06/29/01
The story, or should I say stories, of Atlantis are becoming very popular. The premier of Disney’s Atlantis; The Lost Empire only echoes a growing interest in Atlantis. What I want to do here is to discuss the first known origin of the story of Atlantis and then discuss how the idea of Atlantis has been told, retold, changed, and formed to suit the goals of the New Age movement.
The earliest known mention of Atlantis is found in the writings of Plato. Many people credit Plato with the mention of Atlantis; however, Plato was quoting a dialog of several men. In a document titled Timaeus, Plato quotes Cretias who first describes Atlantis. And Cretias claimed to have received the story from Solon in what appears to have been some sort of story-telling contest. The account of the destruction of Atlantis, according to Plato, occurs 9000 years prior to Plato’s day.
Plato’s writings
Timaeus
Quoting Cretias
Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Heracles (sic) as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power, gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars.
But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island.
In a second writing entitled Cretias, Plato quotes Cretias with a much longer description of Atlantis. In this writing, Cretias tells of how all of the earth was apportioned out to the gods. Atlantis was apportioned to Poseidon. Poseidon fell in love with a human girl and having made love to her, the commotion created the unique geographic features of Atlantis. Poseidon created several sets of male twins (ten in all) to rule over Atlantis. The primary king was Atlas (who was considered divine.)
This writing is much more detailed in the account of Atlantis. There is prolific description of the rivers and canals, animals, palaces and so forth. The following quote describes the opulence of the palaces.
Plato’s writings
Cretias
Quoting Cretias
Here was Poseidon's own temple which was a stadium in length, and half a stadium in width, and of a proportionate height, having a strange barbaric appearance. All the outside of the temple, with the exception of the pinnacles, they covered with silver, and the pinnacles with gold. In the interior of the temple the roof was of ivory, curiously wrought everywhere with gold and silver and orichalcum; and all the other parts, the walls and pillars and floor, they coated with orichalcum.
Orichalcum is an alloy of copper and zinc (80% copper and 20% zinc) with small amounts of lead, tin, and other metals and would be called yellow brass today. I found it interesting that even though Atlantis was a land of wealth and opulence, the inhabitants are said to be unconcerned with wealth:
For many generations, as long as the divine nature lasted in them, they were obedient to the laws, and well-affectioned towards the god, whose seed they were; for they possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life, and in their intercourse with one another. They despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life, and thinking lightly of the possession of gold and other property, which seemed only a burden to them; neither were they intoxicated by luxury; nor did wealth deprive them of their self-control; but they were sober, and saw clearly that all these goods are increased by virtue and friendship with one another.
The Greeks considered themselves high thinkers—concerned with the divine affairs of truth, justice, and virtue. Cretias bestows upon the Atlanteans the nature of divinity. After all, they were the offspring of Poseidon. But next we see that Zeus becomes concerned that the Atlanteans are growing too human and calls the other gods together to confer about what to with them.
By such reflections and by the continuance in them of a divine nature, the qualities which we have described grew and increased among them; but when the divine portion began to fade away, and became diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture, and the human nature got the upper hand, they then, being unable to bear their fortune, behaved unseemly, and to him who had an eye to see grew visibly debased, for they were losing the fairest of their precious gifts; but to those who had no eye to see the true happiness, they appeared glorious and blessed at the very time when they were full of avarice and unrighteous power.
But before Zeus can speak, the dialogue abruptly ends.
There is a mention of power, but the power is that of the Atlanteans' remnant divinity. Zeus’ concern seems to be that these half-god, half-human miscreants would abuse their godly powers for ultimate evil. We are left to infer that Zeus and the other gods intentionally destroyed Atlantis to preserve the rest of Earth.
Since Plato's writing (which dates around 300 B.C.) many people have tried to add to the story of Atlantis. By the time that the Disney writers get through with it, the Atlanteans are still alive today under the sea, and have magic crystals that bestow longevity, healing, levitation and other mystical powers.
Click here to see the Disney Atlantis movie review.