The UnXplained Special Presentation Season 2 Episode 2

Reality Insight Hub

The UnXplained Special Presentation Season 2 Episode 2  #RealityInsightHub  🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️ 👉 Official Channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/TrailerBolt 👉 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Transcript

00:00An Egyptian dagger with celestial powers, Viking swords of unexplainable strength, and a blazing weapon so fierce it could set the sea on fire.

00:16For thousands of years, man has been forging weapons out of bronze, iron, steel. Over the centuries, an uncountable number of swords, daggers, and other tools of destruction have been created.

00:31But among them, there are a few that are truly remarkable. Weapons that are said to possess magical powers. Metallurgy has been impossible to reproduce. And technology so advanced, it's as if it came from the future.

00:49What secrets are yet to be uncovered? About the amazing armaments considered to be legendary weapons? Well, that is what we'll try and find out.

01:19The Valley of the Kings, Egypt. February 16th, 1923. A British excavation team led by archaeologist Howard Carter enters an underground ancient Egyptian burial chamber.

01:36Once inside, they break a protective seal that guards the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

01:42Carter lifts up a lamp, and they look through and see that Tutankhamun is buried with this fantastic array of more than 5,000 objects.

01:54The room is absolutely full to bursting with gold and precious stones and various other precious and valuable items.

02:03More or less exactly in place as they've been left more than 3,000 years ago.

02:08Of the thousands of wondrous artifacts found in King Tut's tomb, perhaps the most extraordinary is an exquisitely forged 13-inch iron dagger.

02:21The dagger is a really sensational object with a golden sheath, which is decorated with a chased feather pattern.

02:31It was placed on the thigh of the king, and of all the 5,000 objects in the tomb, the vast majority of them were nowhere near as close as that to the very body of the king.

02:44So this is something very, very important.

02:47King Tut's reign was about 1330 BC.

02:50At that time, King Tut's dagger was a very important piece, as a symbol that the gods handed him this power.

03:01And that's why the iron dagger was buried with King Tut.

03:04He needed it on his journey to the afterlife.

03:09In the afterlife, King Tut was charged with the very important mission of assisting the sun god Ra.

03:17Ancient Egyptians believed that when the sun set every day, Ra would traverse the underworld, which was a dark, murky, watery place, fraught with dangers and demons and beasts.

03:34So King Tut would use this dagger to literally defend and fight off these hordes of enemies.

03:42And so there's this belief that the blade of the dagger had miraculous and spiritual powers.

03:49The idea that King Tut was buried with a mighty iron dagger to vanquish foes in the afterlife is certainly a great story.

03:59But is it possible that the dagger actually possesses divine power, as the ancient Egyptians believed?

04:08Perhaps the answer lies in the mysterious origins of this sacred relic.

04:14The Egyptians had essentially no ability in smelting iron at the time of Tutankhamun.

04:20And so the iron from this dagger that Tutankhamun was buried with, it comes from elsewhere.

04:28The Egyptians, of course, thought that the only reasonable explanation for the presence of a very exquisitely, perfectly worked iron dagger

04:36was that the iron itself was some kind of gift directly from the gods.

04:41We now know, however, thanks to very recent scientific analysis, that the iron doesn't come from iron ore in the ground.

04:52It is meteoric iron, which comes from a meteorite landing on Earth from space.

05:00For Egyptians, the sky is where the gods were.

05:07So you have to understand, at that time in ancient Egypt, 3,500 years ago,

05:14Amit Eurite falling on Earth with iron in it, and piece of it looked like a dagger.

05:24Symbolically, that piece of iron was a gift from the gods for the ancient Egyptians.

05:28Did the ancient Egyptians believe that King Tut's dagger had otherworldly powers because it literally came from another world?

05:39Perhaps.

05:41But some people think that the sacred nature of this relic was more than just symbolic.

05:47As evidence, they point to a series of mysterious deaths that took place after archaeologists removed the dagger from King Tut's tomb.

05:56There's the moment where Howard Carter's archaeological team peers into an undiscovered tomb and sees loads of gold and treasure.

06:06And then, shortly after Carter's sponsor, the Earl of Carnarvon died relatively suddenly in unusual, surprising circumstances.

06:17The Earl of Carnarvon's cause of death was reportedly a mysterious form of blood poisoning.

06:25And he died only four months after the tomb had been opened.

06:28All told, seven members of the expedition unexpectedly died in the years after King Tut's dagger was removed from his sergophagus.

