War of the Gods Read online

  War of the Gods

  War of the Gods

  Alien Skulls, Underground Cities, and Fire from the Sky

  Erich von Däniken

  This edition first published in 2020 by New Page Books, an imprint of

  Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

  With offices at:

  65 Parker Street, Suite 7

  Newburyport, MA 01950

  www.careerpress.com

  www.redwheelweiser.com

  Copyright © 2020 by Erich von Däniken

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

  ISBN: 978-1-63265-171-6

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

  Cover design by Kathryn Sky-Peck

  Interior by Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

  Typeset in New Baskerville, Trade Gothic and Caslon 224

  Printed in the United States of America

  LB

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

  CONTENTS

  Letter to My Readers

  CHAPTER 1: Alien Skulls

  CHAPTER 2: Veil Dance around the Pyramids

  CHAPTER 3: The Exploded Planet

  CHAPTER 4: Skeletons—Not from This World

  EPILOGUE: And Yet It Moves

  Bibliography

  Image References

  About the Author

  LETTER TO MY READERS

  DEAR READER,

  In this book, I present new findings! But it is only possible by building on previous experiences. Every reader of my books knows what a great dolmen is—but no one has ever heard of the dragon houses in Greece. In fact, great dolmens and dragon houses came about for the same reason, and we have all read about the underground cities in Turkey, but no one has drawn parallels to the so-called primary caves and Erdställe (earth stables) in Austria and Germany. Why did our Stone Age ancestors dig burrows for themselves underground? And why did they do that worldwide and millions of times? What was the force that drove them to do this?

  Between Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt, also called the planetoid belt. How did it actually form? Could the hundreds of thousands of smaller and larger chunks of rock be the remains of an exploded planet? But heavenly bodies do not just explode like that. Are there references to a star war between gods in ancient literature? Was that the reason people sought protection from the cosmic projectiles? And where did the survivors go?

  For generations, “deformed heads” have become world famous. These are “elongated skulls” pointing backward. They exist in the tens of thousands, and up until now we have been able to clearly prove how they came about. But more recently, skulls have appeared that no longer match the expected type. The same is true for some skeletons. What is going on here?

  This book tries to explore these findings. Parallels must be drawn to previous books. The new findings are the culminating point of research reflected in my forty-one books so far.

  With warm regards!

  Erich von Däniken

  CHAPTER 1

  Alien Skulls

  FEBRUARY 23, 1988. It was to become an unlucky day. I had led a tourist party into the South American highlands. We arrived from La Paz, Bolivia, landing in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. At around 4,000 meters above sea level, La Paz is the highest civil airport in the world from which jets are still permitted to take off. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, our destination, however, was located at an altitude of 3,500 meters lower than La Paz. In the highlands, some had complained of breathing difficulties. Here, at 437 meters above sea level, the group was thrilled. We had all the oxygen we needed. At around five in the afternoon, we met for a drink at the swimming pool of the Holiday Inn.

  “Erich, did you see Rob?” his wife Julia asked. “He's not in our room, and neither is his bathing suit. He has to be down here somewhere.” Julia and Rob came from Holland. This trip to faraway South America was their honeymoon. Rob was an imposing figure, six-foot-five-inches tall. Athletic, slim, fit. He had often told me about his extensive cycling tours. I got up and strolled around the pool. I looked for Rob. Had he perhaps left the hotel in his swimming trunks to buy something at the small stands in front of the main hotel entrance? Was he in a restroom? Our group included three young men. I asked them to search the whole facility for Rob and to check every restroom. To no avail. Rob remained missing.

  Suddenly a woman screamed down from the second floor balcony and pointed excitedly to the swimming pool. It didn't look clean. No blue, transparent water. There, at 2 meters below the greenish, gleaming water surface, lay a human body with outstretched arms. We maneuvered Rob to the surface, heaving him out of the water. But the CPR performed on him came too late. A doctor diagnosed a heart attack. Ironically, Rob, the athletic type, had not coped well with the difference in altitude. We all took care of Julia, but she was surprisingly accepting and brave.

  We ate dinner from the buffet. The group remained very quiet; everyone was talking about Rob's death. Julia wished that her husband's body would be transferred to the Netherlands. I promised to arrange this, although at the moment I had no idea how to make that happen and, specifically, didn't know what that would cost.

  Then, keeping a friendly distance, the hotel director stood before me. I knew him from an earlier trip. He was a well-educated man who had also studied for four years in the United States. Mr. Antonio, as everyone called him, asked me to come to the front desk. There was a black man in a dark suit, wearing white gloves. The suit did not fit the face. I thought he was from a funeral home and wanted to discuss details with me concerning the transport of Rob's body. But Antonio told me something else. The man with the white gloves was the servant of a very rich man from Colombia. The stranger would like to meet me in person. His servant would take me to him and later back to the hotel.

