Genesis 6:4
“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.”
And a desperation to tie America to the biblical era combined with white supremacy.
Story goes that giant skeletons have been found at multiple locations in the US, were submitted to the Smithsonian, and subsequently suppressed or outright destroyed.
Only explanation needed:
“Giant skeletons of animals were often mistaken for giant human bones during previous centuries and during the early 20th century. This was due to a lack of expertise in human bone structure by those who discovered the bones. Also, some discoveries were intentionally misrepresented for various reasons.”
Yeah, this is another tendril of American exceptionalism, that we MUST somehow have a link to the biblical era (although some are happy linking the Bible to whiteness somewhere instead). This is where you get Joseph Smith claiming that the Native Americans are the lost 12th tribe, or the Templars burying the treasures of Jerusalem in Canada, or “the British people are the Twelfth Tribe” or whatever.
I love, love, LOVE stories like this.
The ignorance comes from Biblical literalism:
Genesis 6:4
“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.”
And a desperation to tie America to the biblical era combined with white supremacy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_human_skeletons
Story goes that giant skeletons have been found at multiple locations in the US, were submitted to the Smithsonian, and subsequently suppressed or outright destroyed.
Only explanation needed:
“Giant skeletons of animals were often mistaken for giant human bones during previous centuries and during the early 20th century. This was due to a lack of expertise in human bone structure by those who discovered the bones. Also, some discoveries were intentionally misrepresented for various reasons.”
Yeah, this is another tendril of American exceptionalism, that we MUST somehow have a link to the biblical era (although some are happy linking the Bible to whiteness somewhere instead). This is where you get Joseph Smith claiming that the Native Americans are the lost 12th tribe, or the Templars burying the treasures of Jerusalem in Canada, or “the British people are the Twelfth Tribe” or whatever.
I should say too, that whole idea of wanting (needing?) to reach out and attach to a previous culture isn’t limited to Americans.
The whole point of the Aeneid by Virgil was for Rome to somewhat ride on the Greek coat tails founded by Homer.
So we have seen that kind of thing before.