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NEWS October 2024
OCTOBER 2024 The recent cyber attack on the Internet Archive is deplorable and can be reasonably compared with the repeated burning of the Great Library of Alexandria. I have used the Wayback Machine extensively, but, until the full extent of the permanent damage is clear, I am unable to assess its effect on Atlantipedia. At […]Read More »
Joining The Dots
I have now published my new book, Joining The Dots, which offers a fresh look at the Atlantis mystery. I have addressed the critical questions of when, where and who, using Plato’s own words, tempered with some critical thinking and a modicum of common sense.Read More »
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Vrilology *
Vrilology is defined by the Church of Vrilology website(a) as “the practice of harnessing the Life Force that we share with the Gods, which we call, Vril, through the practice of Seither and Galdor sciences.” This cult claims to trace its origins back to the old Norse religion which they describe as a pan-European religion and which they claim will have the most meaning for people of European ancestry. They also claim that they trace their philosophy back even further to around 10,000 BC when the ‘Gods’ visited a group of Caucasian people living around the Black Sea imparting to them the secrets of Vrilology which enabled the group to develop into ‘supermen’ which led to the development we call Atlantis!
The only reason that I have included any mention of this silly pseudo-religion is that their website has a lengthy article(b) about the Black Sea Atlantis including material from Ryan & Pitman and the Schoppes.
Reading through the Vrilology website and despite its frequent protestations, I could not help feeling that there was a neo-Nazi undertone to the entire cult. My feelings appeared justified by an American site criticising certain cult members in New Jersey. Another site confirmed my misgivings(d).
Another site(e), heavily laced with bovine manure, offers a way into our hollow earth using a ‘vril generator’, which of course can be bought through the site.
An account(f) of Vril, mediums, Nazis and the link to the Aldebaran solar system will provide you with some light relief. Equally entertaining are the pathetic attempts by some New Age nutters to try and associate Nikola Tesla with vril(g).
Nevertheless, this vril nonsense has now been expanded by Xavier Séguin, who suggests that megalithic dolmens and menhirs can generate vril energy, which can be used to expedite the maturing of wine(i)!
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was a British novelist who introduced us to vril in his 1871 novel Vril: The Power of the Coming Race[1336](h). Some of his ideas were ‘borrowed’ by Blavatsky.
(a) https://web.archive.org/web/20200125021701/https://vrilology.org/questions__answers.htm
(b) https://web.archive.org/web/20130108091223if_/https://www.vrilology.org/Atlantis_page.htm
(c) https://vrilology.blogspot.ie/
(d) https://provionalannpcharter.blogspot.ie/
(e) VRIL GENERATOR (archive.org) *
(f) https://atlanteangardens.blogspot.ie/2014/05/vril-power-of-coming-race.html
Bulwer-Lytton, Sir Edward *
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) was a British politician and 
novelist. He coined a number of phrases that are still in use today; ‘the great unwashed’, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ and ‘pursuit of the almighty dollar’(f). The last is from his 1871 science fiction novel, Vril: The Power of the Coming Race[1336], which describes an underground race of superior beings with advanced powers.
I have been reminded by Ronan Coghlan that the beef extract, Bovril, developed in the 1870s, had used ‘vril’ as part of its name to imply ‘bull-power’!
He was adopted by English Rosicrucians as their ‘Grand Patron’. The influence of Bulwer-Lytton extended to Helena Blavatsky who “compared Vril with the sidereal force of the Atlanteans, called Mash-Mak.” (e)
William Scott-Elliott took Bulwer-Lytton’s ideas seriously and has shown their influence in his references to Atlantis. In the early part of the 20th century, this fictional concept of vril was incorporated into esoteric Nazism, including the work of Brazilian right-winger, Gustavo Barosso.
Even today there is a so-called Church of Vrilology(b), which includes belief in a Black Sea location for Atlantis!(c)
On a lighter note, Bulwer-Lytton’s name has been given to a competition(d) that “challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.” There have been many worthy winners.
(b) Church of Vrilology, Robert Blumetti, Balder Rising, Baldur, Odin, Wotan, Woden, Vril (archive.org)
(c) https://web.archive.org/web/20130108091223if_/http://www.vrilology.org/Atlantis_page.htm
(d) Home | The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest (bulwer-lytton.com)
(e) Fortean Times No.303 July 2013 p.43
(f) Edward Bulwer-Lytton – Wikipedia *