  “But Antonio,” I replied, “my group is sitting in the restaurant. I cannot leave them alone.” Antonio pleaded with me to get into the black man's car. I would not regret it, he insisted, and he assured me the rich man was also a major shareholder of the Holiday Inn. In addition, the hotel would comp all of tonight's drinks for our entire group. That was an excellent offer. “What's the name of the stranger, and what does he do for a living?”

  Antonio squirmed. He said he wasn't at liberty to answer these questions. I would learn everything at the house of the hombre rico (rich man). I went back to the group, told them about my plans, and said I would probably be back at the bar in about an hour.

  A dark Mercedes limousine was parked outside. The black man with the white gloves pointed to the back bench. Affixed to the back of the seat in front of me was a little rack to hold things. It held three bottles, each one containing a different type of exquisite whiskey; some mineral water; ice; and two glasses. I did not touch anything. Slowly, the vehicle drove up a hill. At the bottom right, I saw the lights of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Then the chauffeur turned onto a bumpy, unpaved road. We drove through a grove, and I began to wonder if the whole thing was really a kidnapping. I did not carry a weapon on me and would have been helpless against my kidnappers. Then I abandoned my crazy thoughts. It was clear that my group of tourists in the hotel knew that I had gotten into the Mercedes on the director's recommendation. And anyway, I did not see Mr. Director as a crook, and moreover, if it were really an abduction—why was it carried out in such a complicated and luxurious way?

  Finally we stopped in front of a gate. After we had passed through it, two native South
Americans closed it behind us. As I got out, I realized—all men were armed. In front of us was a one-story building with lots of green plants on the outer walls. Inside I encountered a spacious hall and several beautiful ladies clothed very sparingly, who smiled at me seductively. Did I end up in a bordello? Finally the “rich man” walked up to me.

  He seemed like a nice guy, with dark, frizzy hair, lively eyes, and a well-groomed mustache. Impeccable teeth as well. The lower lip was slightly wider than the upper lip, and his chin had a dimple in the middle. Somewhere I had read that a dimple means generosity. The stranger wore jeans and a silk, beige shirt, and his left wrist was adorned with a diamond-studded Omega watch.

  The stranger welcomed me with “Señor Erich” and a strong handshake. He said his friend Antonio from the Holiday Inn had told him that I was the guide of the tourist group, so he wanted to take the opportunity to meet me personally. Without exaggeration, he apologized for the unusual “kidnapping” and assured me that one word from me would be enough to get me back to the hotel immediately. Could he be of any help to me?

  I informed him of the unexpected death of a travel companion and said I did not know who was responsible for transporting a corpse from Bolivia to Amsterdam.

  “Do you carry an American Express credit card?” he asked. I always carry one in a small inside pocket of my jacket. I gave him the number.

  “Don't worry about the body,” the host said. “For the flight to Europe, the blood must be extracted and replaced with formaldehyde. That happens here at the hospital. The transport is organized by American Express.” That's exactly what happened. Three days later, Rob's body landed in Amsterdam.

  He had read some of my books, the lively stranger assured me, and he wanted to show me something unique.

  First, I was served cold champagne, and sandwiches were passed around. The stranger said I should call him Pablo and he could support my research, especially in Bolivia and Colombia, where he owned quite a lot of land. I inquired about his job, and he said he was a car dealer and also a rancher. We talked about the visit of aliens on good old planet Earth, and Pablo complimented me and assured me that I was one of the few contemporaries who understood the big picture. After half an hour, I told him that my group would be waiting at the Holiday Inn. Pablo asked for a few minutes' patience. Then two native South Americans came to our table. They carried something that looked like a very long shoe box with hinges and set it on our table. Pablo flipped down three sides of the container, pointing inside. “What do you think, Señor Erich?”

  “A deformed skull,” I said, baffled. “You can find them in various museums, including the Anthropological Museum of La Paz.”

  “I know,” Pablo nodded. “But this is the head of an alien.”

  “I beg your pardon? Why do you think that?”

  Meanwhile, servants had set up a portable screen and put a Kodak slide projector on the side table. I was shown pictures of the same skull with a tape measure on the side. From the jaw to the crown of the head it measured forty-eight centimeters. Not bad. This was followed by two crisp shots of infant skulls, about two to four months old. Pablo pointed to the enlargements of the heads.

  “Do you notice anything?” Slowly, I realized the enormity of his find. The infant skulls did not show fontanelles. One must know: the head of a newborn consists of several cranial bones whose interstices grow together only after weeks. About two and a half months after birth, the adhesion to the back of the head closes. This is called a small, posterior fontanelle. The anterior part, the “great fontanelle,” takes about two and a half years to become completely covered. The baby skulls in the pictures did not show fontanelles.

  Pablo looked at me triumphantly. “These are not earthlings, Don Erich. They are aliens. But born here on Earth.”

  I learned that Pablo had secured the site and had not informed local archeologists. Only when the skulls were fully documented would he take official steps. He invited me to Colombia. I should bring cameras, two reputable Swiss journalists, and a Swiss notary. Of course, he would cover all costs. I expressed my sincere thanks for the offer and promised Pablo to think about his invitation. First of all, I would have to consult my schedule. I had many international obligations ahead of me. And that was true.