06:38Many believed that tampering with the dagger had unlocked a deadly curse, and that the untimely deaths were proof of the weapon's otherworldly power.

06:51If the dagger's there for the king's protection, and the point at which the dagger is removed by a clumsy, unsuspecting, unbelieving archaeologist,

07:04that's the moment at which some nastiness befalls the archaeologist.

07:09Then, I think if you believe in the curse, perhaps the dagger is centrally important to that.

07:14Could moving the legendary dagger of King Tut have launched a deadly curse on Carter's archaeology team?

07:24Well, it's certainly a possibility, if the weapon was truly a celestial gift from the gods.

07:30But King Tut's dagger is not the only armament whose unique strength is attributed to a higher power.

07:36It is said that mysteriously crafted swords of incredible strength were imbued with mystical properties that helped one of the world's greatest conquerors change the course of human history.

07:58Throughout Europe, there are numerous museums that house a countless number of ancient Viking artifacts,

08:04some of which are more than 1,000 years old.

08:09Perhaps those fascinating objects left behind by the Vikings are their swords.

08:14These extraordinary blades are an iconic symbol of the Viking age.

08:20And not only were they formidable in battle, but they also feature detailed and exquisite craftsmanship.

08:27The thing about the Viking swords in particular is you'll see on a lot of these hilts of the Viking era, repeating geometric symbols.

08:38Oftentimes, these hilts were further decorated largely with silver or perhaps copper or gold inlaid into the hilt.

08:47And some were incredibly advanced in their techniques, quite beautiful, and hard to produce even today in a modern shop.

08:57The sophistication of Viking swords shows how important these blades were to their warrior culture.

09:04And, in fact, powerful weapons featured prominently in Viking mythology.

09:11The Atlantic sagas are filled with epic tales about supernatural swords and spears that were wielded by the gods.

09:20The god Odin is the supreme being of the Norse system.

09:25He had an unusual spear, the Gunnir.

09:28Now, this is an incredible spear.

09:31It can travel.

09:32It's well-balanced, so it can go far with great accuracy.

09:38Odin has this spear that almost seems to be laser-guided.

09:43It finds its target regardless of how it's thrown.

09:48And then Thor, of course, as we all know, has his hammer called Mjolnir.

09:54It creates thunder, but it also can create massive devastation.

10:02Thor's hammer Mjolnir is associated with the skill of the blacksmith.

10:07Blacksmiths were often considered just by nature somewhat magic, right, to be able to take this raw material and produce an incredible steel sword.

10:15While the sagas speak of magical armaments, in reality, 170 special Viking swords have been recovered, which are so unparalleled in strength and craftsmanship that they are the real-life embodiment of mythical weapons celebrated in the sagas.

10:34To this day, no one knows how they were made.

10:38And curiously, many of them bear the mysterious inscription, Ulfbert.

10:47The Ulfbert swords were made between about 800 and 1000 AD.

10:53So right solid in the high Viking period, when they were trading and raiding.

10:59Some Viking swords seemed to be much better than others.

11:05And these were the so-called Ulfbert swords.

11:08It was assumed, without any evidence, that it was a swordsmith's name.

11:12But why the name Ulfbert was used is still a mystery.

11:17What does Ulfbert mean?

11:19It's probably not a person.

11:21It was probably a word of power.

11:24Typically, Ulfbert means wolf, and Bert is an adjective, meaning bright.

11:32So it might be bright wolf.

11:35Even more mysterious than their enigmatic inscription is the seemingly impossible strength of Ulfbert swords.

11:43I've analysed 40 or 50 Ulfbert swords.

11:48It's certainly interesting to find that many of them still have a sharp edge, which is certainly unexpected.

11:57These swords were made of a very high carbon steel.

12:01The chemistry is completely different to any other weapons found in medieval Europe.

12:06It would be vastly superior to any other weapon in combat.

12:10To forge these extraordinary swords, the Vikings would have had to generate extreme temperatures

12:16exceeding 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

12:20But incredibly, the technology to accomplish such a feat is not known to have existed

12:26until the Industrial Revolution, nearly 800 years after the end of the Viking Age.

12:32So, how did Viking blacksmiths forge these marvels of medieval warfare?

12:40The search for answers leads far from Scandinavia to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

12:49Here in his workshop, blacksmith Rick Furrer is committed to forging swords that closely resemble an authentic Ulfbert.

12:57How I reproduce an Ulfbert blade is prepare the raw materials.

13:03All of that material gets brought up to about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

13:08It's very hot.

