I have read several sources that state we were aware of the land of America for a long time prior to Columbus. I wanted to find out more about the name ‘America’ and what it meant plus I wanted to document other names that America was called in the past. Here is a recap of what I learned and as you will see, different cultures called America by different names.
- America
comes from Amaruka which means the land of the plumed serpent as early as
1438 AD, some say it is of pre-Atlantean times.
- The land was called Americ as
early as 744 AD.
- Part of the land was called "Land
of White Men" Hvitramannaland as early as 983 AD. It was the coastal lying between Virginia
and Florida.
- Part of the land was called Vinland the Good (Massachusetts and
southward) as early as 983 AD
- Part of the land was Markland (Nova Scotia) discovered by Leif
Eriksson around 983 AD
- The Old Norse called America ‘Irland
it Mikia’ which means ‘Ireland
the Great’ as early as 983 AD.
- The Latin people called Great
Ireland, Hibernia Major and Albania as early as 983 AD.
- The land was called America,
in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, who first came to South America in 1499. Amerigo means strong.
Most of my research was reading old newspapers and then looking up the information in Wikipedia mostly to get dates.
1822 news – Americans
A quote from this news article:
“The name was originally applied by the
Italian geographers to that part of the continent which is now called Brazil, because that had been first made known
by Amerigo Vespucci.”
According to Wikipedia, Amerigo went to Brazil in 1501 AD.
1851 news – Colonization of America in Ante-Historic Times
Here is a quote from the article below:
“Ari Marsson, in the
year 983 was driven on the shores of the American country, to which he gives
the names Hvitra mannaland, White Men’s Land, and Irland it Mikla,
or Great Ireland. The former names shows that the inhabitants
of that country had white skins and the latter that they came from Ireland.”
To read this full article, see column 2 (this is a very interesting article)
1873 News – American Antiquities
Below is a news article called ‘American Antiquities’ where America was referred to as ‘Hvitramannaland’
meaning ‘The Land of White Men’. Here is
a quote from the article:
“In the
sages, the history of Thorflun Karlsefne, and the famous chronicle, the
Landnamabok, this country is styled the "Land
of White Men" Hvitramannaland. The Laudnama book says: "To
the south of inhabited Greenland are wild and desert tracts and ice-covered
mountains; then comes the land of the Skraelings
(Equimanx), beyond this Markland (Nova
Scotia) and then Vinland the Good
(Massachusetts and southward). -Next to this, and somewhat behind it
lies Albanta, that is to say, Hvitramannaland. whither vessels formerly
sailed from Ireland. It was there that several Irishmen and Icelanders
recognized art, the son of Mar and Katla of Reykjanes, whom they had not for a
long time had any tidings of, and whom the natives of the country had made
their chief." The Lauduamahok also states that Ari Marsson was driven by a
tempest to Hvitramannaland, and
detained and baptized there. The Northmen are reputed to have received their
account of Hvitramannaland, which was
also called Irland in Mikia -- Ireland the Great from Limerick traders,
vessels from that port having sailed thither before the Icelandic discovery of
Vinland.”
Above was just a portion of the new article, the full article
is an interesting read. See columns 8-9
One
of this article’s sources is a book by Thorfinn
Karlsefni Thórdarson who was born about 980 AD and was an
Iceland explorer. In about 1010 AD, Thorfinn Karlsefni led an attempt to settle
Vínland with three ships and 160 settlers.
His wife gave birth to a boy in Vinland.
In
1918, Einar Jónsson, an Icelandic sculptor, created a statue of Thorfinn
Karlsefni which was placed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Fairmount Park.
There is another casting of the statue in Reykjavik, Iceland. Currently the statue is no longer in
Philadelphia.
“By the 21st century, the statue in Philadelphia had become a
common rallying location for local white supremacy groups. In time, these
rallies led to counter protests and vandalism of the statue. In the early
morning hours of October 2, 2018, police were called to the statue's location
and found it had been toppled from its stone base and dragged into the nearby Schuylkill
River. As of 2020, the statue was being conserved, but the City of Philadelphia
had no timeline for its reinstallation and was taking the appropriation of the
statue by hate groups into consideration as it made plans for the future.” Quoted from Wikipedia
Note: It is really sad that white people cannot fully
enjoy their history in a county they created.
I
looked up the place names, from the article above, in Wikipedia for more
information.
“Great
Ireland (Old Norse: Írland hit mikla or Írland
it mikla), also known as White Men's Land
(Hvítramannaland) or Land of the White People, and in Latin
similarly as Hibernia Major and Albania, was a land said by various Norsemen
to be located near Vinland. In one
report, in the Saga of Eric the Red, some skrælingar captured in Markland described the people in what was
supposedly White Men's Land, to have been "dressed in white garments,
uttered loud cries, bore long poles, and wore fringes." Another report
identifies it with the Albani people,
with "hair and skin as white as snow."“ Quoted from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ireland
“According to the Landnámabók, Ari Marsson discovered the land six
days' sailing west of Ireland. This journey is thought to have occurred around
the year 983. Their son was Ari, who drifted to White Men's Land, which some people call Greater Ireland. It lies in the ocean to
westward, near Vineland the Good,
said to be a six-day sail west from Ireland. Ari couldn't get away, and was
baptized there. This story was first told by Hrafn Limerick-Farer who spent a
long time at Limerick in Ireland. Thorkel Gellisson quoted some Icelanders who
had heard Earl Thorfinn of Orkney say that Ari had been recognized in White Man's Land, and couldn't get away from
there, but was thought very highly of.” Quoted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ireland#Landn%C3%A1mab%C3%B3k
1888 news –
The Name America
This
article states that the name Amerigo may be of Teutonic or Gothic origin. Here is a quote from this article:
“Americ which occurs as
early as 744 A. D., is probably a contracted form of the name Amalaric, borne
by a King of the Visigoths, who died in 531.”
