Detail of the Armenian symbol for infinity in the medieval in Surb Karapet Church, which forms part of the Noravank Monastery. This church is located in what's present-dayArmenia.
Eguzkilore mythology symbols sculpture ancient traditions beliefs religion Basque Country rock stone flowers shapes sunflower art craftmanship
Basque Mythology: The Eguzkilore
The Eguzkilore is a magical flower that protects homes.
The legend of theEguzkiloreis deeply rooted inBasque folklore. It tells the story of a magical flower that protects homes from evil spirits and malevolent beings.Eguzkilore translates as “flower of the sun”. The flower is actually the dried bloom of theCarlina acanthifolia, a thistle-like plant indigenous to the mountainous regions of southern Europe.
According to the Basque mythology,Amalur(Mother Earth) created the moon to comfort the Basque people. These people lived in a land filled with dense forests and rugged mountainsand were afraid of the supernatural beings that they believed roamed the night. However, the people soon discovered that these night creatures were not afraid of the moonlight.Amalurthen decided to create the Eguzkilore, a flower that resembled the sun. In this manner, the flower would also protect the humans at night.
Thus, theEguzkiloreis a flower that holds its light even during the night. The flower’s round shape and radiating petals symbolize the sun, representing light, life, and protection. It also serves as a reminder of the sun’s power to banish darkness and fear. Hung on doors, this flower was believed to ward off witches, trolls, and evil spirits, acting as a barrier against harm.
The tradition of placingEguzkiloreon doors persists, especially in the mountainous regions of theBasque CountryandNavarra. Thus, while the fear of supernatural beings may have diminished, the tradition of hangingEguzkiloreflowers on doors continues in some Basque homes. It serves as a cultural reminder of the past, a blend of ancient belief and enduring tradition. TheEguzkiloreremains a potent symbol of protection, resilience, and the enduring human desire for safety and light in the face of the unknown.
According to Anthropologist José Luis Cardero,“The Celts, the Mycenaeans and the ancient peoples used spirals to represent the concept of the Great Cosmic River of the Universe”. The spiral is the basic configuration of the chakras (wheels or vortexes of subtle energy) in the body and symbolize a change in scale, or even a portal to another dimension. Spiritually, the spiral of life is a symbol of the path to be traveled in life. This symbol is one of the first representations that have been found in Paleolithic caves and is constantly repeated throughout the planet.
The country that neighbors Armenia to the north is Georgia. The country also has a similar symbol.
Borjgali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Borjgali(Georgian:ბორჯღალი; alsoBorjgalaorBorjgalo;BorçgaliinLaz) is aGeorgiansymbol of theSunandeternity.[1][2]The Borjgali is often represented with seven rotating wings over thetree of lifewhich can be used to create various shapes and variations and is considered one of the main symbols of Georgian culture.[3]
The termBorjgalitranslates to "the flow of time" fromMegrelianborj"time" andgal"pass" or "flow". The word is believed to derive from the Megrelian term ბარჩხალი (barchkhali), which means "brilliance" or "glitter." Other scholars believe its origin is fromOld Georgianბურჯი (burji) "time" and "ღალ" (ghal) "holy fruit" or "harvest," together meaning "holy fruit sprouting from time."[4]
This pre-Christian symbol was widely used in both western (Colchis) and eastern Georgia (in Georgian architecture'sDedabodzi, "mother-pillar") as part of aDarbaziin theKura–Araxes cultureas a holy symbol.[5]During the medieval period, this symbol was incorporated as a part of Christian symbolism.[citation needed]
Nowadays, the symbol is used in Georgian IDs and passports, as well as oncurrencyand by theGeorgian Rugby Union. Georgian rugby team players are called ბორჯღალოსნები (borjgalosnebi), which means "Men bearing Borjgali". It was also used on the naval ensign of Georgia during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[6]
Basque and Armenia are distantly far from one another, both countries are roughly over 2,000 miles or nearly 4,000 kilometers apart. There is a vast region of countries between Basque and Armenia that should have at least adopted a portion of the language and symbols. We should be seeing some of them well within Continental Europe.
Beautiful Basque Country and the Hermitage of San Bartolome in north-central Spain
Beautiful Basque Country — View from one of St. Adrian's naturaltunnel‘s ends.
This tunnel, located in Zegama, has been used since Roman times (there is still a Roman road that leads there) and was quite popular in the Middle Ages since it was part of St James’ way.
Inside the tunnel there’s a little shrine - some researchers state that it has a templar origin -, as you can see in the picture.
The San Bartolome is A Masterpiece of Templar Symbolism
Video
Templar hermitage of Saint Bartholomew with a Pentagram of hearts, Rio Lobos Canyon, Spain. This 12th-Century hermitage in north-central Spain is full of Templar symbolism. The site has long held significance to local inhabitants and was carefully chosen by the Knights Templar.
The site was carefully chosen by the Knights Templar for its spiritual properties. In a nearby limestone cave (visible in the picture to the right of the temple and behind the trees), Ancient Romans celebrated Mundus Patet (the “festival of the dead”) and prayed to the Cult of the Mother Goddess in the cave behind the trees to the right of the temple. According to the legend, this is where Bartholomew the Apostle dropped his sword from atop a nearby mountain, declaring wherever the weapon fell to be his home in the 1st Century AD.
The architectural elements of the Knights’ hermitage reflect this rich past. Carved motifs pay homage to Roman deities such as the god Janus, guardian of the gates and transitions. At the heart of the chapel, beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary, a carved Flower of Life symbol is perfectly illuminated on the winter solstice through a peculiar rosette-shaped window.
