The oldest story known to humanity is the story of Callisto in Ancient Greek mythology, which is probably about 15,000 to 20,000 years old. We know itâs so old because a very similar story is told right across Asia and Siberia and also by the native American Indian tribes all across North America. It is the only story that we definitely know predates human kindâs journey into North America.
A short version of the story goes that Zeus turned Callisto into a bear to punish her for rejecting him. Her human son went out hunting one day and was about to kill his mother when Zeus saw what was happening and felt guilty. He rescued Callisto and her son by turning them into stars in the sky (the constellation Ursa Minor, the bear).
For native American Indians both the animal that the lady gets turned into and the constellation Ursa Minor are a deer not a bear.
The story obviously didnât start in Ancient Greece, thatâs just one version of it. The legend is so old it predates farming, everything. Iâm not even sure if the icecaps had retreated across Europe yet. It obviously spoke to people somehow.
The story of a great flood, which made its way into the bible, is another story that seems to be shared all around the world by the ancients - and obviously reflects a real life event - sea levels rose or a tidal wave etc.
But what the two stories probably show is that such stories probably came from a small group of people that later gave rise to the different peopleâs we know today - and as they spread out across the globe they carried these stories with them as they were very powerful events for their ancestors - they represent some kind of origin story.
There is an island (Aughinish opposite NewQuay) that is part of County Clare but can only be reached by road via a causeway from County Galway. There used to be a land connection from Clare but it washed away in a tsunami in 1755. A subsequent causeway was built by the Brits to service the Martello tower they built on the island.
Down the road from me. It was a tidal wave from the earthquake that flattened Lisbon.
I was down in Linannesâ in New Quay one day and bumped into a businessman I know from Limerick. As we looked out over the inlet I told him the story. His response was TNH. The cunt.
Iâve spent the last couple of days in a house overlooking New Quay and ate once or twice in Leenanes. Had my swim on the flaggy shore this morning before heading home. Its a part of Ireland that I wasnât that familiar with but its some spot. Plans already being made to return again in the future.
If you split the ten longest rivers on earth into two groups: one containing the Amazon, and one containing all of the other nine, the one with the Amazon would discharge more water