frankborelli
Member
Great read. You have interesting viewpoints. I'd love to sit down and pick your brain over a few nicely rolled doobies and a few molecules... no precipitate. lol....
EDIT: Nevermind.
To the OP, it isn't the inverted cross so much as an inverted Crucifix that causes problems. Kind of a big distinction.
Look at my post-count! LMFAO! Don't that just put the "dink" in Co-inky-dink?!
yeh yeh... waldo
.. where then is Varanger?
Tell me that, and ill connect some dots for you that you never knew about. Also ill show you why ive got some credibility on these things beyond what you find in your popular history references. The Scandinavian elite guard of the Byzantine empire, what was the name for them?
you asked where Varanger is... it is a peninsula and is north of Varangerfjord.
Had you asked me what the extent of the varangian 'diaspora' was, I would have answered that question. Regardless of how far the Varangians settled, Varanger is back in finmark in norway.
Also, we will be needing more verification than your story... please provide some documentation in support of your tales.
concerning Columbus' identity.
Chios port
The reliance on two principle sources (though many others are also cited),
written by persons who had actually seen Columbus' original Journal, are the
main basis of the author's thesis. One is Columbus' second son Ferdinand -- who
had sailed with his father -- whose life work was collecting books about
Columbus for his extensive library, and who wrote The Fourth Voyage of Columbus,
as well as The Life Of The Admiral, Christopher Columbus. The other was the
famous Historia De Las Indies, by Bishop de las Casas -- who had also sailed
with Columbus. These two sources, according to Durlacher-Wolper, are the most
reliable because their authors had sailed with the great mariner, and knew him
well. Columbus' son, Ferdinand, was known to have complained repeatedly that
there were many lies and falsehoods being written and disseminated about his
father. His chosen mission in life was to clear up the many misconceptions, and
to let the truth be known. Bishop de las Casas, confirmed that Columbus "was of
the Genoese nation," but would never utilize the Genoese language in his
writings, and would refer to himself as "Columbus de Terra Rubra," ("Columbus of
the Red Earth"). He also wrote that "more precise information as to his actual
birthplace [was never forthcoming"], but that he claimed his ancestors "had
always followed the sea." It is worthy of note that Chios Island is known for
its red soil, and that Chiotes have -- since time immemorial -- been famous as
seafarers and fleet owners.
Samuel Eliot Morison, the eminent historian, confirms Columbus' "ardent
enthusiasm for seafaring," and wrote, in his book, Admiral of the Ocean Sea
(Little, Brown, & Co., Boston. 1942), that Columbus first took to the sea in the
early 1460s, and that he made "many voyages to Chios in the Aegean," where he
learned to "hand reef, and steer, to estimate distance by eye, to let go and
weigh anchor properly, and all other elements of seamanship." Also, that he was
a "ruddy-complexioned redhead, with blue eyes." His son Ferdinand wrote that
Columbus gave himself the name "Christophoros" because "... in Greek it means
one who bears Christ," and "[my father] had carried Christ over deep waters
with great danger to himself ... that the Indian nations might become dwellers
in the triumphant Church of Heaven."
Columbus' signature was a combination of Byzantine-Greek and Latin. He signed
his name Xpo-Ferens, the first part being Greek and the second Latin. He
instructed his heirs to continue to "sign with my signature, which I now employ,
which is an X ["CHI"] with an S over it, and an M with an A over it, and over
that an S, and then a Greek Y with an S over it, preserving the relation of the
lines and points." (Morison p.202.)
Columbus' Byzantine Signatureconcerning Columbus' identity.
