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| accessdate = 2010-09-01}}</ref> The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by [[David Icke]], a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world. |
| accessdate = 2010-09-01}}</ref> The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by [[David Icke]], a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world. |
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==Origins== |
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The first appearance of "[[serpent men]]" in literature was in [[Robert E. Howard]]'s story, "[[The Shadow Kingdom]]", published in ''[[Weird Tales]]'' in August 1929. This story drew on the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] ideas of the "lost worlds" of [[Atlantis]] and [[Lemuria (continent)|Lemuria]], particularly [[Helena Blavatsky]]'s ''[[The Secret Doctrine]]'', with its reference to "'dragon-men' who once had a mighty civilization on a Lemurian continent".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Trompf|first1=Garry W.|last2=Bernauer|first2=Lauren|editor1-last=Cusack|editor1-first=Carole|editor2-last=Norman|editor2-first=Alex|title=Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production|date=2012|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=9004221875|pages=113-4|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=5aRyJ-vbrJsC&pg=PA113#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014|chapter=Producing Lost Civilisations: Theosophical Concepts in Literature, Visual Media and Popular Culture}}</ref> Howard's "serpent men" were described as humanoid with human bodies but snake heads, being able to imitate real humans at will. Having been defeated eons ago by the predecessors of King Kull, they remained hiding in underground passages, using their shapechanging and mind control abilities to infiltrate Kull's court.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barkun|first1=Michael|authorlink1=Michael Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America|date=2003|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley and Los Angeles|isbn=0520238052|page=121|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=-0wFZRWKdfoC&dq=Culture+of+Conspiracy%3A+Apocalyptic+Visions+in+Contemporary+America&q=%22the+shadow+kingdom%22#v=snippet&q=%22the%20shadow%20kingdom%22&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref> [[Clark Ashton Smith]] used Howard's "serpent men" in his stories, as well as themes from [[H. P. Lovecraft]], and he, Howard and Lovecraft together laid the basis for the [[Cthulhu Mythos]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mott|first1=William Michael|title=Caverns, Cauldrons, and Concealed Creatures: A Study of Subterranean Mysteries in History, Folklore, and Myth|date=2011|publisher=Grave Distractions Publications|isbn=0982912870|page=27|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=d0l7AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref> In the 1940s, a non-fiction writer, Maurice Doreal, wrote a pamphlet entitled "Mysteries Of The Gobi" which described a "serpent race" that had "bodies like man but...heads...like a great snake" and an ability to take true human form.<ref>Barkun (2003), [http://books.google.ie/books?id=-0wFZRWKdfoC&dq=Culture+of+Conspiracy%3A+Apocalyptic+Visions+in+Contemporary+America&q=%22the+shadow+kingdom%22#v=snippet&q=%22bodies%20like%20man%2C%20but...heads%22&f=false p. 119]</ref> These creatures also appeared in Doreal's poem, "The Emerald Tablets", in which he claimed the [[Emerald Tablet|titular tablets]] were written by "Toth, an Atlantean Priest king". Doreal's ideas almost certainly came from "The Shadow Kingdom", and in turn, "The Emerald Tablets" formed the basis for [[David Icke]]'s book, ''Children of the Matrix''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy|date=2003|pages=120-1|quote=Doreal's 'translation' of the tablets was used extensively by David Icke in his book on the reptilians, ''Children of the Matrix''...Although Doreal and the others spoke of the serpent race as a confirmable historic reality, the idea almost certainly came from pulp fiction...In all likelihood, the notion of a shape-changing serpent race first came from the imagination of an obscure pulp fiction author, Robert E. Howard.}}</ref> |
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The earliest known news media reference to an underground reptilian race is a 1934 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' article which reported that a [[geophysics|geophysical]] [[mining engineering|mining engineer]] named G.W.Shufelt claimed to have discovered subterranean labyrinths beneath [[Los Angeles]] to an [[underground city]] by means of a "radio x-ray" device (which [[Brian Dunning (author)|Brian Dunning]] says was little more than a dowsing pendulum).<ref name=Dunning>{{cite web|url=http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4046|title=''Support Your Local Reptoid: What started the conspiracy theory that reptilian beings control our governments?'' |author=[[Brian Dunning (author)|Brian Dunning]] |publisher=[[Skeptoid|Skeptoid Media, Inc.]]|date=2007-05-21 |accessdate=2014-08-03}}</ref> Shufelt was reportedly told by a certain L. Macklin aka "Chief Little Greenleaf" that, according to a [[Hopi]] legend, the city had been built by an advanced race of "Lizard People" to escape surface catastrophes some 5,000 years ago. Schufelt failed to excavate any passages. Dunning notes that the "Lizard People", if they existed, would have been human, not reptilian, but he suggests that the story may have been a "kickoff" for later reptilian theories.<ref name=Dunning/> |
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==Alien abduction== |
==Alien abduction== |