13:10Hotter than a typical blacksmith fire would be allowed to get.

13:14In the sagas, heat control in the fire was very important.

13:19It was even mentioned as being important when the two dwarf brothers made Thor's hammer.

13:27And we've got a nice temperature here.

13:30After heating the metal with temperatures that, as far as we know,

13:33were supposedly impossible to achieve during the Viking Age,

13:37the raw material becomes molten liquid.

13:40And when the liquid cools down, it hardens into a purified chunk of metal, called an ingot.

13:49And you would take this steel ingot and then start forging it.

13:55So you'd change its shape, making it progressively more bar-like as you go.

14:03Ready, ready?

14:04Three hits.

14:05One hit, hit, hit, and that's it.

14:13That looks really good.

14:15So if you look here, we have the finished blade.

14:21How did Viking blacksmiths, working with comparatively primitive tools,

14:26complete this process with such precision and expertise?

14:30It's a fascinating question that, despite his extensive understanding of metallurgy

14:37and years of intense study, even Rick cannot answer.

14:42I don't think anyone has produced an Ulfbert using completely traditional methods,

14:47because we don't know what those methods were.

14:50The Vikings had these mythological stories that involve weapons in the hands of a god.

14:56And it isn't a far stretch to say that some of the swords that they actually had

15:02could also do miraculous things.

15:05There's still a huge mystery in steel.

15:10What strange power lies within the twisted metal of the Ulfbert's swords?

15:16It appears that question may remain a mystery

15:18until we uncover the true origin of these extraordinary blades.

15:22But there's another ancient weapon

15:26that's just as baffling to historians and experts alike.

15:30A lethal concoction that harnessed fire into a stream of deadly flames

15:36and massive destruction.

15:39Known as...

15:41Greek Fire.

15:47Constantinople, 678 A.D.

15:52For four long years, Arab forces have laid siege

15:55to the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

15:58But then the Byzantines risk a daring counterattack

16:01and unleash a devastating inferno.

16:05Streams of flame shoot out from Byzantine vessels,

16:08lighting the water on fire and incinerating the Arab ships.

16:13This fearsome weapon would come to be known as Greek Fire.

16:18Greek Fire was one of the most formidable weapons of its era.

16:25Imagine your ship suddenly being engulfed in flames

16:28that were almost impossible to extinguish.

16:32Not only was there this immense physical danger,

16:35but there was also a massive psychological impact.

16:39The loud roar of the flames,

16:42the sight of it, the sound of it,

16:44was really enough to put terror into these Arab forces.

16:49At sea, Greek Fire was very useful

16:51because if there's something a mariner really has a fear of,

16:56it's being set light to on a ship

16:59because there's nowhere to go.

17:01And so Greek Fire had a terrifying aspect to it,

17:05setting light to ships and burning people.

17:09Throughout the Middle Ages,

17:12the Byzantine Empire used Greek Fire

17:14to strike fear into the hearts of fighting men.

17:18But how did the Byzantines develop

17:20such a powerful weapon of mass destruction?

17:24Greek Fire acquired its name

17:26simply because the Byzantines spoke Greek.

17:29It was quite mysterious

17:31because it was very quickly established

17:32as a state secret of the Byzantine Empire.

17:35So we don't have a really good, clear idea

17:39of what its constituents were

17:42or precisely how it operated.

17:44But we do know that it was

17:46a very effective weapons system.

17:50While the exact formula of Greek Fire

17:52may be lost to history,

17:54experts have proposed several theories

17:56regarding the composition of this fiery concoction.

18:00Most scholars agree

18:03that the basic constituent materials

18:05were probably naphtha,

18:08a naturally occurring hydrocarbon,

18:10mixed with pine resin.

18:13The naphtha provided the flammability

18:15and the pine resin thickened the substance

18:19and caused it to burn longer

18:22once it had been ignited.

18:23The secret to Greek Fire

18:26being used on water

18:28is probably the addition of quicklime,

18:31which likely gave it an explosive quality

18:34that allowed it to burn

18:35and have much more damage on water.

18:40In fact, the water played a role

18:42in perpetuating the reaction

18:44and causing the burning to increase.

18:47There is certainly speculation

18:49as to the different recipes for Greek Fire,

18:51but it would be very difficult to say

18:54what the classic Greek Fire actually is.

19:00And nobody has actually recreated it

19:04with perfect accuracy.

19:07It seems that,

19:08just as the Byzantines intended,

19:10the mystery of Greek Fire

19:11may never be solved.