Chios port
The reliance on two principle sources (though many others are also cited),
written by persons who had actually seen Columbus' original Journal, are the
main basis of the author's thesis. One is Columbus' second son Ferdinand -- who
had sailed with his father -- whose life work was collecting books about
Columbus for his extensive library, and who wrote The Fourth Voyage of Columbus,
as well as The Life Of The Admiral, Christopher Columbus. The other was the
famous Historia De Las Indies, by Bishop de las Casas -- who had also sailed
with Columbus. These two sources, according to Durlacher-Wolper, are the most
reliable because their authors had sailed with the great mariner, and knew him
well. Columbus' son, Ferdinand, was known to have complained repeatedly that
there were many lies and falsehoods being written and disseminated about his
father. His chosen mission in life was to clear up the many misconceptions, and
to let the truth be known. Bishop de las Casas, confirmed that Columbus "was of
the Genoese nation," but would never utilize the Genoese language in his
writings, and would refer to himself as "Columbus de Terra Rubra," ("Columbus of
the Red Earth"). He also wrote that "more precise information as to his actual
birthplace [was never forthcoming"], but that he claimed his ancestors "had
always followed the sea." It is worthy of note that Chios Island is known for
its red soil, and that Chiotes have -- since time immemorial -- been famous as
seafarers and fleet owners.
Samuel Eliot Morison, the eminent historian, confirms Columbus' "ardent
enthusiasm for seafaring," and wrote, in his book, Admiral of the Ocean Sea
(Little, Brown, & Co., Boston. 1942), that Columbus first took to the sea in the
early 1460s, and that he made "many voyages to Chios in the Aegean," where he
learned to "hand reef, and steer, to estimate distance by eye, to let go and
weigh anchor properly, and all other elements of seamanship." Also, that he was
a "ruddy-complexioned redhead, with blue eyes." His son Ferdinand wrote that
Columbus gave himself the name "Christophoros" because "... in Greek it means
one who bears Christ," and "[my father] had carried Christ over deep waters
with great danger to himself ... that the Indian nations might become dwellers
in the triumphant Church of Heaven."
Columbus' signature was a combination of Byzantine-Greek and Latin. He signed
his name Xpo-Ferens, the first part being Greek and the second Latin. He
instructed his heirs to continue to "sign with my signature, which I now employ,
which is an X ["CHI"] with an S over it, and an M with an A over it, and over
that an S, and then a Greek Y with an S over it, preserving the relation of the
lines and points." (Morison p.202.)
Columbus' Byzantine Signature
A sign left Colombo before 1492, right by signing the "Admiral" at the service of the Crown of Castile.
This would accord with Columbus' desire to keep his identity concealed, as did
many Orthodox Christian Greeks who'd migrated to Catholic Italy before and
after Constantinople's fall to the Turks in 1453, and who wished to avoid
persecution in their new surroundings, or death at the hands of the Turks.
Columbus referred to Chios many times in his Journal, and also to the mastic gum
which is cultivated only on this island, and which grows in its red soil. Chios
was under Genoese rule from 1346 to 1566, and, during Columbus' time, was
administered -- though under the sovereignty of Genoa -- by a Genoese chartered
company called the "Mahouna." The bank used by this company was the Bank of St.
George in Genoa, which was also the bank used by Columbus. Because of this
connection, and the fact that he dressed like a Genoese, historians concluded
that he was Genoese, even though -- as confirmed by the great authority on
Columbus, Lionel Cecil Jane -- "[he] could not speak or write Italian." (Select
Documents Illustrating the Four Voyages of Columbus. Hakluyt Society. London,
1930.)
In Chios today, one may see examples of Genoese architecture throughout the
island. In the "mastichochori" (the mastic growing region in the southern part
of the island), and especially in the county seat of the district, the town of
Pyrghi, one sees the Italianate influence everywhere. The houses and buildings
of this town are decorated with geometric designs unique to Chios, and more
particularly to the mastic growing region where the Genoese had the strongest
influence because of their involvement in the mastic trade. Over the doors of
some homes in places like Pyrghi and Cimbouri, one can still see the name
KOLOMVOS inscribed. A picture of a priest of Pyrghi is shown in the book whose
name is "Kolomvos," and who told the author, Ruth Durlacher-Wolper, that his
family goes back 600 years on the island, and that the old Greek Byzantine
aristocracy had intermarried with the Genoese merchants because "they were bound
by the same interests," i.e., the mastic trade.
