Mount Shasta, an intriging volcano

 

Hello everyone, 

today I will be writing about Mount Shasta, a volcano which is very important for my family and I. Actually the name "Shasta" is actually one of my second names, which is why this volcano is so important to me.

I'll start by presenting the mountain briefly: 

Mount Shasta, is an active volcano, that is located in Siskiou county, in the North of California, where part of my family lives.

  

  It's elevation of 4321, 8  meters makes it the second highest point in the cascades (a classification of volcanoes in North America). Mount Shasta is surrounded by Trinity and Shasta national forests. It's last known erruption was in the 1250s. The volcano is also a climbing spot, and a sking resort in the winter.

 

 By the time Euro-Americans lived in the United States, many native american tribes lived near the volcano, like the Shastas and the Klamaths for example. These tribes where located in northern California and in western south oregon. They spoke several languages such as Shasta, Konomichu, Okwanuchu and New river Shasta. 

 

 (Image of a member of the Klamath tribe)

Now, that you know the mountain, we'll talk about the interesting part: it's myths and legends.

 Mount Shasta was considered a holy place for shastan people, and there are many legends about the volacno. According to local native tribes, the mountain is inhabited by a spirit called the « spirit chief Skell ». It would have came directly from heaven all the way to the volcano, and fought against another spirit called « Llao », who came from the « below world ». Llao lived in Mount « Mazama ». According to the native tribes, the eruptions of bowth mountains were actually the hot rocks and lava thrown by spirit chief Skell to Llao. 

Native americans also believed that mount shasta was the « sacred center of the universe » : they believed that the volcano was the « home » of the creator of our world, also called the G’mokunk.

I believe the legend of Telos is one of the most interesting legends, even though is doesn't come from native American tribes. According to this legend, mount shasta covers a « cristal city » called « Telos ». Telos is inhabited by  higher dimensional beings called the « Lemurians ». Lemuria was a very advanced ancient continent in the north pacific ocean, that went into a thermonuclear war with another ancient continent called « Atlantis », approximately 25 000 years ago. They both sunk into the ocean after the war, and some of the Lemurians survived and went under Mount shasta, where they remained ever since.

 (Map of the two ancient continents: Lemuria (Mu) and Atlantis)

  

 Here is a painting of what Lemurians hypothetically look like

 

 I personally love these myths, because of how they make Mount Shasta even more special. I hope I was able to interest you as much as me !

By Charlie