In Cave 1, the engravings can be seen from the ground, but unlike Cave 2 and 3, there has been no light and shadow interplay discovered. There are seven marks located about five feet above the cave floor, and these have been interpreted as representing seven constellations.17 These constellations are visible at night looking westward from the cave from September through December. This three-month period runs from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice, or from the time the ancient god Mithras crossed into the “dark world” below the celestial equator until his birthday around Christmas time, when the sun begins to increase in strength. According to Leonard the constellations are Boötes, Corona Borealis, Serpens Caput, Hercules, and a female figure composed of a combination of Lyra, Aquila, and Cygnus.18
Cave 2 is inscribed with more petroglyphs than any of the other caves and is the home of the “Silent Opera” heliolithic animation described. The autograph and birth date “Tom Ogima 1896” at the top of the Cave 2 Anubis Panel is a graffito from a cowboy known to have traveled the area. One of the strokes of the m in “Tom” is superimposed over the Anubis flail. The graffito proved useful, however, as it covered up part of the Anubis image, deflecting accusations that McGlone and Leonard had created the inscriptions themselves.
Fig. 8.11. Details of the Cave 1 petroglyphs, which are thought to represent an Indo-European star map visible after dusk on the fall equinox some fifteen centuries ago.
Fig. 8.12. Anubis Cave 1 constellations. (Photo by Kean Scott Monahan, © 2005 and 2008 by TransVision)
Fig. 8.13. Animal figures in Cave 2. (From McGlone et al., Ancient American Inscriptions)
On the northern wall of cave 2 are animal figures, some so worn they can barely be seen. These have been interpreted to represent constellations. These animal figures have been construed by McGlone and Leonard as depicting Taurus (a bull), Aries (a ram), and Pegasus (a winged horse).19 However, the soft sandstone is fragile and has suffered severe wear, while cowboy markings and more recent graffiti have damaged several glyphs. Most discouraging, an early researcher callously affected the site by taking molds of many of the petroglyphs without using a release coating to protect the outer layer of patina. As a result, the latex molds stuck to the patina, and what had slowly built up over the eons was removed, resulting in damage to many of the glyphs. McGlone decried that some of the petroglyphs easily seen twenty years ago cannot be discerned today. For example, an image of the horse (Pegasus) on the left side of Cave 2 cannot be discerned by the naked eye anymore.
THE SIX MONTHS OGHAM INSCRIPTION AND THE NOSE POINTER ALIGNMENT
Cave 3 contains the most significant inscriptions and multiple archaeoastronomical equinox alignments. The first inscription to receive attention was the so-called Six-Months Ogham Inscription.
In Cave 3, McGlone and Leonard identified “Grian” spelled out in Ogham at the extreme left of an Ogham inscription. Above and slightly to the right is a thirteen-day counter, or “vernier” as Bill McGlone called it, meaning that it counts a smaller range of time than the larger one that is predominate on the site. The inscription was originally translated by Fell as, “The sun is six months in the north; in the south for the other months.” This early translation led to the original suggestion by researcher Jon Polansky that the site was associated with the equinox. After much discussion among other researchers, the translation was modified to, “The sun six months north, sinks south for space of months equal number.”
Fig. 8.14. Anubis Cave 3. The Six-Months Ogham Inscription.
The Six Months Inscription alignment, indicating the arrival of the equinox, is created by the sun shining on a rock that generates a shadow in the shape of a man’s profile.
The shadow of the Nose Pointer rock conjuncts with a series of lines, which were identified by Fell, McGlone, and Leonard as well-constructed Ogham writing. They are composed of a horizontal stem line with vertical Ogham lines and a count of days before and after the equinox, as observed at Crack Cave, that is, before the equinox, the noselike shadow moves upward and to the right until it reaches the stem line of the inscription and the shadow of the forehead begins to align with the first vertical mark on the left of the vernier scale. The line marking the seventh day after the equinox begins is longer than the others in the series, setting the six marks before and after it apart. In this fashion, the forehead and nose shadows move over one line at a time to the right until the thirteen days of the equinox are concluded. This process is, of course, reversed in the fall.20 It is noteworthy that in Iran, the six days up to and including the equinox in September are called Mihregan or Mehrgan, which is the name of an Iranian celebration of Mithras.21
Other Ogham inscriptions can be observed in Caves 3 and 4. An inscription in Cave 4 has been reliably interpreted by Fell and others to say in Celtic, “The sun belongs to Bel. This cavern on the day of the equinox is consecrated for chanting of prayers to Bel.”22
Fig. 8.15. The rock that creates the Six Months Inscription shadow. (McGlone et al. 1993, fig 60.)
