Crystal Skulls: The Myths and Legends

As the heat of Summer suffuses our bodies and minds, let us turn our attention to the magick of the equatorial cultures--and the myths and legends born there. For within the stories surrounding the Crystal Skulls, one may find hidden answers that unlock not only our potential, but also our future...

WE ARE GOING TO SALEM!
Instagram: @beyondtheseaspodcast
EMAIL ME: beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com
Tarot Collaboration: @thefeatherwitchnyc
Weekly Book: The Cursed Towers
Podcast website: https://beyondtheseas.buzzsprout.com/
More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas

Sources
-"About the Crystal Skull: Mysterious and Fascinating Ancient Artifact." Bill Homann and the Mitchell Hedges Crystal Skull, billhomannandthemitchellhedgescrystalskull.com/about-the-crystal-skull. (referenced)
-Archaeological Institute of America, the. "The Skull of Doom: Just the Facts." Archaeology Archive, 2010. archive.archaeology.org/online/features/mitchell_hedges/facts.
-"Crystal Skull: Myths and Facts Behind Famous Quartz Carvings." Skull Bliss, 22 February 2021. skullbliss.com/blogs/news/crystal-skull.
-Walsh, Jane MacLaren.  "Legend of the Crystal Skulls." Archaeology Archive, 2008. archive.archaeology.org/0805/etc/indy.

Music
"Still" by Salt of the Sound
"Intimacy" by Ben Winwood
"Altitude" by Beneath the Mountain
"Awake My Soul (Instrumental Version)" by Salt of the Sound
"Irish Mountains" by Ben Winwood

Cheers Magick Makers,
Kieran

Chapters

• 0:00 Stay Out of That Room
• 3:49 Grand tidings!
• 12:12 The Myths and Legends
• 29:16 Practicum and Star Peoples
• 35:04 Outro

Transcript

As a child, you were constantly told to stay out of that room. 

Your forefathers’ treasures were hidden behind its door, 

But fear and fright crept into the voices of those who kept you out. 

Then one day, as you climbed the stairs and passed its age-worn oak surface,

You noticed it was cracked open—and inviting you in. 

Excitedly, you swung the door open and took in the grandeur.

Vases and cabinets, swords and shields,

Goblets and jewels, books and braces,

The still air contained treasures gathered from around the world. 

Yet, towards the corner you were pulled,

To a cloth-covered object that buzzed and whispered in your mind.

Slowly, you lifted the cloth away and revealed the treasure beneath:

A skull made entirely of crystal.

Its blank and cavernous eyes attracted yours, pulling your gaze deeper into their depths.

A roaring, a buzzing, a pressure in your mind built to a frenzy as visions swam in your inner eye.

A cold sweat started at your brow as your hand shook on its crystalline surface.

Your breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps. 

Suddenly, you flung your hand off and away, staggering back—

Those eyes. Those all-knowing eyes.

Now you understood the fear and fright of those who kept you out. 

Hastily, you covered the skull once more and ran from the room, slamming shut the door behind you.

Panting, you stood there, grasping the handle, blocking out those conjured visions. 

And slowly turning around to leave behind that room forever. 

Never again wanting to see…those eyes. 

For almost, just almost, those eyes could have made you theirs,

So that it’s work….

Might finally begin.

(transition music)

            Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the Thirty-Sixth Episode, of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week. And back in New York City, after the Summer Solstice and the Fourth of July. Man, what wild rides and times we have had. Some of my favorite parts of the summer are being in the city, and actually having space—because so many people are gone on vacation or just went somewhere else—but those of us who stay always endure the…scents…of the subway. Bracing myself for that. ANYWAY! The Plugs Time: Instagram, @beyondtheseaspodcast, and Claudia’s account, @thefeatherwitchnyc, to follow not only the show’s updates and memes and whatnot, but also Claudia’s weekly reels on teaching the Tarot, one card at a time, one week at a time. Also, those five-stars go such a long way on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please do give the show a rating and review if you have not yet already. And as always, magick makers, thank you for being here with me today. 