19:14But there's another enigmatic weapon

19:17from antiquity

19:18that experts can examine more closely,

19:20because its secrets are preserved

19:23in steel.

19:27Antioch, 1098 A.D.

19:31For eight long months,

19:32European crusader knights

19:33on a quest to conquer the Holy Land

19:35lay siege to this Middle Eastern city.

19:39In the course of the bloody fighting,

19:41the crusaders encounter

19:42numerous Muslim warriors

19:44who wield astonishing,

19:46razor-sharp swords

19:47that are forged from steel

19:49that seems to be unbreakable.

19:53The European invaders

19:54named these fearsome weapons

19:55after a nearby city,

19:58and thus the blades became known

20:00as Damascus swords.

20:05For the time,

20:07the properties of the Damascus blades

20:09bordered on the edge of magic.

20:11Damascus swords

20:13had extraordinary,

20:15legendary performance

20:16because of their sharpness

20:18compared to some of the materials

20:19at the time.

20:21They were ten times as hard

20:22on the edge.

20:23They were also highly super plastic,

20:26meaning that they could bend extremely

20:28and still spring back

20:30into the original shape.

20:33This was something that was observed

20:35by the crusaders.

20:36They saw these blades

20:37that they claimed

20:38could bend 90 degrees,

20:39that could cut silk in half

20:42in the middle of the air.

20:43For anyone who was in a fight

20:45against a Damascus blade,

20:47the behavior of that sword

20:49would have been mind-blowing.

20:52More than 500 years

20:54after the end of the crusades,

20:56the remarkable properties

20:57of Damascus swords

20:58continue to inspire fascination

21:00and mystery.

21:02What made these ancient blades

21:04so exceptionally strong

21:06and flexible?

21:08And how were they created?

21:09Curiously, the answer

21:11could be found

21:12not in the city of Damascus,

21:14but rather 3,000 miles away

21:17in India.

21:20In southern India,

21:22they developed the steel

21:23that was used eventually

21:24to make Damascus swords

21:26and blades.

21:27The legends of Indian steel

21:30go back to ancient times.

21:32Over time,

21:33via trade routes

21:34around the Arabian Sea,

21:36the Indians were able

21:37to move those materials

21:39into Persia,

21:40and that became

21:41the center of trade

21:42from which Indian steel

21:44got distributed

21:45to the rest of the world.

21:47It's fascinating to think

21:49that the legendary

21:50Damascus swords

21:50traced their origins

21:52back to India.

21:54But how did Indian craftsmen

21:56create such incredible steel?

21:58What did they know

22:00that the rest of the world

22:02didn't?

22:03One of the keys

22:04to making high-quality steel

22:07is getting the material

22:08to be very hot,

22:10typically thousands of degrees,

22:12and that was very difficult

22:13in ancient times.

22:15But in India,

22:16they had developed technologies

22:17where they were able

22:18to use monsoon winds

22:20to fuel these fires

22:22and get them

22:23to very high temperatures.

22:25The idea that the strength

22:27of Damascus swords

22:28was forged

22:29in the intense flames

22:30of Indian fires

22:30is intriguing.

22:32But it doesn't completely

22:34solve the mystery.

22:36Because even with

22:37today's powerful furnaces,

22:38experts still cannot

22:40precisely recreate

22:42Damascus swords.

22:44And according to one theory,

22:45the secret may lie

22:46in the raw material

22:47Indian craftsmen

22:49use to fashion their steel.

22:52Iron ores vary tremendously

22:54from place to place.

22:55No two ores

22:56are exactly alike.

22:58One theory is

23:00that there just happened

23:02to be an iron ore

23:03with just the right

23:05chemical properties

23:06that happened to be

23:08available in India.

23:10And this was the real basis

23:11for the very high-quality

23:14steel that was produced

23:15from that material.

23:18The reason that

23:19the secret to Damascus steel

23:21was lost

23:22is that the ore sources

23:23ran out.

23:25And so we can't know

23:26the individual elements

23:28that were in those iron ores.

23:30There is no way

23:31for us to go back in

23:32and recreate the magic

23:34that they had done

23:35with those original swords.

23:38Greek fire

23:39and the Damascus sword

23:40are great examples

23:42of advanced technology

23:43that have been lost to time.

23:46But there's another

23:47legendary weapon

23:48from the Second World War

23:49that could be considered

23:51the most powerful weapon

23:53ever created

23:55that simply disappeared.

24:02Northern Germany,

24:04September 8, 1944.