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On March 4, 2013, a video depicting a security agent with unusual features guarding a speech by U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] was spotlighted in a ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' report about shapeshifting reptilian humanoids, leading to a tongue-in-cheek response from chief [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden that "any alleged program to guard the president with aliens or robots would likely have to be scaled back or eliminated in [[Budget sequestration in 2013|the sequester]]."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/secret-service-reptile-aliens/ |title= White House Can’t Afford Its Shapeshifting Alien Reptile Guards |last1= Beckhusen |first1= Robert |date= March 26, 2013 |website= Wired |publisher= |accessdate=October 15, 2013}}</ref> |
On March 4, 2013, a video depicting a security agent with unusual features guarding a speech by U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] was spotlighted in a ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' report about shapeshifting reptilian humanoids, leading to a tongue-in-cheek response from chief [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden that "any alleged program to guard the president with aliens or robots would likely have to be scaled back or eliminated in [[Budget sequestration in 2013|the sequester]]."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/secret-service-reptile-aliens/ |title= White House Can’t Afford Its Shapeshifting Alien Reptile Guards |last1= Beckhusen |first1= Robert |date= March 26, 2013 |website= Wired |publisher= |accessdate=October 15, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Skeptical interpretations== |
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Skeptics who adhere to the [[psychosocial hypothesis]] of [[UFO]]s argue that the "Reptilians" [[Mythology|mythos]] originates from ''[[V (science fiction)|V]]'', a series of [[science fiction television]] movies, miniseries and series which first aired in 1983. In ''V'', supposedly peaceful alien "Visitors", who appear human, arrive on Earth in giant [[flying saucer]]s and initiate [[first contact (anthropology)|first contact]]. In fact, the Visitors wear masks concealing their true shapes. In their natural form, they resemble humanoid reptiles and eat living mammals. The Visitors commence a stealth [[alien invasion]] in which they set out subtly undermining the human, and, specifically, the American way of life. The creators of the series intended this as an [[allegory]] of [[fascism]].<ref name="Barkun 2003">{{cite book| author = Barkun, Michael | title = [[A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America]] | publisher = [[University of California Press]]|edition = First| year = 2003 | isbn = 0-520-23805-2}}</ref> |
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A 1934 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' article may have been the origin of such beliefs. The article reported that a [[geophysics|geophysical]] [[mining engineering|mining engineer]] claimed to have discovered subterranean labyrinths beneath [[Los Angeles]] to an [[underground city]] built by an advanced race of "Lizard People" to escape surface catastrophes some 5,000 years ago. This article, however, had remained obscure in the intervening years, even among consumers of conspiracy theories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4046|title=''Support Your Local Reptoid: What started the conspiracy theory that reptilian beings control our governments?'' |author=[[Brian Dunning (author)|Brian Dunning]] |publisher=[[Skeptoid|Skeptoid Media, Inc.]]|date=2007-05-21 |accessdate=2014-08-03}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 14:26, 5 September 2014
Reptilians (also called reptoids,[1] reptiloids, or draconians) are purported reptilian humanoids that play a prominent role in science fiction, as well as modern ufology and conspiracy theories.[2][3] The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world.
Alien abduction
Alien abduction narratives sometimes allege contact with reptilian creatures.[4] One of the earliest reports was that of Ashland, Nebraska police officer Herbert Schirmer, who claims to have been taken aboard a UFO in 1967 by humanoid beings with a slightly reptilian appearance, who wore a "winged serpent" emblem on the left side of their chests.[5]
David Icke
According to British writer David Icke, 5- to 12-foot (1.5–3.7 m) tall, blood-drinking, shape-shifting reptilian humanoids from the Alpha Draconis star system, now hiding in underground bases, are the force behind a worldwide conspiracy against humanity.[6] He contends that most of the world's leaders are related to these reptilians, including George W. Bush of the United States, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[7] Icke's conspiracy theories now have supporters in 47 countries and he has given lectures to crowds of up to 6,000.[8][9] American writer Vicki Santillano included it in her list of the 10 most popular conspiracy theories, describing it as the "wackiest theory" she had encountered.[10]
A poll of Americans in 2013 by Public Policy Polling showed that 4% of registered voters (+/- 2.8%) believed in David Icke's ideas.[11]
Politics
In the closely fought 2008 U.S. Senate election between comedian and commentator Al Franken and incumbent Senator Norm Coleman, one of the ballots challenged by Coleman included a vote for Franken with "Lizard People" written in the space provided for write-in candidates.[12] Lucas Davenport who later claimed to have written the gag ballot, said, "I don't know if you've heard the conspiracy theory about the Lizard Men; a friend of mine, we didn't like the candidates, so we were at first going to write in 'revolution', because we thought that was good and to the point. And then, we thought 'the Lizard People' would be even funnier."[13]
"Evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet" was a pejorative used to refer to then Ontario Liberal Party opposition leader Dalton McGuinty in a press release disseminated by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario on September 12, 2003, during the provincial election campaign in Ontario, Canada.