            And now, artistic and literary updates. We closed the show. I am super sad. Ughhhhhhh, it was one of my favorite shows to date. I already miss the mountains so, so much. And now, back to the audition grind—the never-ending audition grind haha. Thus, the book: The Cursed Towers, the third book in The Witches of Eileanan series, is still going strong. I listened to it a LOT on the plane ride back, though some of it I had to rewind because the drone of those plane engines put me right to sleep. What I did listen to, though, was packed with newfound information on Ysabeau, Meghan, Lachlan, Yseult, and the other witches of the Coven. The Banrìgh is still plotting and planning the destruction of the witches in the land of Eileanan, but the rebels have new encampments and places of power from which to fight back. It’s going strong, y’all, it’s going strong. So, head to your local library or secondhand bookshop to pick up a copy and follow along. 

            And now, the Card of the Week! This week is a reminder to not be stingy, with yourself or with others. Because we are working with the Six of Coins: there are energies and folx who might come your way, asking for help—and no matter how tough or hard it might be, it is best to offer them aid and ask for nothing in return. Also, don’t be afraid to listen to the needs of your own body and self: what are you being stingy on, in terms of self-care? How might you treat yourself in a more loving, healthy way? Perhaps it is the giving of aid to others that will assist you in the journey of helping yourself. Notice the patterns of old in your life that no longer serve you and unblock the spirit by relating more aggressively to the Ego. Open your heart this week. 

            And now, the Wine of the Week! So with the show closing and getting back to New York, I have been so wined out that…I don’t have one to review this week. I think it’s good to have a break, for the body to recover and recuperate. So here is an opportunity for us all, this week, to drink our water and take care of ourselves. Exercise the mind and body. Enjoy the company of your loved ones and friends. Go to sleep an hour earlier, to wake up the following morning extra refreshed and rejuvenated. And take time throughout the day to sit in silence and breath presently. 

            And, finally, this week’s topic. Ya know, for years, I have been in and out of metaphysical and witchcraft shops—and always go to explore their crystal collections first whenever I visit. It is there that I first encountered the different shapes and sizes of the stones from the Earth—and the ways in which humans express these mineral gifts. Come to find out, the meaning behind them far exceeds our surface level understanding—and thus to the shape of the Crystal Skull do I now turn our attention. They fascinate me, utterly and completely, and I am so excited to dedicate an entire episode to their history, myth, legend, and power. Thus, let us put on our hiking boots and vests because we are about to go deep into the jungles of the world…and perhaps, if we are lucky, into the beyond of space and the stars.

            Ergo, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of Crystal Skulls: The Myths and Legends—and take you…

            Beyond the Seas.

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            If you are like me, you are an adventurer at heart. You love packing a bag and heading off to the horizon—not really knowing how you will get there on what might meet you at sky’s edge. That is the fun of it all, after all. And today, that adventurous spirit is what leads us into the heart of the myth of the Crystal Skulls: where did they come from? Why are they here? Should we even give them credence in our lives? And, most importantly, are they truly real or fake?

            To begin, let me tell you a story. In 1924, Mitchell-Hedges was working on an excavation at Lubantuun, a pre-Colombian pyramid in Belize, Central America. He was assumedly so impressed with the site that he got a tad carried away, in a sensationalist fashion. He claimed that it was he who had discovered the site and, to prove it, returned to London and prepared for an even grander return the following year. Thus, in 1925, he did exactly that: he took with him Lady Richmond Brown and, supposedly, his adoptive daughter, Anna. 

            Upon entering the site, we may only imagine the interaction Mitchell and the two ladies had: perhaps the grand smile on his face, showing off his token “prize”—or a broad sweeping of his hand as he told them the “truth” of the history of the site. Regardless of what may have encountered, they assumedly decided to look around a little and see what else they might uncover. 

            Little Anna, under the Central American sky, went off on her own and poked around a bit here and there, pushing rocks aside—scanning the worn steps that led upwards into the heart of the pyramid itself. As she continued her search, we may surmise that her intuition led her farther into the heart of the site, specifically to a resting place of a peculiar object. Instinctively, she knelt down and dug away at the surface dirt covering it—to unveil a sheer, smooth, quartz crystal that resembled the clearest of glass. 