This peculiar round window shows a pentagram formed by the inter-crossing of five big hearts that create five small ones as well as the five-pointed star and a pentagon, all of them full of mystical significance and a central element of the Pythagorean doctrine associated with the golden number. The sun coming through this window oriented to the south lights a mystic carving on the temple floor during the solstices.
Constructed in a fusion of Romanesque and early Gothic, San Bartolomé lies 4km from the Castle of Ucero. This citadel was built on a fortress in the same period as the hermitage, leading experts to think the surrounding area was likely a hotbed of Templar activity. Remarkably, some historians even believe that the chapel’s interior columns may hint to the assumed location of the fabled Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia.
The Rio Lobos Canyon (Wolves River) Natural Park is a wonderful natural micro-system, full of wildlife and vegetation. Its limestone walls, eroded by wind, water and time, offer spectacular shapes and views. The river that runs through it is teeming with fish, frogs, dragonflies, crabs, snakes... and the skies are watched by vultures , eagles and other raptors. It is a pleasure to walk along the riverside paths and just listen...
Some miles inside the canyon you will find this 13th century Romanesque shrine...
You can see the location and more in @41.7526651,-3.0714489,1359m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=es&authuser=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">Google maps.
The pentagram is formed by the inter-crossing of five big hearts that create five small ones as well as the five pointed star and a pentagon, all of them full of mystical significance and a central element of the Pythagorean doctrine associated with the golden number. The sun coming through this window oriented to the south lights a mystic carving on the temple floor during the solstices.
The 12th-Century hermitage of Saint Bartholomew is full of Templar symbolism, a chapel built in an area that has drawn spiritual seekers since the Bronze Age.
Situated equidistantly from the Iberian Peninsula’s easternmost and westernmost points, the site was carefully chosen by the Knights Templar for its spiritual properties. In a nearby limestone cave, Ancient Romans celebrated Mundus Patet (the “festival of the dead”) and prayed to the Cult of the Mother Goddess in the cave behind the trees to the right of the temple. According to the legend, this is where Bartholomew the Apostle dropped his sword from atop a nearby mountain, declaring wherever the weapon fell to be his home in the 1st Century AD.
The architectural elements of the Knights’ hermitage reflect this rich past. Carved motifs pay homage to Roman deities such as the god Janus, guardian of the gates and transitions. At the heart of the chapel, beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary, a carved Flower of Life symbol is perfectly illuminated on the winter solstice through a peculiar rosette-shaped window.
Constructed in a fusion of Romanesque and early Gothic, San Bartolomé lies 4km from the Castle of Ucero. This citadel was built on a fortress in the same period as the hermitage, leading experts to think the surrounding area was likely a hotbed of Templar activity. Remarkably, some historians even believe that the chapel’s interior columns may hint to the assumed location of the fabled Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia.
The Rio Lobos Canyon (Wolves River) Natural Park is a wonderful natural micro-system, full of wildlife and vegetation. Its limestone walls, eroded by wind, water and time, offer spectacular shapes and views. The river that runs through it is teeming with fish, frogs, dragonflies, crabs, snakes... and the skies are watched by vultures , eagles and other raptors. It is a pleasure to walk along the riverside paths and just listen...
The Hermitage of San Bartolomé
In the mountains of north-central Spain, in the valley of the Rio del Lobos, is a medieval building. Right there ends everything I am certain of, because I cannot find out anything about it from the usual sources. Instead there is a vast amount of fluff from Templar-obsessed people who inhabit the scholarly fringe, not sane or rigorous enough to give me confidence in their assertions but with enough to say that they drew me in. See especially this littleBBC documentary.
They call this building the Hermitage of San Bartolomé and say that it was built in the later 12th century when the Knights Templar owned much land throughout this district.
The site is spectacular, against the mountains at the head of a narrow valley.
And behind the hermitage is this cave, inhabited in the Stone Age, and said to have been the site of cult activity in the Roman times:
Situated equidistantly from the Iberian Peninsula’s easternmost and westernmost points in a remote corner of the Rio del Lobos Canyon, the site has long held significance to local inhabitants and was carefully chosen by the Knights Templars for its spiritual properties. In a nearby limestone cave, Ancient Romans celebratedMundus Patet(the “festival of the dead”) and prayed to the Cult of the Mother Goddess. Legend has it that in the 1st Century AD, this was also where Bartholomew the Apostle (San Bartolomé) dropped his sword from atop a nearby mountain, declaring wherever the weapon fell to be his home.
Whoever built it, the hermitage is a remarkable building.
On the floor near the statue of the Virgin is this mark, known as the Flower of Life.
And just as you would expect in such a story about such a building, the sun shining rough the little window with its five-pointed star traces out the year across the floor
falling, on the Winter Solstice, directly on the Flower of Life.
Is it true? I have no idea! But it certainly is fascinating, and on rainy December days like today that is enough for me.
Join me to explore the ancient and mysterious coastal ruins of Fortaleza de Paramonga in Peru, an archaeological site once attributed to the Chimú and later occupied by the expanding Inca Empire. Located just off the Pan-American Highway north of Lima, this adobe-built complex challenges the "fortress" label with architectural similarities to temples and ceremonial centers, and possible astronomical connections. We dive into its eroded iconography, Inca and pre-Inca construction methods, and evidence of long-distance trade through llama remains. With sweeping views, crumbling adobe walls, and a deep connection to early Andean civilizations like the Caral-Supe Civilization, this video captures the raw essence of South America’s forgotten heritage.