Fig. 8.16. The shadow face with the prominent Nose Pointer.
Fig. 8.17. Nose Pointer alignment drawing. The forehead of the shadow moves over one mark each day following the spring equinox. The reverse occurs during the fall equinox. (McGlone et al., Ancient American Inscriptions).
Both Crack Cave and the Anubis Caves contain equinox alignments with Ogham script labeling the sun god as Bel. Both locations also have the name of Grian nearby, and both have images of a “balance device,” the equinox being the day of equality, or balance, between the hours of light and darkness.
Libyan-like writing containing a Semitic language has also been discovered in the Anubis Caves. Below and to the right of the sun god’s feet in Cave 2 are Libyan-like letters that Fell proposed to read as, “Enact at sunset the rites of Bel, assembling at that hour in worship.”23
Bel is the same sun deity invoked at Crack Cave. At the Anubis Caves, the sun god stands on a three-dimensional image of a cube. This Egyptian symbol has been associated with the ether element that combines space, volume, and the material world. Others, like Leonard, associate the cube with the Earth, citing Plato as a source among others. Inside it the name Bel appears, surrounded with additional Libyan-like writing urging the reader to enact his rites at the appointed hour. According to Leonard, “Thus the Anubis Cave Sun God rules over the earth and the shadow of the thumb pointer traces the path from the earth (cube) to the guide of the souls (canine figure) who will take them back to their place in the starry sky.”24
Fig. 8.18. Libyan-like inscriptions from Cave 2. Libyan-like characters are interspersed within and around the cube that the sun god stands on. (From McGlone et al., Ancient American Inscriptions)
THE SILENT OPERA AND OTHER SUNSET EQUINOX DISPLAYS
Toward sunset on the equinoxes, a sequence of alignments begins in Cave 3 and progresses to a final sunset sequence in Cave 2. Caves 2 and 3 were inscribed so that onlookers standing outside could view the interplay of light and shadow on the petroglyphs as the late afternoon turned into twilight.
Along with the many different inscriptions and petroglyphs in Cave 2, McGlone and Leonard spent years researching the so-called “Silent Opera,” a term they coined to describe the heliolithic light show that occurs at sunset on the equinox. This light animation is created as the sun sinks on the horizon by casting a wedge of light on the petroglyph panel from the wedge-shaped notch at the north end of the opening of the cave. As the sun sets, the light wedge moves up and to the right across the petroglyphs, creating the dramatic visual sequence of an opera.
This equinox enactment is consistent with the previously noted Ogham inscription that urges the beholder to assemble at sunset to enact the rites of Bel in worship. The light animation portrays the story of the sun god Mithras and Anubis, the Egyptian jackal god. As the sun sets, the last rays of light are seen on the panel as the illuminated Anubis, who stands above the shadowed sun god. Here, the dialectic between day and night and the upper
and lower worlds is revealed. And the message seems clear: the sun has moved from the upper realm of the sun god to the netherworld of Anubis, also known as the god of the night.