The connection to royalty is demonstrated by the writings of Ferdinand and Las
Casas, who quotes Columbus as saying that " sailed with my kinsman, Colon the
Younger, the Greek corsair"[pirate]. Who was this "kinsman?" Colon the Younger
was a member of one of the most important royal families in the Byzantine world,
the Palaeologi. His name was George Palaeologus Disipatos, and was also known as
"George le Grec." He turned corsair after the fall of Constantinople, and fought
the Turks on the sea after they'd conquered the Byzantine Empire. At this time,
according to the author, Columbus also went by the name of Colon, and her
research indicates that with the fall of Byzantium he "fled with his kinsman,
Colon the Younger, to... France" It is not certain just when he changed his name
to Columbus, and, in Ferdinand's book, he quotes a passage from a letter his
father wrote to the nurse of Don Juan of Castile: "I am not the first Admiral of
my family. Let them call me, then, by what name they will, for after all, David,
the wisest of kings, tended sheep and was later made king of Jerusalem, and I am
the servant of Him who raised David to that high estate." The Byzantine
connection would explain his knowledge of Latin and Greek, and would answer the
question as to why he kept his log in these two languages instead of the Italian
of Genoa.
Facts Contributing to the Clarification of Columbus' Identity
1) Columbus' signature "Xpo-Ferens" (Christophoros), is Greek-Latin
(Byzantine).
2) Columbus spelled Chios with a Greek X -- Xios.
3) Columbus marked the corner of his letters with a Greek X for Xios or
Xpo-Ferens, his name.
4) Columbus named Cape Maysi in Cuba by the Greek words "Alpha and Omega."
5) Columbus never asked Italy for ships or aid or food or shelter when he
needed help.
6) Columbus never spoke or read Italian.
7) Columbus made markings of Greek words on the margins of his favorite book,
Imago Mundi, by
Cardinal Pierre d'Ailly.
8) Columbus was called "Genoese" because he was from Chios, which belonged to
Genoa, and he
dressed in the Genoese style.
9) Columbus called himself, and signed documents, "Columbus de Terra Rubra"
(Columbus of the Red
Earth), because of the red earth of southern Chios where the mastic tree
grows.
10) Columbus banked at St. George Bank in Genoa, along with other Genoese
Chiotes, because:
a) Chios was a colony of Genoa.
b) Chios had been Genoese for almost 150 years (since 1346).
11) Columbus concealed his identity because of his well founded fear of being
killed by the Turks
after the fall of Constantinople: this prevented him from revealing his
Greek lineage.
12) Columbus called himself "Colon," and wrote that he sailed with a royal
kinsman who also had that
name.
13) Columbus kept "a secret accurate reckoning" and two logs. The author shows
that his "secret reckoning" was in Greek leagues, whereas his "official log"
was in Roman leagues.
14) Ferdinand could find no sign of the Christopher Colombo family when he
searched for it high and low in Genoa. These were supposedly the relatives of
Christopher Columbus, but Ferdinand wrote that "I have not been able to find out
how or where [they] live."
There is much more in this interesting book that would lend considerable and
convincing weight to the argument that Christopher Columbus was indeed "A
Byzantine Prince from Chios, Greece."
Christophoros Columbus: A Byzantine Prince from Chios, Greece. by Ruth G.
Durlacher-Wolper. Published by The New World Museum, San Salvador, Bahamas.
1982.
Notes
In 1982 Ruth G. Durlacher Wolper published her study A New Theory Clarifying the Identity of Christophoros Columbus: A Byzantine Prince from Chios, Greece (Published by The New World Museum, San Salvador, Bahamas). She argues that Columbus was from the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea, which was under Genoese rule from 1346 to 1566.
A priest named of Pyrghi, the main town on the island, named Κολόμβος "Kolomvos," told Mrs. Durlacher, that his family goes back 600 years on the island.
Enough reason for a plaque in the town of Pyrghi in Chios, funded by the European Union.
