Atlantis sank, and they escaped: What is known about the red-haired and blue-eyed giants who lived in the Canary Islands 3,000 years ago?
Legends tell of the height, bright beauty, and excellent physical shape of the inhabitants of the Canary Islands. No one knows where this mysterious tribe came from 3,000 years ago. The Guanches called themselves the children of the volcano. The blue-eyed and red-haired giants were excellent hunters and swimmers. Unfortunately, the Spaniards destroyed this mysterious person. To this day, their origin causes scientists to be perplexed. Where did the Guanches come from?
The mysterious people
The Spaniards discovered the mysterious tribe inhabiting the Canary Islands in the XIV century. Europeans were amazed by the islanders’ appearance. They did not expect to see white-skinned, blue-eyed people with fiery red or blond hair in this area. They were distinguished by their enormous height and excellent physical shape. Both men and women of this tribe were very agile, fast, and strong. They quickly covered the distance from island to island. They fought the Spaniards fiercely and fearlessly.
An ancient legend says that the indigenous people of Tenerife originated from the depths of the Teide volcano, the highest point of the Canary Islands. Visit.A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article .That is why these people call themselves “Guanches” – the children of the volcano. There is also a legend that the inhabitants of Tenerife were once shepherds of the Atlanteans. They miraculously escaped when Atlantis sank.
They always lived in caves and talked in a strange language, slightly moving their lips and whistling. Their companions were huge Bardino dogs, the ancestors of mastiffs. Mysterious writing patterns have also been found in the Canaries, which most likely belong to the Guanches. These people mummified their dead. There are monuments to the Guanche chiefs on the island of Tenerife.
Scientists still don’t know the origin of these people. One theory is that immigrants from South America arrived. The presence of stone pyramids, the similarity of religious beliefs, and some archaeological finds support this hypothesis. It is also possible that the Guanche tribe is related to the Berbers who inhabited the north of the African continent. Their civilizations are very similar.
Culture and life of the Guanches
The Guanche tools were made of stones and wood; they did not produce iron. Nevertheless, they had an extremely developed agriculture; they grew legumes and cereals—the Guanches dressed in animal skins. The chiefs usually wore luxurious headdresses and ornaments around their necks. Their style was very similar to that of the Babylonians. The people were very peaceful. They never fought among themselves. If the islanders quarreled, they built a stone wall between themselves to limit communication.
The Guanches were divided into castes: peasants, warriors, and nobility. The ruler was chosen if the previous leader did not leave an heir. Power was usually inherited not by children but by brothers. The marital customs of the tribe are also interesting. Marriage could not be concluded between representatives of different classes. The bride was chosen by weight. A girl weighing less than a hundred pounds was unsuitable for a wife.
Where did the Guanches disappear to
Despite their peaceful nature, the Guanches met the foreigners unfriendly. When the Spanish navigators reached their islands, the inhabitants of Tenerife began to throw stones at them. Enraged Europeans started a war. The Guanches fought fiercely and desperately but did not have such weapons, and their forces were unequal. At the same time, they withstood the onslaught of the Spaniards, defending their possessions, for almost a century and a half.
Most of the locals were killed, some were sold into slavery, and the rest threw themselves off the rocks into the sea, preferring to die rather than become slaves. So, the ancient tribe of Tenerife disappeared from the face of the Earth. However, there is a version that a small part of the surviving Guanches mixed with Europeans, thus continuing their existence.