Fig. 8.19. The Anubis Panel in Cave 2. The main elements include: (1) rising sun, (2) sun god, (3) cube, (4) phallus, (5) setting sun, (6) dangling sun, (7) Anubis, and (8) flail on the back of Anubis. (Drawing by Martin Brennan)
Fig. 8.20. The Anubis Panel in Cave 2 about fifteen minutes before sunset on the equinox (see also color insert). The sun god goes into shadow as Anubis is illuminated. (Photo by Bill McGlone)
As the Silent Opera comes to an end, other light animations can be observed in Cave 3 as the setting sun approaches the horizon. The preciseness of these calendrical alignments made approximately 2,000 years ago attest to the skill and abilities employed by the creators of the Anubis Caves. The specificity of the sun god character and the Egyptian jackal god offers onlookers a moving story. The placement of the petroglyphs in the caves makes for an ideal amphitheater for onlookers to observe the movement of light and shadows on the panels, which today is best seen in time-lapse progression.25
Another elegant yet challenging-to-interpret alignment happens on a Cave 3 eroded pillar that is called the Balance Alignment. On the pillar there are six lines to the left and six lines to the right, both set at angles. The twelve inscribed lines on the pillar interact with the sun on the equinoxes to create an alignment. The six lines on the left are placed lower than the six on the right, and when illuminated one by one by the setting sun of the equinox they represent the months the sun spends on either side of the equator. Below the twelve lines, a triangle of light forms and the alignment continues on to interact with the balance image resembling a scale, a vertical line intersected by 45-degree lines pointed upward on each side. The simply constructed image, referred to as a “swing indicator” by McGlone, reinforced the “balance day” message of equinox.
Fig. 8.21. The Balance Inscription. Between Caves 3 and 2 is a natural pillar made of sandstone with twelve inscribed lines.
Fig. 8.22. Detail drawing of the Balance Inscription alignment on the equinox. Six lines are in shadow and six in light on the equinox. (McGlone et al., Ancient American Inscriptions)
CELTIC GODDESSES IN CAVE 2
The diversity of petroglyphs in Cave 2 is remarkable. In addition to the Silent Opera, the animal petroglyphs representing constellations, and the Ogham inscriptions, there are at least two noteworthy goddess figures that were identified by Farley. In her book In Plain Sight, she undertook one of the most comprehensive investigations of Old World goddess images that appear in America, including at the Anubis Caves. She also identified numerous images she claimed were Tanith (Nith) throughout the central United States. Tanith is a lunar goddess, a protector of mariners, and a fertility goddess who is often depicted with a triangular body, circular head, and outstretched arms. However, many of the Tanith-like images identified by Farley could have been made by Plains Indians, and the case for Old World affinities is not as solid as for the Sheila na Gig petroglyph described below.
Sheila na Gig as a fertility deity symbol dates back to at least 4000 B.C. in Europe. Biblical scholar Efram Stern shows two similar-looking figures from the Phoenician coast dated to the first millennium B.C.26 Later versions appear in Ireland, and in the main Anubis Cave 2 she is positioned on the southern wall of Cave 2 between the main Anubis Panel and a petroglyph grouping portraying a bonfire ritual. The Sheila na Gig image from the Oklahoma Panhandle indicates that travelers thought it important to preserve her as part of the Cave 2 pantheon of deities.
Farley also wrote about a feminine image on a horse in Cave 2 she called Epona, a Celtic goddess. While this too has been claimed to be the work of very early Native Americans, there are other examples in the Midwest that call this into question.
Thus, I believe Farley’s identification of Epona is likely correct, as these Oklahoma and Kansas images (see figures 8.26 and 8.27) appear in caves accompanied by archaeoastronomical aspects, Ogham and Ogham-like writing, and other Celtic images. This clearly establishes a context that these are Old World Epona images. The chart on page 155 compares Old World and New World characteristics of these two female Celtic deities.
Fig. 8.23. Sheila na Gig–like figure in Anubis Cave 2. This petroglyph is similar to Old World representations of this Celtic fertility goddess.
Fig. 8.24. Sheila na Gig figure, Rahara, County Roscommon, Ireland. (Drawing by Martin Brennan)
Sheila na Gig Epona
Description Carvings of naked a woman holding open her exaggerated vulva. A pre-Christian mother goddess who survived into Roman times. Epona was a protector of horses, donkeys, and mules; a goddess of the hunt and fertility.
Old World Best known in Ireland (>101 images) and Britain (45 examples). Found on churches, castles, and other buildings. Celtic goddess, popular among Romans and Germans. Known as Epane in northern Spain.
