation among the essentially dissimilar languages of Aryan Europe, thus proceeds : " The Basque forms a suitable stepping-stone from which to enter the peculiar linguistic domain of the New World, since there is no other dialect of the Old World which so much resembles in structure the American languages " 2 ; not indeed, as he adds, that they are all of accordant form ; for he pronounces the grouping of them in a single great family as " a classification of ignorance." The possibilities of ancient communication between the opposite shores of the Atlantic, and the migration of colonists of the New World from the Mediterranean Sea, have already been discussed in dealing with the legend of the Lost Atlantis.
Whether they came from the Mediterranean, in that old mythic dawn the memory of which survived in the legend of a submerged Atlantis ; or the history of their primeval migration still lingers among fading traces of philological affinity with the Basques ; or if, with the still more remote glimpses which afhnite Arctic ethnology has been assumed to supply, we seek to follow the palaeolithic race of Central Europe's Eeindeer period in the long pilgrimage to Behring Straits, and so to the later home of the American 1 Anthropology, "by Dr.
A comparison of the numerals of cognate languages and dialects is always instructive ; and with the growing disposition of American philologists to turn to the Basques, as the only prehistoric race of Europe that has perpetuated the language of an Allophylian stock with possible analogies to the native languages of America, their numerals may be placed alongside of those of the Huron-Iroquois.
But the Basque numerals bear little or no resemblance to either, unless such can be traced in the hi, " two/' and the sei, "six," as in the assem, "ten" (decern), of the old Hochelaga, the ahsen of the later Wyandots.
The ehun of the Basque has also its remote, and probably accidental resemblance ; but the milla, " one thousand," is certainly borrowed, and serves to show that the higher numerals, with the evidence they afford of advancing civilisation, were the result of intrusive Aryan influences in the natives of the Iberian peninsula.
One Biscayan form of " three," hirun, is not unlike the Magyar harom ; while the eyg, " one," of the latter, seems to find its counterpart in the inseparable particle that transforms the Basque radical ham, " ten," into the hamaika, " eleven." But such fragmentary traces are in striking contrast to the radical agreement of Sanskrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Slavonic, and Teutonic numerals.
As to the Basque numerals introduced alongside of them in the comparative tables, they only suffice to show that the pre- Arycn language still spoken, in varying dialects, on both slopes
Van Eys, in his Basque Grammar, draws attention to the words huluzkorri, and larrugori, " naked " ; the first of which literally signifies " red hair," and the second " reel skin." They are interesting illustrations of theway in which important historical facts lie embedded in ancient languages.
But the colour of the hair forbids the inference that the ruddy Basques of primitive centuries were akin to the " Eedskins " of the New World.
The Basque resemblance, Whitney's "stepping-stone," has proved illusory beyond general structure.
It has tied the Aryans of India and Persia to those of Europe, the Finn and Lapp to Asiatic forefathers, the Basques as an independent stock older than the oldest Aryan intruders, and the branches of the Semitic family.
Readers who take the Timaeus references to political relations common to Atlantis and parts of Libya and Europe, or who favor early intercourse between the Mediterranean and the western continent, have naturally turned to the Eskuara of the Basques.
Professor Whitney, in Life and Growth of Languages, calls Basque a suitable stepping-stone into the linguistic domain of the New World, because no other Old World dialect so much resembles American languages in structure.
Rask's Finnic hypothesis, however modified by later reconsideration of the origin of the Aryans, and Huxley's European melanochroic Metis, pertain to a prehistoric era of which the Finns and the Basques are assumed to be survivals.
Whitney's remark on Basque as a stepping-stone is repeated, with Whitney's own warning that to group all American languages in a single family is "a classification of ignorance." The possibilities of an ancient crossing, and of colonists from the Mediterranean, have already been discussed in the Lost Atlantis study.
Or the history of a primeval migration may still linger in fading traces of philological affinity with the Basques.
The Basque language has affinity with no other language of Europe or of the east, and comes close to the languages of the American aborigines.
Lewis Spence's The History of Atlantis: a 9600 BC Atlantic land, with Cro-Magnon and the Basques in the argument.
Armond also uses Cro-Magnon and the Basques, on p.
Basques from a continent Atlaintika.
The Basques are his own sentence.
The native Basques of Western Europe also claim to be descendants from a continent called "Atlaintika" which sank beneath the waves.
He says Basque shares no affinities with any other European language and is very similar to native American languages.
Italy and the Basque coast.
Priests wear white and offer white food, white kola, and goats, which Joseph ties to Canary goat cults and to the Iberian Basque.