To
read the full article, use this link.
1888 news –
Who found America?
Reflected
below is a quote from this article regarding America:
“In the oldest Lagas the historical narrations of Thortinti Karlsefue
and the Icelandic Landnammabock the southern coasts lying between Virginia and Florida
are designated under the name of the Land of the
White Men. They are expressly called Great
Ireland (Irland it Mikla) and it is maintained that they were
peopled by the Irish. The volumes in
which these corroborative accounts are recorded were compiled in the north
three centuries before the birth of Columbus and they undoubtedly represent the
belief then held that there existed a Great Ireland
beyond the Western Sea.”
To
read the full article, see column 3:
1898 news –
Discovery of America
This
news article reflects that the Irish are the Phoenicians and that they peopled America. This article refers to America as:
“Hultramannaland (white man’s land)
which some call Irland it Mikla (Greater
Ireland) which lies in the western ocean near Vineland the good, west of Iceland.”
1928 News – Gave America Its Name
Now here again in 1928, we are told that America
was named in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.
Amerigo
Vesppucci did come to America a few times and it appears that he did not know that
many white people had been there before.
Amerigo Vespucci, Mundus Novus, Letter to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de'
Medici (1502/1503):
“A few days ago I wrote you at some length about my return from
those new regions we searched for and found with the fleet, at the expense and
by the command of the most serene King of Portugal, and which can properly be
called a "New World", since our forebears had absolutely no
knowledge of it, nor do any of those who are hearing about it today...On 7
August 1501, we dropped our anchor off the shores of that new land, thanking
God with solemn prayers and the celebration of the Mass. Once there, we
determined that the new land was not an island but a continent.”
The Library of Congress does state
that America was named from Amerigo Vespucci. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/07/how-did-america-get-its-name/#:~:text=While%20the%20colonies%20may%20have,Latinized%20version%20of%20“Amerigo.”
America is Amaruka,
the land of the Plumed Serpent
I have found many people on the
internet do not believe that America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, instead
they believe that America was named by the Native Americans a long time
ago. It does seem reasonable that the
Native Americans would have already given these continents a name. What they believe is the Native Americans
called the land Amaruka.
In Peruvian (Inca) and Mayan
languages, 'ka' means 'soil'. Amaru-ka;
soil-land of Amaru--Amaru means the "plumed serpent", thus, Amaruka
'America' is the 'land of the feathered/plumed serpent’. The language that the
word Amaruka/Amerikua comes from is from pre-Atlantean time.
This theory is really not far-fetched. There is lots of evidence of serpent worship
in our past history. Below we will
review evidence that this might be true.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-19314,00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaru_(mythology)#/media/File:Amaru_kero.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire
https://vocal.media/futurism/where-did-america-get-her-name
(PDF) AMARUCA : North American Biomorphology West Coast and the Great
Plains
Quetzalcoatl
the Feathered Serpent
Quetzalcoatl,
also known as the Feathered Serpent, is a prominent deity in Mesoamerican
mythology, particularly revered in Mayan culture. The god is associated
with creation, knowledge, and rulership
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalc%C5%8D%C4%81tl
Sumerian –
Two Snakes
This
Sumerian deity shows feathers and two snakes.
Serpents of
Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Druids
Page 139 https://archive.org/details/patriarchalageo00smitgoog/page/138/mode/2up?q=serpent
A Serpent was
Moses’ Proof he talked to God
In these verses
Moses wanted proof that he had spoke to God and God gave him the serpent as
proof. So, the Egyptians were to believe
Moses talked to God if they saw a serpent. Why a serpent?
“Moses answered, and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice,
but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee. Then he said to him: What is that thou
holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod. And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He
cast it down, and it was turned into a
serpent, so that Moses fled from it. And the Lord said: Put out thy hand,
and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was
turned into a rod. That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.” DR Exo 4:1-5
“And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, I have appointed thee the god of
Pharao; and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak to him all that I
command thee; and he shall speak to Pharao, that he let the children of Israel
go out of his land. But I shall harden his heart, and shall multiply my signs and wonders in
the land of Egypt. And he will not hear you: and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and will
bring forth my army and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of
Egypt, by very great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, who have stretched
forth my hand upon Egypt, and have brought forth the children of Israel out of
the midst of them. And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded; so did they. And Moses was eighty years old, and
Aaron eighty- three, when they spoke to Pharao. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: When Pharao shall say to you, Shew
signs; thou shalt say to Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharao,
and it shall be turned into a serpent. So Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharao, and did as the Lord had
commanded. And Aaron took the rod before Pharao and his servants, and it was
turned into a serpent. And Pharao called the wise men and the magicians; and they also by
Egyptian enchantments and certain secrets, did in like manner. And they every one cast down their
rods, and they were turned into serpents: but Aaron's rod devoured their rods. And Pharao's heart was hardened, and he
did not hearken to them, as the Lord had commanded.” DR Exo 7:1-13
So,
there is a biblical basis for viewing God as a Serpent.