            Once the entirety of the debris was removed, she held in her hands an object that would change the world forever—and inspire more questions than answers. For she held up the infamous Crystal Skull. 

            Soon thereafter, headlines were made and the British Museum became involved. Then the Smithsonian. And all throughout the quest to uncover the truth, the Crystal Skull sat motionless and silent—its eyes staring ahead and into the souls and spirits of those who dared to stare back. 

            For here, kiddos, is where things get interesting. In my research of this particular skull and story, there are many different variations of it. Some say it was local Mayan diggers who unearthed skull beneath an altar; then, two years later, gifted it to Mitchell-Hedges as a parting gift. Though why they would give away a treasured relic of their Ancestors is still unknown. From the Skull Bliss website, we learn that “Mitchell-Hedges [was] a British adventurer who led an expedition to Lubaantun— a Mayan city in modern-day Belize—in 1924. In the Yucatan jungle, his daughter found the most enigmatic objects in modern day archaeology—a crystal skull made out of a solid piece of clear Quartz. The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull is one of the only true Crystal Skulls in a public or private collection.

            “Since this discovery, a plethora of folkloric, supernatural powers and legendary civilizations have developed. Mitchell Hedges coins this skull as a Mayan relic and a “skull of doom.” Cynics who’ve mocked the skull have mysteriously passed away while others have come down with mysterious illness. He also hinted that there’s a cryptic reason for not revealing how it came into his possession.”

            The air of mystery that surrounds something that is actually one of very few genuine crystal skulls make all of us sit up a tad straighter in our comfiest of chairs, right? What is the mystery and where did this thing come from? It is now that we must bring some contrasting opinions from the grand field of Archeology, so as to shed some light of truth on this interesting quandary. 

            From the Archaeological Institute of America, “Judging from the date the Mitchell-Hedges skull first appeared…it is reasonable to suspect that it was carved in Europe, copied from the British Museum skull sometime between 1900 and the early 1930s, with the most probable date being closer to the latter. We do not know who created it or who sold it to [Sydney] Burney [the owner of the British Museum Crystal Skull already on display, apparently]…Sydney Burney finally sold the skull at a Sotheby's London auction to Mitchell-Hedges on October 15, 1943.

            “Anna's stories of finding the crystal skull under an altar at Lubaantún, or inside a deep hole or cave beneath or inside of the pyramid, were her own inventions, starting in 1964, as part of a joint promotion of the skull in which she engaged the assistance of Frank Dorland. Her confusion of dates is not the product of a faulty memory, but rather, I believe, because Anna was never at Lubaantún before she was taken there for a film in the 1990s. I believe Anna settled on the 1924 date sometime in the 1980s, since in the 1970s she was still claiming to have found it in 1926 or 1927, occasionally 1928. The earlier date would have been a more likely one since her father actually visited the site that year.

            “The mythology that has grown up surrounding the Mitchell-Hedges Godshead Skull, Skull of Doom, Skull of Knowledge, or the Skull of Love (as it is now called on the Official Mitchell-Hedges Website) is the invention of three people--Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, followed by Anna Mitchell-Hedges and Frank Dorland. But the mythology now includes many more promoters, all of whom profit from the gullibility and enthusiasm of crystal devotees and New Age practitioners.”

            So all in all, looking at the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull in particular, we as folklorists and witches understand that there is not only much mystery surrounding this piece of archeological “evidence,” but also the question of its authenticity. Let us continue to explore other examples of crystal skulls, and whether or not their authenticity either supports or refutes this Mitchell-Hedges piece.

            From the same website, Jane MacLaren Walsh writes the following: “Crystal skulls have undergone serious scholarly scrutiny, but they also excite the popular imagination because they seem so mysterious. Theories about their origins abound. Some believe the skulls are the handiwork of the Maya or Aztecs, but they have also become the subject of constant discussion on occult websites. Some insist that they originated on a sunken continent or in a far-away galaxy.

            “…These exotic carvings are usually attributed to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, but not a single crystal skull in a museum collection comes from a documented excavation, and they have little stylistic or technical relationship with any genuine pre-Columbian depictions of skulls, which are an important motif in Mesoamerican iconography.