He also uses an American Aztlan or Atlan, a Basque Atlaintika, an Oera Linda Atland, and a Hindu white island in the Western Sea.
The Basques, in this section, remember a destruction by fire and by water, and a flight into caves.
He notes a count by twenties, which he sets beside Maya counting, and he pairs the Basque game of jai alai with the Maya ball game pok-a-tok.
He relates the Basques to Cro-Magnon, and he says that type resembles the Guanches of the Canaries.
The Basques, who inhabit the western Pyrenees along the border between Spain and France, have myths about an ancestral homeland in the ocean called “Atlaintika.”
Bashar: Aztec and Basque.
The Basques share some genetic traits.
Basque Myths - Serpent-dragon god Sugaar
The Basques inhabit the western Pyrenees region straddling Spain and France.
Basque myths blend biblical genealogies, oral folklore, and pre-Christian beliefs.
He writes that the Basques are easy to place on a map but hard to explain in history.
The Basques are easy to define geographically, but impossible to account for historically.
It was in matters of language and blood type that scientists came to the conclusion that the Basques were a distinct people totally unrelated to the Indo-Europeans who dominated the rest of Europe.
One of the most distinctive Basque origin myths claims that Euskara is the primordial language spoken in Eden, predating the confusion of tongues at Babel.
This idea positions the Basques as direct heirs to humanity’s earliest speech.
She recalls that the Basques say they lived in the Pyrenees long before other Europeans came.
I remembered hearing about the Basque people who claim they have lived in the Pyrenees Mountains thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.
This view was notably promoted by Abbot Dominique Lahetjuzan (1766–1818), who derived names like “Eve” from Basque terms such as emak obe (“better to give”).
Elche is near the Mediterranean coast, while the Basque provinces lie on the Bay of Biscay.
The bust belongs to Iberian culture and I am not calling it Basque.
A central biblical-derived myth traces Basque (and broader Iberian) ancestry to Tubal, a grandson of Noah.
It explains both settlement and the preservation of the Basque language.
He says Basque names sound closer to the indigenous languages of the Americas than to Indo-European ones.
Names in the Basque Country, like Antxone, Aitor, Arrixaka, Ihintza, Itzal, Elixane, Maialen, Mitxoleta, Nekane, Txori, Zeltzin, Urraca, or Yanamari, sound not only alluring and exotic, but closer to indigenous Mexican, and South and Central American languages than to any of the Indo-European language families.
Basque mythology – Atlantis connection?
Language links (Basque with American tongues, Phoenician-Maya alphabets, Hebrew-Chiapenec words).
Akkadians to Levant, Phoenicia, Carthage, Basques.
Mari is the supreme deity in Basque mythology, considered a goddess of nature, weather, fertility, and justice.
Unlike many European pagan traditions, Basque mythology is not polytheistic.
The name Mari may derive from pre-Indo-European roots, possibly linked to the Basque word ama (mother) or amari (old woman).
Mari is primarily a cave-dwelling goddess, living inside mountains across the Basque Country.
Basque shepherds and farmers observed her presence to predict the weather, a tradition that may date back thousands of years.
However, in remote Basque villages, she remained a respected figure, sometimes merged with the Virgin Mary.
To this day, Basque Christians still tell stories of Mari, showing that she was never completely erased from Basque culture.
Mari survives in Basque folklore, especially among older generations.
Her name is still used in Basque literature, music, and traditions.
She is a pre-Christian figure who still influences Basque identity today.
The Lamiak (singular: Lamia), also called Lamiñak in some regions, are mythical female beings in Basque folklore.
These beings share similarities with mermaids, nymphs, and fairies from other European mythologies but have distinct traits that make them unique to Basque culture.
Some theories suggest connections to the Greek Lamia, a child-eating demon, but Basque Lamiak are more benevolent.
Some linguists propose a link to pre-Indo-European Basque roots, meaning "spirit" or "hidden one."
They are legendary builders, credited with constructing bridges, roads, and dolmens in the Basque countryside.
Some bridges in the Basque Country are still called "Lamiaren Zubia" (Bridge of the Lamia).
Some myths link Lamiak to Mari, the Basque earth goddess.
Similar to Germanic mermaids, though Basque Lamiak usually have legs, not fish tails.
Basque literature and folklore studies preserve their legends.
Some traditional festivals celebrate Lamiak as a symbol of Basque identity.
Basque feminist movements have reinterpreted Lamiak as symbols of female power and independence.
