In the Scandinavian mythology, the chief god was Odin, known as Woden, Wotan, or Wuotan among the Germans.
He is represented with attributes similar to those of the Greek god Zeus, and some believe him to be identical with Zeus.
Odin, along with the twelve Æsir or gods, dwelt on Asgard, the Norse equivalent of Olympus, which arose out of Midgard, a land situated between regions of frost and fire—essentially, in a temperate climate.
It is plausible that the Scandinavian Olympus was Atlantis. Odin is depicted as a grave, elderly man with a long beard, carrying a spear, and accompanied by two dogs and two ravens. He was the father of poetry and the inventor of Runic writing.
The Chiapenese Connection (?)
The Chiapenese of Central America, whose language shows remarkable resemblances to Hebrew, claim to have been the first people of the New World.
Clavigero tells us (“Hist. Antiq. del Messico,” Eng. trans., 1807, vol. i.) that according to Chiapenese traditions, there was a figure named Votan, who was the grandson of the man who built the ark to save his family from the Deluge.
Votan was one of those who attempted to build the tower that should reach heaven.
The Lord commanded him to populate America, and he arrived from the East, bringing seven families with him.
He had been preceded by two others, Igh and Imox.
Votan built a great city in America called “Nachan” (City of the Serpents), named after his own race, Chan, which means serpent.
This Nachan is believed to be Palenque.
His journey is dated to the year 3000 of the world, or the tenth century B.C.
Votan also founded three tributary monarchies with capitals in Tulan, Mayapan, and Chiquimala.
He wrote a book detailing his deeds and proving his descent from the tribe of Chanes (serpents).
Votan made four voyages to Chivim, reached Spain, went to Rome, saw the house of God being built, and traveled by a road his brethren, the Culebres, had made.
He found seven other families of the Tzequil nation who joined the first inhabitants, recognized as of the same origin—the Culebres. He recounts teaching them refinements such as table manners and receiving from them knowledge of God and his worship, concepts of kingship, and obedience.
Interpretations and Speculations
There are suggestions that Spain and Rome are later interpolations. Cabrera proposes that the Votanites were Carthaginians.
He identifies the Chivim of Votan as the Hivim or Givim, descended from Heth, son of Canaan, Phoenicians who built Accaron, Azotus, Ascalon, and Gaza.
The Scriptures refer to them as Hivites (Givim) in Deuteronomy (chap. ii., verse 32) and Joshua (chap. xiii., verse 4). Cabrera believes Cadmus and his wife Hermione were of this stock, metamorphosed into snakes (Culebres) according to Ovid. The name Hivites in Phoenician means a snake.
Votan’s reference to “a way which the Culebres had bored” might initially seem puzzling. However, Dr. Livingstone’s letters, published on November 8, 1869, in the “Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society,” mention tribes living in underground houses in Rua.
Some tunnels are said to be thirty miles long, with running rills and large enough to hold a whole district under siege.
These people are very dark, well-made, with eyes slanting inward. Captain Grant, who explored the sources of the Nile, recounts a tunnel under the river Kaōma near Lake Tanganyika, described as wide enough for mounted camels and strewed with white pebbles, allowing passage from sunrise till noon.
These tunnels could explain Votan’s reference.
Intercourse Between the Old and New Worlds
Despite the doubts surrounding Votan’s book, it indicates some interaction between the Old and New Worlds in ancient times.
Humboldt remarks on the connection between Votan (or Wodan) of America and the Wods or Odins of the Goths and Celtic people.
Sir William Jones’s research suggests Odin and Buddha might be the same, showing Votan’s name appearing in India, Scandinavia, and Mexico.
Connections to Atlantis
The mythology of the Gothic nations, like the flood legends, connects them to Atlantis.
Their gods Krodo and Satar were akin to Chronos and Saturn of Atlantis. Their Baal was the Bel of the Phoenicians, closely linked to Poseidon and Atlas.
Additionally, their language shares relationships with the tongues of Arabians, Cushites, Chaldeans, and Phoenicians.
This interconnected mythology and language hint at a common origin, possibly Atlantis, suggesting a shared heritage of these ancient civilizations.
