A Memory of an Ancient War

Probably the most grounded possibility is that these repeated account of war among the Old Gods of the ancient religions of the world — found in every tradition from Judaic, Christian, and Islam to the Vedic, Celtic, Norse, Greek, and Egyptian traditions — is a memory of an actual event.

A civilization, a people, a conflict, a war, and perhaps an end, that happened so far back in history that it was a narrative recorded in the Ancestral Tradition long before it diverged and evolved into its many descendants. (All of the religions that share these main mythical themes being strong candidates for children of the Ancestral Tradition.)

The issue is — and I really think this is a significant issue — is that so many people are on one side of the equation speaking about gods, demons, angels, religion, supernatural beings, or else an extra-terrestrial war, making it very hard for people of a more conservative (mainstream) historical and scientific mind, to give any ground. The fact is that:

The idea of an ancient civilization of an advanced Late Neolithic / Early Urban civilization level achieving incredible success, only to devolve into conflict (perhaps a large war for the time) and fall is not just a probably scenario — it is almost certain.

There are numerous examples from history of this exact event occurring all over the world, at numerous social scales of conflict, catastrophe, and fall, throughout Prehistory and History. Therefore the idea that a legendary account such as this could have happened, is an almost certain, yes.

Moreover, it is human nature to remember such things, and glorify the heroes. To this day we remember the Fall of Rome in movies, books, popular culture, and academia. Dramatic films of war and politics from Greece, Rome, Norway, England, Scotland, Ireland — the history of Europe — are among the most successful.

This is not surprising, because it is the History of the Western World. It is our history. The combined history of the ethnic majority of North America — European. Our ancestors were no different. We trace our history back to the Greeks, Celts, Norse, Romans, and the Jews. The Hebrew people trace their history back to the Egyptians, Babylonians, Sumerians, and Akkadians.

We are all people. It seems likely that what we would have remembered about our history in ancient times, is no different than what we would remember today: wars, leaders, hero’s, great civilizations, the fall of great civilizations, and stories.

In the long millennia before electricity, television, radio, computers, and phones, we would have talked together every night, telling stories. Probably around a fire, at least for a time. In fire-lit rooms, perhaps drinking alcohol. Remembering events. Telling jokes.

Some of those events would be news, and stories pertaining to the individuals. But some — the truly important ones — would have been cultural memories. The recollections that are remembered by all. That are important enough to be told at social gatherings, and festivals.

We should not discount ancient myths and legends. In this case, we shouldn’t discount the Memory of an Ancient War.