New World Image found in Anubis Caves, Oklahoma. Carved in sandstone. Nearby glyphs portray a bonfire ritual. Image found in Anubis Caves, Oklahoma, and in central Kansas. Both female images are riding horses.
Fig. 8.25. Comparisons of Old World and New World aspects of the two likely Old World goddess images found at the Anubis Caves.
Fig. 8.26. Gloria Farley identified an image in the Anubis Caves as the European goddess Epona.
Fig. 8.27. This petroglyph from Kansas, which is similar to the Anubis Caves Epona figure, is from a cave with equinox archaeoastronomy features and other Celtic resemblances (see chapter 9).
COSMOLOGY AND CONSTELLATIONS
It was only after many years of study that McGlone and Leonard concluded that the sun god glyph identified as Mithras conformed to the constellation of Perseus. This is consistent with the story that unfolds in the Anubis Caves Silent Opera equinox imagery. As the sun sets and Mithras goes into shadow, above him and to the right the illuminated Anubis stands in the light of the setting sun ready to begin his nighttime journey through the Milky Way, which includes passing through the constellation Perseus. This region is considered to indicate the place of the “descent and return of souls.”27
Other writers have also suggested that Perseus, the Greek mythological figure who killed Medusa, symbolizes Mithra.28 Consistent with the celestial location of the constellation Perseus, the cube below the sun god in the Anubis Panel was identified as the constellation Auriga, which lies directly below Perseus in the sky.
Fig. 8.28. Drawing shows the possible connections of the stars in the constellation Auriga to represent the cube in Anubis Cave 2. (From McGlone et al., Ancient American Inscriptions)
After making the important connection between the figure in Anubis Cave 2 and Perseus, McGlone and Leonard were able to identify the adjacent constellations as Orion and Canis Major. The presence of the human figure of Orion and the animal figure of Canis Major in their proper positions, although slightly rotated, adds persuasive evidence for the hypothesis that the outlines on the cave wall represent the constellations in the section of the sky that marks the spring equinox.29 These constellations include Orion, Canis Major, and Gemini, which McGlone and Leonard determined appear in their proper positions on the Anubis Cave 2 panel. Added to the association with Mithraism is the cube petroglyph with Auriga and the “dangling sun” image with elements of the constellation Taurus, providing additional evidence that the Anubis Caves imagery represents constellations in the quadrant of the sky that is central to Mithraism.
Thus, McGlone and Leonard were able to recognize that any singular image was multidimensional, not only representing a mythological deity such as Anubis or Perseus/Mithra, but also the corresponding constellations in the sky. This is the classic paralleling of the astronomical and mythological domains that we see in many ancient worldviews. More than just a religion, Mithraism was an integrated cosmology that wove together rituals, stories, constellations, planets, and calendrics. The deeper esoteric side of Mithraism relates to the journey of the s
oul through its incarnation on Earth and its return back to heaven, and the Anubis Caves’ iconography seems to preserve this ancient paradigm.
While ruins of Mithraeums survive in Europe, none display the astronomical, cosmological, and mythological details found in Oklahoma at the Anubis Caves. Whoever inscribed these caves in Oklahoma had to know Ogham script, the Celtic language, astronomy, and the Mithraic religious symbolism in use more than 1,500 years ago.
I was indeed fortunate to be in the company of McGlone and Leonard at the Anubis Caves and to benefit from their decades of research and observations. Not all my excursions to study the equinox alignments were successful, as cloud cover interfered so that planning and travel sometimes ended in disappointment. However, on several occasions the weather cooperated, and under the tutelage of my mentors, I witnessed the sun and its shadows engulf or enlighten the petroglyphic representations.
Ultimately I came to see these different sun deities not as Mithra, Perseus, Lugh, or Apollo, but as One Being. In the subtlety of the equinox sunset, accompanied by light and shadows moving accross the Anubis Cave, a door had opened, triggering my awakening to a universal message.
9
More Celtic America
The church was so thorough in erasing Lugh of the Long Arm from memory that, save the celebration named after him, there remains little evidence of his importance to the Celts.
Secrets of Ancient America: Archaeoastronomy and the Legacy of the Phoenicians, Celts, and Other Forgotten Explorers Page 14