            “…Museums began collecting rock-crystal skulls during the second half of the nineteenth century, when no scientific archaeological excavations had been undertaken in Mexico and knowledge of real pre-Columbian artifacts was scarce. It was also a period that saw a burgeoning industry in faking pre-Columbian objects. When Smithsonian archaeologist W. H. Holmes visited Mexico City in 1884, he saw "relic shops" on every corner filled with fake ceramic vessels, whistles, and figurines. Two years later, Holmes warned about the abundance of fake pre-Columbian artifacts in museum collections in an article for the journal Science titled "The Trade in Spurious Mexican Antiquities."

            “The first Mexican crystal skulls made their debut just before the 1863 French intervention, when Louis Napoleon's army invaded the country and installed Maximilian von Hapsburg of Austria as emperor. Usually they are small, not taller than 1.5 inches. The earliest specimen seems to be a British Museum crystal skull about an inch high that may have been acquired in 1856 by British banker Henry Christy.

            “Two other examples were exhibited in 1867 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris as part of the collection of Eugène Boban, perhaps the most mysterious figure in the history of the crystal skulls. A Frenchman who served as the official "archaeologist" of the Mexican court of Maximilian, Boban was also a member of the French Scientific Commission in Mexico, whose work the Paris Exposition was designed to highlight. 

            “…One small crystal skull was purchased in 1874 for 28 pesos by Mexico City's national museum from the Mexican collector Luis Costantino, and another for 30 pesos in 1880. In 1886, the Smithsonian bought a small crystal skull, this one from the collection of Augustin Fischer, who had been Emperor Maximilian's secretary in Mexico. But it disappeared mysteriously from the collection some time after 1973. It had been on display in an exhibit of archaeological fakes after William Foshag, a Smithsonian mineralogist, realized in the 1950s that it had been carved with a modern lapidary wheel.

            “These small objects represent the "first generation" of crystal skulls, and they are all drilled through from top to bottom. The drill holes may in fact be pre-Columbian in origin, and the skulls may have been simple Mesoamerican quartz crystal beads, later re-carved for the European market as little mementos mori, or objects meant to remind their owners of the eventuality of death.”

            The article continues to explain how there are several following “generations” of Crystal Skulls that were discovered and attempted to sell, but all of them refused as supposed fakes or completely outlandish in their appearance and origin. Then, Mitchell-Hedges is brought up once more, wherein we learn more about that particular skull. “Known as the Skull of Doom, the Skull of Love, or simply the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, it is said to emit blue lights from its eyes, and has reputedly crashed computer hard drives.

            “Although nearly all of the crystal skulls have at times been identified as Aztec, Toltec, Mixtec, or occasionally Maya, they do not reflect the artistic or stylistic characteristics of any of these cultures. The Aztec and Toltec versions of death heads were nearly always carved in basalt, occasionally were covered with stucco, and were probably all painted. They were usually either attached to walls or altars, or depicted in bas reliefs of deities as ornaments worn on belts. They are comparatively crudely carved, but are more naturalistic than the crystal skulls, particularly in the depiction of the teeth. The Mixtec occasionally fabricated skulls in gold, but these representations are more precisely described as skull-like faces with intact eyes, noses, and ears. The Maya also carved skulls, but in relief on limestone. Often these skulls, depicted in profile, represent days of their calendars.

            “…British Museum scientist Margaret Sax and I [Jane, the author] examined the British Museum and Smithsonian skulls under light and scanning electron microscope and conclusively determined that they were carved with relatively modern lapidary equipment, which were unavailable to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican carvers.

            “…So why have crystal skulls had such a long and successful run, and why do some museums continue to exhibit them, despite their lack of archaeological context and obvious iconographic, stylistic, and technical problems? Though the British Museum exhibits its skulls as examples of fakes, others still offer them up as the genuine article. Mexico's national museum, for example, identifies its skulls as the work of Aztec and Mixtec artisans. Perhaps it is because, like the Indiana Jones movies, these macabre objects are reliable crowd-pleasers.

            “Impressed by their technical excellence and gleaming polish, generations of museum curators and private collectors have been taken in by these objects. But they are too good to be true. If we consider that pre-Columbian lapidaries used stone, bone, wooden, and possibly copper tools with abrasive sand to carve stone, crystal skulls are much too perfectly carved and highly polished to be believed.

