General
Erdstalls: Mysterious Tunnels Of Unknown Origin Across Europe
Erdstall is a type of tunnel found throughout Europe, mainly in the southeastern part of Germany, Bavaria and Austria. This underground network dates back to the Stone Age and is 12,000 years old. The archaeological evidence is so slim that even age determination is difficult.
Airstalls are believed to have been created during the Middle Ages, although some argue that these tunnels date back to the Stone Age.
At present, no one knows exactly why these structures were created at all. Proponents of the idea that erdstalls date back to the Stone Age believe that these structures are a network of underground passages stretching from Scotland to Turkey.
The word “erdstall” is borrowed from the German language and can be roughly translated as “earth stall” or “mine tunnel”. Although various types of underground tunnels are known around the world, erdstalls have certain features that distinguish them from other underground tunnel systems.
In general, the erdstall network consists of very low and narrow tunnels, which are usually oval in shape and arranged either vertically or horizontally. It has also been found that these tunnels typically extend between 20 and 50 meters.
Another unique feature of the erdstall is the “schlupf” (meaning “to slip out”). These are extremely narrow openings (usually only 40 cm in diameter) that serve as transition points between tunnels located at different heights.
Currently, about 2000 erdstalls are known in Europe. Most of these are located in the German state of Bavaria, where it is estimated that at least 700 such tunnel networks exist. In neighboring Austria, you can find about 500 more of them. Similar underground passages have also been found in countries such as Britain and France.
A typical tunnel is very low requiring an adult human to walk in a hunched position, but some are so small that explorers have to get down on all fours.
Some tunnels have more than one level with a tight passageway, known as “schlupfe” or “slip”, connecting the higher tunnel with the lower one.
But the passages are so tight that an average person needs to crawl under the slip hole, stand up thereby sliding the shoulders through the uncomfortably tight hole, and squeeze his way out and into the higher tunnel.
A schlupfe can also occur horizontally connecting two tunnels in the same level.
The purpose for which the erdstall were built is still a big mystery. For some locals, these underground tunnels are associated with legendary creatures such as elves or dwarves who are said to have built them or are believed to live in them. In some places, erdstalls have been given fanciful names reflecting their association with local folklore.
Among them are “Shrazelloch” (“goblin’s hole”) and “Alraunenhöle” (“mandrake cave”). Others suggest that erdstalls were associated with castles and served as secret escape routes, as mentioned in some sagas. However, the problem with this interpretation is that erdstalls are known to have only one entry and exit point, making them unsuitable for this purpose.
Others suggest that the tunnels were used as hiding places. However, the narrowness of these passages, combined with the fact that there is practically no air currents in them (due to the only entrance and exit), would make them a rather inconvenient and unpleasant shelter. Another suggestion is that they were used to store things.
Again, the narrowness of these tunnels makes them impractical for this purpose. In addition, many erdstalls are below the waterline and have been known to fill with water from time to time, especially during the winter. Therefore, it is unlikely that erdstalls were used for storage purposes.
Some speculates that these early Christian missionaries also brought along heathen ideas, the remnants of Druid scholarship or special Celtic concepts of the afterlife, which led to the construction of the subterranean galleries.
But it was possible that the tunnels were also prisons for demons, evil dwarves and the undead. But not everyone finds these spiritual interpretations convincing.
One of the strangest claims about them is that they are part of a vast, interconnected network of underground passages that stretch from Scotland in the west to Turkey in the south.
Moreover, this underground network is said to have originated as early as the Stone Age and is 12,000 years old, much older than the generally accepted estimate that they date back to the Middle Ages.
It has even been claimed that these tunnels functioned as a kind of “ancient underground highway” that allowed people to move safely from one place to another, regardless of what was happening above ground.
There are various problems associated with this theory. For example, even though there are thousands of erdstalls, they are not really related to each other. Another point is that although large underground cities have been discovered in Turkish Cappadocia, they are very different from European erdstalls.
Tenaya Canyon is a trail-less and treacherous part of Yosemite
National Park that runs from Tenaya Lake down to Yosemite Valley. It is
known as the “Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite” because of the many
accidents, injuries and deaths that have occurred there over the years.
Some
people even believe that the canyon is cursed by the spirits of the
original inhabitants of Yosemite, who were violently displaced by the
Mariposa Indian War in the 1850s.
The canyon is a challenging and
risky route for adventurous hikers and climbers, who have to navigate
smooth granite slabs, steep rappels, mandatory swims and precarious
ledges. The canyon also offers stunning views of waterfalls, swimming
holes and rock formations.
However, the park officials warn that
“a trip into the unforgiving terrain of Tenaya Canyon…should not be
taken lightly.” There is a sign at the entrance of the canyon that
reads: “TRAVEL BEYOND THIS POINT IS DANGEROUS.”
One
of the most famous incidents in Tenaya Canyon happened in 1918, when
John Muir, the “Father of the National Parks,” fell and was knocked
unconscious while exploring the canyon.
He later wrote: “I was
suddenly brought to a standstill by a blow on the head that confused my
senses for a moment or two without wholly stunning me.” He managed to
recover and continue his journey, but he never returned to the canyon.
Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, CA
“Tenaya Canyon is one of those places where you can feel history all
around you,” said Scott Gediman, a park ranger at Yosemite National
Park. “It’s a very powerful place.”
Another notable explorer of
Tenaya Canyon was Ron Kauk, a legendary climber who lived in Yosemite
for decades and scaled some of its most challenging walls.
He camped on the side of a rock face in Tenaya Canyon and felt a mysterious force pulling on his sleeping bag.
He told SFGATE:
“It was like something that came around in a teasing kind of way or
something. It wasn’t anything too dramatic, no lights flashing around or
flying by you. Just to acknowledge that there was something else
there.”
He speculated that the canyon might be “the holding place for the original spirit of the place and the people (of Yosemite).”
Tenaya
Canyon is named after Chief Tenaya, the leader of the Ahwahneechee
tribe that lived in Yosemite Valley before they were driven out by the
Mariposa Battalion, a group of armed volunteers sent by California’s
governor to subdue the Native Americans in the area.
The
battalion captured Chief Tenaya and his people and forced them to
relocate to a reservation near Fresno. However, some of them escaped and
returned to Yosemite Valley, where they were attacked again by the
battalion.
Chief Tenaya’s son was killed in the battle, and he
reportedly cursed his enemies and his homeland before fleeing into
Tenaya Canyon. He was later killed by a rival tribe near Mono Lake.
Some
historians and locals believe that Chief Tenaya’s curse still lingers
in Tenaya Canyon, causing misfortune and tragedy for those who enter it.
Others think that the canyon is simply a dangerous place that requires
caution and respect.
Tenaya Canyon has had more than 110 people
killed there and many more injured. It is known to the Park Service as
the Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite.
Hundreds
of people go missing at national parks across the United States every
year. Some of these disappearances are never solved. Yosemite National
Park holds the notorious position as the national park with the third
most missing persons per year (233).
Either way, Tenaya Canyon
remains one of Yosemite’s most fascinating and mysterious places, where
nature’s beauty and history’s brutality collide.
The Catholic Church is reportedly investigating a potential miracle that occurred at a church in Connecticut, reports independent.co.uk.
The supposed miracle took place at St Thomas Church in Thomaston, Connecticut, according to the Hartford Courant.
The
Revered Joseph Crowley, who heads St Maximilian Kolbe Parish, which
includes St Thomas Church, reported that the wafers distributed during
the observation of communion multiplied while sitting inside the
ciborium.
“God duplicated himself in the ciborium,” Rev Crowley
said after communion, referencing the metal storage containers used to
house the communion wafers. “God provides and it’s strange how God does
that. And that happened.”
In
response, the Archdiocese of Hartford began an investigation to
determine whether or not a miracle had occurred at the church.
Since
then, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith, a group dating
back to the 1500’s tasked with promoting and defending the Catholic
faith throughout the world, has been notified and has begun its own
investigation.
A spokesman for the archdiocese, David Elliott,
issued a statement to the Hartford Courant saying that “reports such as
the alleged miracle in Thomaston require referral to the Dicastery for
the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. The Archdiocese has proceeded
accordingly, and will await a response in due time.”
Miracles are
an important part of the process of becoming a saint within the Catholic
Church. Sainthood considerations typically begin five years after the
death of an exceptional Catholic.
A
number of criteria must be met, including “verified miracles” — Vatican
officials must determine that the miracles are a direct result of an
individual praying to the candidate saint. They must come to the
decision that the miracle was a result of the dead potential saint
interceding between the petitioner and God, causing the miracle.
The
Catholic Church defines a miracle as a “sign of wonder such as a
healing, or control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine
power.”
While duplicating thin bread wafers may seem like a minor
use of divine power to those unfamiliar with Catholic theology, the
Eucharist — often called communion or the lord’s supper — is arguably
the holiest and most important sacrament — or ritual — in the faith.
Catholics
typically believe in the idea of transubstantiation, or the idea that
the bread and wine given during the ritual literally become the body and
blood of Jesus Christ upon consecration, as opposed to simply symbols
of his presence.
Michael
O’Neil, who goes by the moniker Miracle Hunter, authored a book called
Science and the Miraculous: How the Church Investigates the
Supernatural, spoke to the Hartford Courant and gave examples of
previous eucharistic miracles.
“There are various types of
eucharistic miracles, but the ones that are most remarkable, in my
opinion, were on some rare occasions, the host is said to bleed human
blood,” he said.
Reverend Michael McGivney, the founder of the
Knights of Columbus, ended his clerical career at St Thomas, where the
alleged communion miracle took place. He has been in consideration for
sainthood and requires one more verified miracle before he moves on to
final consideration for sainthood within the Catholic Church.
Archbishop
Leonard Blair explained to the Hartford Courant that “what has been
reported to have occurred at our parish church in Thomaston, of which
Blessed Michael McGivney was once pastor, if verified, would constitute a
sign or wonder that can only be attributed to divine power to
strengthen our faith in the daily miracle of the Most Holy Eucharist.
It
would also be a source of blessing from Heaven for the effort that the
US Bishops are making to renew and deepen the faith and practice of our
Catholic people with regard to this great Sacrament.”
“Blessed” is a title given to saint candidates who have had “verified” miracles attributed to them by the Vatican.
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