From the biography of Ruth Durlacher Wolper (1912-1999): she was a painter became a noted amateur historian and archaeologist. She wrote a pamphlet, published by the Smithsonian, on the "Landfall of Columbus," was instrumental in erecting a monument on the landing beach of Columbus, started the first pre-Columbian museum in the Bahamas, and was a frequent lecturer on Columbus, pre-Columbian artifacts and Bahamian history. In addition, she authored a controversial booklet offering evidence that Columbus was Greek.
Based on Durlacher's theories, a certain Seapal, wrote a phantastic story about Columbus' origin:
"Columbus was not born in Genoa but was a Byzantine nobleman, Disypatos Paleologos.
Paleologos (Columbus) was born in Constantinople in 1439 and not, as the Genoese claim, in their city in 1446, 1447, 1449 or 1451 or 1452. Just before the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Columbus left with his uncle Admiral Disypatos George Paleologos. He was then 14 years old and became a privateer in his uncle´s ship. It was then the time that the French needed good seamen and his uncle eventually became an Admiral in the French navy, which he joined under the name Colon Le Jeune. Colon was a common name then, as it meant 'Captain'." (this last statement is interesting, I wonder if people in France know this meaning of the word Colon !).
Colon is a well established Jewish name, numerous Colons having perished at the stakes of the Inquisition. Columbus' gentile contemporaries in the West Indies clearly regarded him as a Jew. This became obvious when they staged a rebellion against the rule of Columbus and his associates, referring to them as Pharaohs, Biscayans, Genovese and Portuguese. These appelations were used to identify Jews as Jews, with anti-Jewish intent.
But American researchers say the mystery over the explorer's true origins has finally been solved after a thorough investigation of his writings.
A study of the language used in the official records and letters of the Great Navigator apparently proves he hailed from the Kingdom of Aragon in northeastern Spain and his mother tongue was Catalan.
Since his death in 1506 debate has raged over the true nationality of the man credited with discovering the Americas.
It was widely believed that he was the son of a weaver born in the Italian port of Genoa, but over the centuries he has been claimed as a native son of Greece, Catalonia, Portugal, Corsica, France and even Poland.
According to one theory, he may have been Jewish and another more recent account traced his origins to Scotland.
But a linguistic professor at Georgetown University in Washington has published new findings following an exhaustive study of documents written in his hand.
Estelle Irizarry studied his language and grammar and concluded that Columbus was a Catalan speaking man from the Kingdom of Aragon, an inland region of north-eastern Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees.
The findings published this month in a new book "The DNA of the writings of Columbus" explain that although he wrote in Castilian it was clearly not his first language and his origins can be pinpointed to the Aragon region because of the grammar and the way he constructed sentences.
"He didn't express him correctly in any written language," said the professor. "His Spanish was notoriously incorrect yet at the same time efficient, poetic and eloquent."
A scientific project launched three years ago to discover his true origins using DNA comparisons between his family and possible descendants has so far failed to provide conclusive results.
A team of scientists took samples from the tomb of Columbus in Seville and from bones belonging to his brother and son and compared them to the genetic make-up of hundreds of people living across Europe with surnames believed to be modern day variants of Columbus.
Swabs were taken from the cheeks of Colom's in Catalonia, Colombo's in Italy and even members of the deposed Portuguese royal family, who argue that Columbus was the product of an extramarital affair involving a Portuguese prince.
Scientists had hoped to establish a common ancestor using standard Y-chromosome tests but they have yet to find a link.
They study may be in vain, however, as there is evidence to suggest that Columbus, who first crossed the Atlantic in 1492, may have adopted his surname later in life to disguise his true origins.
One theory claims that he once worked for a pirate called Vincenzo Columbus, and adopted that name in order not to embarrass his relations with his new profession.
Columbus himself, when asked about his origins, used to shrug off the questions. "Vine de nada" – "I came from nothing", he said.
Cristopher Columbus.
uses the same family coat of arms as this man, the first elected king of Norway. 1450..
Before you say anything else, read about King Bonde. By the way you should also read about the war between the Bondes of Haalogaland and Olav the holy.
http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/haraldson8.html
Just so you realize who the Bondes were.