            “Ultimately, the truth behind the skulls may have gone to the grave with Boban, a masterful dealer of many thousands of pre-Columbian artifacts--including at least five different crystal skulls--now safely ensconced in museums worldwide. He managed to confound a great many people for a very long time and has left an intriguing legacy, one that continues to puzzle us a century after his death. Boban confidently sold museums and private collectors some of the most intriguing fakes known, and perhaps many more yet to be recognized.”

            Refill your drinking horns, your goblets, your chalices, for the second half of Crystal Skulls: The Myths and Legends, after this brief break.             

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            There is a sense of otherworldliness when thinking about the origins and uses of the Crystal Skulls. One’s own imagination is truly the limit as to what, if any, reason they were originally used—if they are authentic. There is so much mystery and speculation around them—the truth of their origin, their validity, whether the founders and sellers and buyers or right or the museums and archaeologists—so much swirls around these items that we today are left scratching our heads and feeling rather overloaded, sensorially speaking. 

            Thus, we must pose the question: are the museums and those “testing” these artifacts…covering up the truth of their authenticity? Is that a possibility? I myself, personally, am not too keen on conspiracy theories, but I do love an objective mindset that poses questions and thinks through them. Thus, that question is not too far off in left field, am I right? Because, what if—just what if—these Crystal Skulls actually are authentic? What powers and uses might they contain? And, ultimately, who made them and/or where did they come from?

            In my occult research on the topic, I gleaned that—depending on the particular stone the Skull itself is carved from—the uses and powers it helps unlock differ slightly. For instance, a Ruby Crystal Skull enhances your psychic abilities and aids most strongly in spirit guide communications. Others, like Quartz, are the Master Stone Skulls and are the most powerful healing tools. 

            If one stares directly into the eyes of a Crystal Skull, one enters—assumedly—a hypnotic, trance-like state. Wherein new dimensions of the brain and spirit may be unlocked, and powerful psychic phenomena may occur. Also, great wisdom and answers to life’s quandaries may arise. Perhaps the ability to both send and receive communications betwixt the practitioner and Them Over There, whomever they may be, may also occur. 

            Thus, how in the heck—if these Skulls are authentic—were they made? Because again, kiddos, they did not have the tools to craft such sophisticated pieces thousands of years ago. Ergo, this is where things start to spice up. Was it the Spirits of Nature who assisted our Ancestors? Perhaps beings from the Beyond—the Star Peoples—who aided in such matters? And if so, why?

            Well, let us take some time to speculate. I personally think that, in an infinite universe, it is rather egomaniacal to assume we are the only form of sentient life…in a universe that is endless. Thus, there logically must be other forms of life out there. And who knows, perhaps there was some…interstellar help from the beyond in these matters. But why? To further the future and wisdom of humanity? To point us towards a better path for the future? To teach us lessons about our world and how it functions? Perhaps even to increase our own psychic potential and tap into the mysteries of the Universe?

            These types of rabbit holes are beyond fun to fall into—so suffice it to say that there are so many questions, and very few answers. And perhaps that is the greatest answer of them all—that there is no one right answer. These Crystal Skulls present an enigma, much like the Standing Stones and Stone Circles: they exist, but we do not yet know exactly and precisely why. That constant itching of wanting to figure it out and piece it all together is nothing short of human nature—so we must learn to revel in the fact that, right now, we simply do not yet know. 

            Though perhaps one day we very well might. And in that regard, the origins of our past—the experiences our Ancestors had, perhaps with Others from the Beyond—will make themselves known again and help point us towards a brighter future. One where the magick of our spirts and kin will resurface totally and better our world and humanity. Couple with the magickal tools we already know and love, our access to our inner faculties on a more tangible level will increase our empathy, wisdom, and understanding. And as a result, your magick, my magick—our magick—will always be made stronger…because of it. 

            (transition music)

            The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. If you want to be a guest on the show, or have a topic you wish me to explore and discuss, send me an email at beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. And be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds, and allow yourself to travel…Beyond the Seas.