24:07At a top-secret military research

24:08and development facility,

24:10Nazi Germany unleashes

24:12a terrifying new weapon,

24:14the V-2 rocket.

24:17During the next six months,

24:19the Nazis launched

24:20roughly 1,100 V-2 rockets

24:22against England,

24:23which decimate buildings

24:25throughout London

24:26and kill approximately

24:279,000 people.

24:29These missiles belong

24:31to a category

24:31of advanced technology

24:33that the Nazis call

24:34Wunderwaffe

24:36or wonder weapons.

24:38Hitler's wonder weapons

24:41were high-technology weapons

24:45while the Allies

24:47were dropping bombs

24:49on German cities.

24:51The Germans were launching

24:52a ballistic missile

24:54which could travel

24:56from Germany to London

24:58in just minutes

25:00and unleash hell.

25:04In many respects,

25:06the Germans were well ahead

25:09of the Allies

25:10in technological advances

25:12in a whole range of fields.

25:15And Hitler was promising

25:17the party faithful

25:18that we have

25:20a game-changing addition

25:22to the war.

25:23We can turn the tide.

25:26So that confidence

25:26must have come from somewhere.

25:30What secret technology

25:32were Nazi scientists working on

25:34that convinced Hitler

25:35that Germany

25:36could win the war?

25:38Well, according to

25:39Polish researcher

25:40and author Igor Witkowski,

25:42who has investigated

25:43that very question

25:44for more than 20 years,

25:46it was a mysterious

25:47Nazi weapon

25:48known as

25:49Die Klocke

25:50or The Bell.

25:53My story started

25:55from a meeting

25:57with a man

25:58from our

25:59intelligence services

26:00who disclosed to me

26:04some puzzling

26:06for them

26:07documents

26:08from 1940s, 1950s.

26:11It was a description

26:12from an interrogation

26:13of a former

26:16SS officer

26:17who described

26:18some strange

26:20device

26:21that looked

26:23more or less

26:24like a bell.

26:25According to the documents,

26:27the bell

26:27of Die Klocke

26:28in German

26:28was built

26:30to generate

26:31artificial gravity.

26:33It was

26:34clearly described

26:35as something

26:37very secret.

26:38They pinned

26:39very high hopes

26:40on this.

26:41It was something

26:42that was meant

26:43to save

26:44the drive.

26:46In 2007,

26:48Igor Witkowski's

26:49extraordinary claims

26:51were revealed

26:51to the wider world

26:52when he published

26:53a book titled

26:54The Truth

26:55About the Wunderwaffe.

26:58According to

26:59Igor Witkowski,

27:00the bell

27:02was described

27:03as being

27:04about 12 to 15 feet

27:06tall

27:07and shaped

27:07like a bell.

27:08It had

27:09two

27:10counter-rotating

27:11cylinders

27:12that were filled

27:13with a mercury-like

27:16substance

27:17that was highly

27:18radioactive.

27:19Once it was

27:20activated,

27:21it emitted

27:22a field

27:22that was about

27:24600 feet

27:26in diameter.

27:27Anybody

27:28that got too

27:29close to this

27:30field

27:30died.

27:32Several of the

27:33scientists

27:33who were working

27:34on the bell

27:35suffered this fate.

27:37The theory

27:38was that

27:40when the bell

27:41was activated,

27:43if you create

27:44a powerful enough

27:45electromagnetic field

27:47that you could

27:48actually warp

27:49space-time

27:51in a highly

27:51localized area,

27:54creating

27:54anti-gravity

27:56and possibly

27:57even time

27:58travel.

27:59But if the bell

28:01did exist,

28:02as Igor

28:03Witkowski

28:03claims,

28:04then where

28:06were the Nazis

28:06developing such

28:07an extraordinary

28:08piece of secret

28:09technology?

28:13Ludwikowice,

28:13Poland.

28:15This densely

28:16forested area

28:17hides remnants

28:18of an ultra-candestine

28:20test facility

28:21with secret

28:21subterranean

28:22chambers,

28:23tunnels,

28:23and fortifications.

28:25And Igor

28:26Witkowski

28:27contends that

28:28this town

28:28was dedicated

28:29to the development

28:30of the bell.

28:32In the original

28:33intelligence documents

28:35that I was shown

28:36related to

28:37this bell,

28:38the Glocka,

28:39there was a mention

28:40of the town

28:41of Ludwikowice.

28:44For a very long time,

28:46nobody knew

28:47about its existence.

