Origin of extraterrestrials?

[atomstryker]

Does anybody know what the earliest mention of aliens is? When did the theory become widespread? Any references to them in ancient civilizations? I've been googling for 20 minutes and haven't found anything with this info that has been credible.

 

[Yax]

In the old days, people from outta space were called GODS or with the Jewish and christian religions, it was GOD.

Heaven was way up there in space.

Edit: Heaven is still in space nowadays I think.

 

[sillymofo]

You have a Bible handy?

 

[Atomicus]

Any mentioning of ETs are not credible. And usually encounters back in the ol' stone aged eras are labeled as "fire from the skies" and so forth. Although.... demonic characters are more common and very descriptive accounts are known. I mean, just read Beowulf! :laugh:

 

[atomstryker]

Not credible in a sense that it happens, but credible in the sense that there is a record of an ancient people believing in aliens. Or is it a modern phenomenon?

 

[fredtam]

Not real sure. Ezekiel seems to describe a spacecraft. I think there is an old Chinese account of a battle in the sky. There are also quite a few Mayan (I think) accounts along with some gold trinkets that look exactly like airplanes.

 

[CanOWorms]

I'm pretty sure you can probably interpret extraterrestrials in many ancients thing such as aboriginal art, Hindu writings, Native Americans, etc.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

go rent stargate

 

[Wallydraigle]

There is a people called the Dogon who lived in Africa ~5000 years ago. They have a legend about some people who visited them from a planet in the Sirius system. I think this is the earliest recorded tale explicitly stating that people came from another planet.

 

[Schadenfroh]

bible is loaded with em

ezekiel chapter 1 verse 4 and 5

looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man

Genesis 6:4

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Ezekial 1:16

This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel

 

[PowerEngineer]

I think the important point that has already been made is that people always try to interpret something they don't understand in terms of ideas/concepts that they do understand. It's understandable that people in the past would invoke mystic/religious explanations for unexplainable events. Now that we've learned more about the nature of the universe and understand that extraterrestrials could exist, we can grab at that straw to explain our unexplainables (or reinterpret historical ones). I imagine that people will look back at us and laugh at the notion that earth was a magnet for alien visits.

 

[atomstryker]

Anybody know of any more mentions of aliens in the bible?

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: atomstryker
Anybody know of any more mentions of aliens in the bible?

Probably anywhere you see the word angel. Seriously if you read the Old Testament and stories such as the story of the women before eve it reads more like an alien genetic experiment more than anything. The quote above talking about "giants" refers to "angels" who lived on earth who also took human wives and had offspring.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: fredtam

Originally posted by: atomstryker
Anybody know of any more mentions of aliens in the bible?

Probably anywhere you see the word angel. Seriously if you read the Old Testament and stories such as the story of the women before eve it reads more like an alien genetic experiment more than anything. The quote above talking about "giants" refers to "angels" who lived on earth who also took human wives and had offspring.

As does the notion of a war in heaven. I mean come on, an all powerfull god is at war with a few pissed off Angels? I think that the god side just has better PR folks.

Bill

 

[Schadenfroh]

interesting site

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: fredtam
Not real sure. Ezekiel seems to describe a spacecraft. I think there is an old Chinese account of a battle in the sky. There are also quite a few Mayan (I think) accounts along with some gold trinkets that look exactly like airplanes.

I thought it was the Egyptians that had the airplane trinkets

 

[her209]

I thought they were mentioned in the Hindu religion?