Staff of
Asclepius
Our
Father in Heaven instructed Moses to make a serpent and put it on a staff for
healing. It is now called the Staff or Rod
of Asclepius. Why did our Father in Heaven choose a serpent for healing?
Phoenicians
and Egyptians – Worship of the Serpent
Page 22-23 https://archive.org/details/corysancientfrag00coryuoft/page/22/mode/2up
Roman Snake
Bracelet
Roman gold snake bracelet found on
the arm of a woman who was killed by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE,
inscribed on the inside is: 'DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE' which
means "From a master to his slave girl."
1890 news –
Serpent Worship
To read the full article, see the last column https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88076144/1890-07-04/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1756&index=5&rows=20&words=America+SERPENT&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=america+serpent&y=13&x=16&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
1897 news –
The Serpent Symbol
The full article can be read in the
third column:
Assyrian with
Feathers
I was not able to find Assyrian artifacts with serpents but I did find feathers.
Sources:
https://therealsamizdat.com/2015/04/14/asshur-god-of-war/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assyrian_-_Relief_with_Winged_Genius_-_Walters_218.jpg
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045555/1905-12-16/ed-1/seq-88.pdf
Ancient Roman
Eagle holding a Snake
In 2013
Archeologists in London found an 1,800-year-old Roman statue of an eagle holding
up a serpent. Sources say the eagle is devouring the snake but the eagle has
not even broken the snake’s skin. This
looks a lot like the eagle with snake on the Great Seal of the United States.
Sources:
https://tomswope.blogspot.com/2011/10/ancient-roman-eagles-and-eagles-with.html
Great Palace
of Constantinople – Serpent and Eagle
Here
is an eagle and snake mosaic from the Byzantine empire. The mosaic was part of the extensive
floor decorations in the Great Palace of Constantinople, a vast complex of
buildings that served as the imperial residence and administrative center. Notice the
eagle is holding the snake in his beak.
Many sites say this is the eagle having victory over the snake but maybe
the eagle is just holding the snake up. This
is a picture of a snake and feathers.
https://www.facebook.com/107793061839771/photos/a.108663441752733/177497034869373/
America’s
Feathers and Serpents
Below are some examples of the
America’s serpents and many with eagles. Eagles have feathers. The eagles are
holding up the serpent. In the United States they replaced the serpent with an ribbon.
The Great Seal of the United States of America is based on bible heraldry; therefore, we know it is Christian symbolism.
Sources:
Teotihuacan Feathered Serpent (Jami Dwyer) - Feathered Serpent -
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_the_Feathered_Serpent,_Teotihuacan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound
in Ohio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mounds_Park in
Ontario
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States
Seal of Los Angeles - Wikipedia
American Revolution
Flags with Serpents
Why did Benjamin Franklin use the serpent as a symbol to unite the colonist against the British?
The reason we are given was based
on a superstition that if a snake was cut in pieces and the pieces were put
together before sunset, the snake would return to life. Maybe Franklin used the snake for other
reasons though?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_flag
Conclusion
If the
plan was to name America after Amerigo Vespucci, why didn’t
they use his last name instead of his first name? Historically, the last name is normally used
to name a place after someone. One of
the newspapers above stated that the name Americ
was used as early as 744 AD, which was way before Amerigo came to America. To me it does make sense that the American
Indians would have already named the land long before Amerigo went to South
America.
I do
know that the French, namely Jacques Cartier, attempted to use and acknowledge
Indigenous place names. So, I do think other Indigenous place names were used
in many places. So, it possible that
America comes from Amaruka.
Most
people today do not realize that part of America was called ‘Land of White Man’
which is ongoing propaganda to take America away from the white man and hide there
history.
“The serpent, or snake, is one of the
oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin
serpens, a crawling animal or snake. Snakes have been associated with some of
the oldest rituals known to humankind and represent dual expression of good and
evil.” Quoted
from Wikipedia
More Information:
https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/jacques-cartier/
https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2018/04/1848-new-about-war-with-mexican.html
https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2018/04/1792-news-welch-white-indians-settled.html
https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-cherokees-are-aboriginal-white-tribe.html
https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2018/04/american-kivas-or-european-ringforts.html
https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2019/03/american-europe-tumulus-burial-mounds.html
https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-serpent-on-the-pole-and-the-cross-of-christ
https://godandneighbor.net/2013/12/31/the-origins-of-wellness-from-snakes-on-a-pole/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322614
Assyrian Eagle
https://www.ancientreplicas.com/eagle-head-deity-nisroch.html
#/media/File:Amaru_kero.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}