28:49It was a valley

28:51sealed off.

28:52Inside the

28:53mountains

28:54inside the

28:54Zerfreich.

28:56Far from

28:57any possible

28:58front line,

28:59it was a complex

29:00dedicated to

29:02weapons of

29:03strategic range

29:05that could

29:06attack and

29:07destroy the

29:08United States,

29:09for example.

29:11Could this

29:12secret facility

29:13have been the

29:13test site for

29:14the bell?

29:15Some believe

29:16the proof

29:17lies with an

29:18enigmatic

29:19structure at the

29:20center of the

29:21complex,

29:22known as

29:23the hinge.

29:24The hinge

29:26is a name

29:27given to

29:28this bizarre

29:29structure,

29:30which really

29:31does look

29:31almost like

29:32a concrete

29:33stonehenge.

29:35And some

29:37researchers

29:38believe that

29:40the Glocka,

29:41or the bell,

29:42was somehow

29:44inserted into

29:45this structure.

29:46in my opinion,

29:51the closest

29:52resemblance

29:53is to a

29:54test rig

29:55for testing,

29:56particularly

29:56taking off

29:57and landing

29:58crafts.

29:59So the

30:00hedge might

30:01have been there

30:02for a

30:02testing facility,

30:04for something

30:05that was

30:06flying,

30:07or contained

30:08fast-spinning

30:09components

30:10that we know

30:12from the

30:13documents,

30:14match the

30:14devise

30:15the bell.

30:16We've heard

30:17all the theories,

30:18but we don't

30:18know,

30:19because apparently

30:20it was not

30:22ready for

30:22operational use.

30:24But had the

30:25bell been

30:26developed,

30:27and had it

30:28proven to be

30:30an effective

30:30weapon,

30:32Hitler would

30:33have used it.

30:34the possibility

30:37of T-Glock

30:38becoming

30:38operational

30:39in the hands

30:39of the

30:40Third Reich

30:40is frightening,

30:42to say the

30:43least.

30:44But in

30:44addition to

30:45creating weapons

30:46of war,

30:47the German

30:47forces were

30:48also on the

30:49hunt for

30:49an ancient

30:50holy relic

30:51described in

30:53the Old

30:53Testament as

30:54an object

30:55so powerful

30:56one touch

30:57could strike

30:59a person

30:59dead.

31:00Southwest

31:08France.

31:10This

31:10mountainous

31:11region is

31:12more than

31:12500 miles

31:13from Rome,

31:13and almost

31:142,000 miles

31:15from Jerusalem.

31:17According to

31:18legend,

31:19the Ark of the

31:19Covenant was

31:20once hidden

31:20not in

31:21these holy

31:22cities,

31:23but in a

31:2413th century

31:26French fortress

31:27called the

31:28Chateau de

31:29Montségur.

31:31Throughout

31:31France,

31:32there are

31:32legends from

31:33north-south

31:34about the

31:35Ark of the

31:35Covenant

31:35being in

31:36the land

31:37there at

31:37different

31:38periods of

31:38time.

31:40One of

31:41the potential

31:41resting sites

31:43of the

31:43Ark of the

31:44Covenant

31:44in France

31:45was on

31:46the mountaintop

31:47of Montségur,

31:48and it was

31:49a stronghold

31:50of the

31:50Cathar people.

31:53Now,

31:54the Cathars

31:54were a

31:54Christian sect

31:55that lived

31:56in France

31:56in the

31:57Middle Ages,

31:57and they

31:58had strong

31:59spiritual

32:00convictions.

32:01So there

32:01is an

32:02idea that

32:03because these

32:03treasures that

32:04were brought

32:05back from

32:05the Holy

32:05Land were

32:06spiritual,

32:07and the

32:07Cathars were

32:08deeply

32:09spiritual

32:09people,

32:10the Church

32:11may have

32:11brought

32:11these

32:12treasures,

32:12including

32:13the Ark

32:13of the

32:14Covenant,

32:14to the

32:16Cather

32:16people.

32:18The Ark

32:19of the

32:19Covenant

32:20in

32:20southern

32:21France?

32:22It's an

32:23intriguing

32:23possibility,

32:24one that

32:25in 1936,

32:26got the

32:27attention of

32:28the second

32:28most powerful

32:29man in

32:30Nazi

32:30Germany,

32:32Heinrich

32:32Himmler.

32:34Himmler and

32:35Hitler were

32:36both obsessed

32:37with obtaining

32:38relics.