Evidence suggests their myths took in elements from an older, non-Indo-European Basque layer.
This mix shows in certain gods and figures that may have proto-Basque roots.
The Mairu, or Mauriaks, are mythical Basque giants.
These tales likely come from Basque Mairu traditions.
Some scholars suggest that the name Endovelicus may come from proto-Basque words.
Proposed links include “ene” (my) and “bela” (crow), or Basque names like Eneko.
They met in the Basque village of Mundaka.
The myth gives Basque nobility a divine ancestry.
The story likely absorbs pre-Christian Basque mountain spirits into Christian lore.
It also stands for the Basque tradition of warfare.
It is a symbol of Basque resistance to conquest from outside.
The Mairu, also called Mauriak or Maro, are a core part of Basque folklore.
They are mythical giants linked to the building of dolmens, megalithic tombs and stone circles across the Basque Country and nearby areas.
Linguistic study points to proto-Basque roots.
Basque dolmens and menhirs often carry Mairu names.
So in Basque myth the builders are not always male.
Lamia (Lamiak): Female water spirits in Basque mythology; in some legends, the Lamiak are the true builders of the dolmens instead of the Mairu.
The Iberians are represented to-day by the Basques.
The Basque are "of middle size, compactly built, robust and agile, of a darker complexion than the Spaniards, with gray eyes and black hair.
The Basques are much attached to dancing, and are very fond of the music of the bagpipe." ("New American Cyclopædia," art. Basques.)
Of all Europeans, we must provisionally hold the Basques to be the oldest inhabitants of our quarter of the world." (Peschel, "Races of Men," p.
The Basque language--the Euscara--"has some common traits with the Magyar, Osmanli, and other dialects of the Altai family, as, for instance, with the Finnic on the old continent, as well as the Algonquin-Lenape language and some others in America." ("New American Cyclopædia," art. Basques.)
Duponceau says of the Basque tongue:
The notion of Aztlan being a land lost to the ocean parallels myths from other cultures, such as the Basques of Western Europe, who claim that their ancestors came from an island called "Atlaintika" which also sank beneath the sea.
Interestingly, the Basques, who inhabit the western Pyrenees along the border between Spain and France, have myths about an ancestral homeland in the ocean called "Atlaintika."
The Basque language, which shares no affinities with other European languages, has certain phonetic and structural similarities with Native American languages, hinting at potential contact or common heritage.
Mayans and Basque people are identified as descendants of Atlanteans.
It is proper to note, in connection with a discussion of the Bronze Age, that our word bronze is derived from the Basque, or Iberian broncea, from which the Spanish derive bronce, and the Italians bronzo.
The copper mines of the Basques were extensively worked at a very early age of the world, either by the people of Atlantis or by the Basques themselves, a colony from Atlantis.
How can we, without Atlantis, explain the presence of the Basques in Europe, who have no lingual affinities with any other race on the continent of Europe, but whose language is similar to the languages of America?
Plato tells us that the dominion of Gadeirus, one of the kings of Atlantis, extended "toward the pillars of Heracles (Hercules) as far as the country which is still called the region of Gades in that part of the world." Gades is the Cadiz of today, and the dominion of Gadeirus embraced the land of the Iberians or Basques, their chief city taking its name from a king of Atlantis, and they themselves being Atlanteans.
Farrar, referring to the Basque language, says:
The fact is indisputable, and is eminently noteworthy, that while the affinities of the Basque roots have never been conclusively elucidated, there has never been any doubt that this isolated language, preserving its identity in a western corner of Europe, between two mighty kingdoms, resembles, in its grammatical structure, the aboriginal languages of the vast opposite continent (America), and those alone." ("Families of Speech," p.
If there was an Atlantis, forming, with its connecting ridges, a continuous bridge of land from America to Africa, we can understand how the Basques could have passed from one continent to another; but if the wide Atlantic rolled at all times unbroken
Language.—The Basque language stands alone amongst European tongues, having affinity with none of them.
The early Etruscans, the Phœnicians, including the Carthaginians and the Shumero-Akkads, were branches of this race, while the Basques of to-day have probably more of the Akkadian than of any other blood which flows in their veins.
The Basques have tales of giants called Jentilak, believed to be the builders of the ancient megaliths found in the Basque Country.
After the sinking of the last main island, humanity continued to survive in places such as Ancient Egypt (Khem), the Basque region, Ireland, and South America.
After the sinking of the main island, human culture survived in regions such as Ancient Egypt (Khem), the Basque area, Ireland, and South America.
Aztecs and Basque.