  Back at the hotel bar, my fellow travelers welcomed me with great impatience. My explanation didn't seem important to them. They were all talking incessantly. Understandably, because the hotel manager—or Pablo?—had paid for all their drinks.

  A few weeks passed. The Anthropological Institute of the University of Zurich presented an exhibition of deformed skulls. During my visit, I met the director of the institute. We started talking, and completely innocently, I told him about my experience in Bolivia.

  “The man's name was Pablo?” he asked in disbelief. He wanted me to wait a moment and returned with a newspaper article. It contained a picture of a Pablo who looked exactly like my Pablo.

  Weeks and years later I learned in increments the eerie life story of this Pablo. Pablo Escobar was my informant, and back then, Pablo Escobar was the biggest drug dealer in the world. He earned about US$400 million a month, smuggling tons of cocaine across borders. In 1989, Pablo Escobar ranked seventh on Forbes magazine's list of the richest men. His fortune was estimated at US$30 billion. Pablo Escobar was considered a coldblooded killer. He had had hundreds of enemies and friends unceremoniously murdered. In 1991, he had so successfully bribed members of parliament that the new constitution banned the extradition of Colombian citizens. Then he turned himself in to the authorities on the condition that he would never be deported to another country. He was afraid of prison in the United States. He offered to settle the Colombian government's foreign debt. Not far from his hometown of Envigado, Colombia, he built a private prison with bars, lounges, and swimming pools according to his specifications. The public called the complex “La Catedral.” He himself had chosen his guards. Everything went well until 1992. Then, alerted by US drug investigators, the authorities found out that Pablo Escobar had continued his criminal activities from the luxury jail. The government had to act, but Pablo was made aware of it and fled. On December 2, 1993, he was surrounded by a special unit. Pablo's son Juan later spread the rumor that his father had shot himself in view of the overwhelming power.

  Two weeks after my return to Switzerland, a Mr. Bischofsberger of the American Express travel agency in the Bahnhofstrasse called me in Zurich and let me know that payment for the flights of all participants for my expedition to Colombia had been guaranteed, in business class. I was asked to please set the dates and submit the names, dates of birth, and passport numbers of my fellow travelers. I did not transmit anything. Even though Pablo Escobar's life story was not finished at the time, I nevertheless did not want to have anything to do with a drug dealer. I refused his invitation and did not answer anymore questions from the travel agency. But I remained very curious about the deformed skulls. I could not get the pictures with the baby skulls without fontanelle out of my mind. After all, for decades I had gathered evidence to prove that our planet Earth had been visited by aliens millennia ago. Indicators weren't the same as evidence, though. Did the explanation rest with the deformed skulls? Did they provide the first, solid proof of visiting ETs? Were ancient alien heads really present on our planet? And could this be clearly demonstrated by modern DNA analysis? In fact, such analyses have been carried out. I'll come back to that. But what are these heads really . . . are they deformed skulls? Where can they be observed? How did they take on their form? How old are they? What does science know about them?

  Deformed skulls are a worldwide phenomenon, and the oldest ones are well over 9,000 years old. First of all, there are natural explanations for their existence. The deformation of a head can be initiated by the birth process or occur due to lack of space in the mother's womb. Medical science knows many different causes of skull deformities. They are usually classified under the collective term “syndrome.” The word comes from
the Greek syndrome and means “to come together,” “to run together.” A syndrome is therefore a mixture of several signs of disease that occur together. For example, skull deformities occur in the following syndromes:

  Treacher Collins syndrome

  Beveridge syndrome

  Adams-Oliver syndrome

  C syndrome

  Sturge-Weber syndrome

  Apert syndrome

  Chromosome 15q tetrasomy syndrome

  Chromosome 4q deletion syndrome

  Triploidy syndrome

  Chromosome 7p duplication syndrome

  Ramban-Hasharon syndrome

  Baker Vinters syndrome

  Kenny-Caffey syndrome types 1 and 2

  Laron syndrome types 1 and 2

  Froster-Iskenius-Waterson syndrome

  Theodor Hertz Goodman syndrome

  And so forth. These syndromes, which have been discovered by scientists and many of which therefore bear their names, characterize skull deformities due to defects in the chromosomes. These chromosomes in turn consist of DNA sections and belong to each cell. They pass on the genetic information. Each person has twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, or forty-six individual chromosomes. This genetic information can be altered by chromosome defects, which in some cases can lead to skull deformities—as in, for example, the following syndromes:

  Chromosome 11, deletion 11p

  Chromosome 15q, tetrasomy

  Chromosome 7, terminal 7p

  Chromosome 8, monosomy 8p

  Chromosome 9 inversion

  In addition to the medical and genetic reasons for deformed skulls that I have already described, there is also “plagiocephaly,” which is an asymmetric flattening of the back of the head, and “brachycephaly,” which in medicine is understood as a widened skull. And then there is “scaphocephaly,” the elongated, narrow skull with a high forehead.