32:39During the

32:40occupation of

32:41France,

32:41there were a

32:42number of

32:43Nazi brigades

32:44that were

32:44actually dispatched

32:45throughout the

32:47region of the

32:47Pyrenees into

32:48Montsegur in

32:49search of the

32:50Ark of the

32:51Covenant.

32:52There are

32:52still tracks in

32:53the mountains

32:54today from

32:55where the

32:55Nazis were

32:56mining,

32:57essentially,

32:58in the

32:59mountains,

33:00looking for

33:00these potential

33:01artifacts.

33:02They truly

33:03did believe

33:03that the

33:04Ark may

33:04have still

33:05been there

33:05in those

33:06mountains.

33:08Heinrich Himmler

33:08was obsessed

33:09with occultism.

33:11You have to

33:12remember that

33:12the occult had

33:13had a massive

33:14influence on

33:15Nazi ideology.

33:16And it may

33:18seem crazy,

33:18but he sent

33:19people out on

33:20these quests

33:20to find

33:21these sacred

33:22items.

33:24The Nazis

33:25never found

33:25the Ark

33:26at Montsegur.

33:27But what

33:28compelled them

33:29to invest so

33:30much time and

33:30effort into

33:31finding it?

33:33Were they

33:33simply trying to

33:34find a

33:34magnificent golden

33:35chest?

33:37Perhaps.

33:38But there are

33:39many who believe

33:40that the Nazis

33:41had an ulterior

33:42motive.

33:44The Ark of the

33:45Covenant was

33:46particularly

33:46coveted by

33:47Heinrich Himmler

33:48because it

33:49possessed

33:49enormous power

33:51and it was

33:52carried by

33:53the Israelites

33:54in the long

33:55exodus to

33:56the promised

33:57land.

33:58So when they

33:59fought their

33:59enemies in

34:00order to

34:01establish their

34:02homeland,

34:02the Ark of

34:03the Covenant

34:03would be

34:04carried before

34:05them and

34:06would emit

34:06terrible power

34:08smiting their

34:10enemies.

34:11It brought

34:12down the

34:13walls of

34:13Jericho

34:14simply by

34:14its presence.

34:15it emitted

34:16thunderbolts at

34:18the enemy and

34:19in the eyes of

34:19a Nazi what

34:21was not to

34:21like.

34:22They believed

34:24that this would

34:24usher in the

34:261,000 year

34:27Reich.

34:29If you watch

34:29the movie

34:30Indiana Jones

34:31and the Raiders

34:32of the Lost Ark,

34:33all that magical

34:34stuff the Ark

34:34does, you know,

34:36Steven Spielberg

34:37didn't make that

34:37up.

34:38That's all in the

34:39Midrash, that's all

34:40in Jewish legends.

34:41it's like a

34:42nuclear weapon.

34:43So, by legend,

34:44the Ark had

34:45these tremendous

34:46powers, and

34:48that's why people

34:49wanted to take it

34:50with them into

34:50battle, because it

34:52was powerful and

34:53dangerous.

34:55According to the

34:56story that we have

34:57in the Bible, when

34:59the Ark is coming

35:00up to Jerusalem,

35:01this cart that it's

35:02on hits a bump or

35:03something and it

35:04starts to tip, and

35:05this nice guy named

35:06Uzzah reaches out to

35:07keep it from tipping

35:08over, but because he

35:10touched the Ark, God

35:13strikes him dead, so

35:14everybody's terrified

35:16of this thing.

35:17It has so much power,

35:18it can just zap

35:18people dead.

35:20Struck down by the

35:22wrath of God?

35:25Perhaps.

35:27But there are some

35:28who claim that there

35:29is a more scientific

35:30way to explain this

35:32extraordinary account

35:33from the Bible.

35:35The Ark of the

35:35Covenant is a

35:36fascinating story and

35:38concept, for that

35:39matter.

35:39You have in the

35:41biblical scripture a

35:43description of a

35:44device.

35:45It's got specific

35:46dimensions, specific

35:48materials, and

35:49specific structures and

35:51shapes.

35:52So what the device is

35:53for is a whole other

35:55question.

35:56But it sounds like a

35:57technological device to

35:59store energy, like a

36:00modern-day capacitor,

36:01because it is coated

36:03with a conductor, gold.

36:05Then there is another

36:06material inside that that

36:08is a non-conductor, wood.

36:10And then it's got another

36:11layer of gold on the

36:12inside.

36:14And that's exactly how we

36:16build capacitors.