In February 2011, on the Opie and Anthony radio show, the comedian Louis C.K. asked former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld a number of times if he and Dick Cheney were lizard people who enjoyed the taste of human flesh. Rumsfeld did not answer the question. Louis C.K. interpreted Rumsfeld's refusal to answer as an admission and further suggested that those who are lizard people cannot lie about it; when asked if they are lizards, they either have to avoid answering the question or say yes.[14]
On March 4, 2013, a video depicting a security agent with unusual features guarding a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama was spotlighted in a Wired report about shapeshifting reptilian humanoids, leading to a tongue-in-cheek response from chief National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden that "any alleged program to guard the president with aliens or robots would likely have to be scaled back or eliminated in the sequester."[15]
Skeptical interpretations
Skeptics who adhere to the psychosocial hypothesis of UFOs argue that the "Reptilians" mythos originates from V, a series of science fiction television movies, miniseries and series which first aired in 1983. In V, supposedly peaceful alien "Visitors", who appear human, arrive on Earth in giant flying saucers and initiate first contact. In fact, the Visitors wear masks concealing their true shapes. In their natural form, they resemble humanoid reptiles and eat living mammals. The Visitors commence a stealth alien invasion in which they set out subtly undermining the human, and, specifically, the American way of life. The creators of the series intended this as an allegory of fascism.[16]
A 1934 Los Angeles Times article may have been the origin of such beliefs. The article reported that a geophysical mining engineer claimed to have discovered subterranean labyrinths beneath Los Angeles to an underground city built by an advanced race of "Lizard People" to escape surface catastrophes some 5,000 years ago. This article, however, had remained obscure in the intervening years, even among consumers of conspiracy theories.[17]
See also
References
- ^ Joyce, Judith (2011). The Weiser field guide to the paranormal abductions, apparitions, ESP, synchronicity, and more unexplained phenomena from other realms. San Francisco, CA: Weiser Books. pp. 80–81. ISBN 9781609252984. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ^ Lewis, Tyson; Richard Kahn (Wntr 2005). "The Reptoid Hypothesis: Utopian and Dystopian Representational Motifs in David Icke's Alien Conspiracy Theory". Utopian Studies. 16 (1): 45–75.
{{cite journal}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Frel, Jan (1 September 2010). "Inside the Great Reptilian Conspiracy: From Queen Elizabeth to Barack Obama -- They Live!". Alternet. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- ^ The Shadowlands Mysterious Creatures page
- ^ Police Officer Herbert Schirmer Abduction - Ashland, Nebraska, United States - December 3, 1967 - UFO Evidence
- ^ Ronson, Jon (16 March 2001). "Beset by lizards". The Guardian UK. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ David Icke Interview: Aliens among us
- ^ Lauren Cox (Dec 12, 2008). "What's Behind Internet Conspiracy Empires?". ABC News.
- ^ Mesure, Susie (28 October 2012). "David Icke is not the Messiah. Or even that naughty. But boy, can he drone on". The Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
- ^ The Ten Most Popular Conspiracy Theories
- ^ "Conspiracy Theory Poll Results". Public Policy Polling. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
- ^ "Minnesota Senate Recount: Challenged ballots: You be the judge". Minnesota Public Radio. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ "Why would someone vote for the Lizard People?". 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ^ Del Signore, John (February 25, 2011). "Louis CK Repeatedly Asks Donald Rumsfeld If He's a Lizard Alien". Gothamist. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ Beckhusen, Robert (March 26, 2013). "White House Can't Afford Its Shapeshifting Alien Reptile Guards". Wired. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (First ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23805-2.
- ^ Brian Dunning (2007-05-21). "Support Your Local Reptoid: What started the conspiracy theory that reptilian beings control our governments?". Skeptoid Media, Inc. Retrieved 2014-08-03.