36:17There's a conductor and

36:18insulator, then a

36:18conductor.

36:20And then on top of the

36:21Ark are these wing-shaped

36:23pointing structures.

36:25If you look at modern-day

36:26Tesla coils and Vannecraft

36:27generators, we always put a

36:29probe on the top of it, like a

36:31little needle or a little

36:32metal arm, so that lightning can

36:34jump off of that.

36:35It's a point of which the

36:37energy is transmitted from.

36:39This sounds a lot like the

36:41Ark of the Covenant.

36:42It has long been believed

36:44that the Ark of the

36:45Covenant had some type of

36:47electromagnetic energy, a

36:50power that is not

36:51supernatural or spiritual in

36:53nature, but very much

36:55technological.

36:57So the powers that it had,

37:01the abilities that it was

37:02able to manifest, to this

37:04day, is still a mystery.

37:13One of the most iconic

37:14stories in medieval literature

37:15is from the tales of King

37:17Arthur, where young Arthur

37:19single-handedly pulls a sword

37:22out of a stone.

37:23It was a feat that revealed

37:25him to be the one true king

37:28of Britain.

37:30But there's another sword in

37:32the Arthur legend that is no

37:34less compelling.

37:36There are two swords in the

37:37Arthur story.

37:38One comes out of that stone,

37:40and later he gets a sword as a

37:42gift from the Lady of the Lake.

37:44This is the goddess of the lake,

37:47and her arm comes up out of the

37:50water holding a sword.

37:53And that is Excalibur, a sword

37:56beyond other swords.

37:59Excalibur, we are told, had a

38:00golden hilt and had magical

38:04powers.

38:05It's a sword that's supposed to

38:06make Arthur invincible.

38:09Arthur's story is the hero's

38:12journey, because it is the magic

38:13and the sacred and all the

38:15mystical dimensions.

38:17In the hero's journey, the

38:19protagonist gains a special tool

38:22or weapon.

38:23This is the magical thing.

38:26It will be just the thing you

38:27needed, although you might not

38:29know it at the time.

38:31And then the moment will arise

38:32and you see exactly why you have

38:34it.

38:35According to legend, King Arthur

38:37used Excalibur to win many

38:39battles and unite Britain under his

38:42leadership.

38:42But, alas, Arthur finally died on the

38:47battlefield when he was mortally

38:49wounded by his son, Mordred.

38:53As King Arthur lies dying on the

38:56field of battle, he asks that his

38:59sword, Excalibur, the source of all

39:02his power, be taken by a knight and

39:05thrown into a nearby lake.

39:06When this happens, the hand of the

39:10Lady of the Lake breaks through the

39:13surface of the water, grabs hold of

39:16the sword and takes it down into the

39:18crystal depths to keep it until some

39:21future king may need it when Britain is

39:24again threatened.

39:26Many scholars believe that magic is an

39:29important part of what makes the King

39:31Arthur's story so powerful.

39:34And curiously, the supernatural elements

39:37of Excalibur may not have been merely a

39:40fantasy.

39:42The story of Excalibur may seem one of

39:45the medieval additions, if you like, to

39:48the tale of King Arthur that sounds the

39:51least likely.

39:52But in fact, the story of Excalibur and

39:55the knight throwing it to the Lady of the

39:58Lake could be based on historical

40:01events.

40:04The Celtic warriors of the time Arthur

40:07existed had a tradition that their soul,

40:10if you like, was in their sword.

40:13And at their funerals, their swords were

40:16often thrown into a sacred lake or pool

40:19as an offering to a water goddess.

40:24And in fact, archaeology has discovered

40:27many ancient swords that had been thrown

40:30into lakes that have since dried up.

40:34So the story of the Lady of the Lake, this

40:37strange nymph-like woman that takes the

40:39sword could have originated with the tradition

40:44of casting a warrior's sword as an offering to a water

40:48goddess.

40:49It's intriguing to think that Excalibur, the sword with

40:55mystical powers that would unite a nation, might really exist.

41:00And if the Arthurian legends are true, maybe one day the shining glimmer under

41:07the water's surface will reveal the final resting place of the heroic king's powerful weapon.

41:15Could the legendary Excalibur still lie at the bottom of a lake, waiting to be reclaimed?

41:21It would be a profound discovery, and one that would certainly rewrite the history books.

41:29And while there are many extraordinary weapons that are perhaps the stuff of tall tales,

41:35it's the remarkable daggers, swords, and armaments that we know exist,

41:41that continue to captivate and confound us, will...

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended