You’ve heard of Atlantis, right? Of course you’ve heard of Atlantis. We’ve all heard of Atlantis. If you haven’t, then you’re lying. Atlantis is innate knowledge nowadays - but did you know that Atlantis is only one of many mysterious sunken cities? I’ve put together a list of six underwater masterpieces you’ve likely never heard of.
Kitezh
Beneath Lake Svetloyar in Mother Russia is a mythical city that only of pure heart and soul can enter.
It all started in the 13th century. Georgy II (Grand Prince of Vladimir) built a town on the Volga River by the name of Maly Kitezh (little Kitezh), then stumbled upon Lake Svetloyar and built a second town there, Bolshoy Kitezh (big Kitezh). Batu Khan was on the rampage at the time - tearing up the Russian countryside with his Mongol horde - he heard about the two towns and decided he wanted them for himself. He took Maly Kitezh easily and Georgy was forced to flee to the bigger Kitezh.
A captured prisoner informed Batu Khan of some secluded paths through the woods to the bigger Kitezh. Seeing an opportunity to seize the town by surprise, Khan quickly marched his horde through the forest, but was stunned when the town came within sight. It was defenseless. Not a wall in sight. Not only that, but the town's inhabitants seemed to have no interest in fighting - they were on their hands and knees, praying to God for salvation.
Taking the city would be a walk in the park. Khan’s Golden Horde made to storm the town, but as they reached the buildings edges they were forced back. Fountains of water burst up around the city and launched the Mongols into the air. The horde retreated, and watched in astonishment as the town began to sink into the lake. Eventually, on the dome of the cathedral was left, but that sunk beneath the waves too.
Stand on the shores of Lake Svetloyar on a calm day, and you might be able to hear the chiming bells of the cathedral beneath the waves - and the soft singing of the city saved by God.
Ys
Europeans may well have heard of this one. It’s one of the more well-known submerged mythical cities. Ys beginnings in Brittany are uncertain: some believe the city was built below sea level by Gradlon himself, whilst others think Ys existed before Gradlon’s reign and was originally constructed on dry land. Over thousands of years the sea had risen, and the city now found itself threatened by the rising waves. The sea was held at bay by a dike surrounding the city, and ships would be let in through a locked gate. King Gradlon was the only person with the key.
So Gradlon had inherited one of the most magnificent cities in Europe - but it had a big problem with damp.
Another problem was Gradlon’s daughter, Dahut. She was a loose cannon and a source of embarrassment for Gradlon. Dahut was consistently bringing down the reputation of the city by organizing orgies, and had developed a habit of killing her lovers when she had finished with them. A charming lady, you might agree. One day a prince clothed in red came to Ys and spent the night with Ys. It was a particularly stormy night (outside, and in the bed sheets) and the prince queried the safety of the city.
‘Let the storm rage. The gates of the city are strong, and it is King Gradlon, my father, who owns the only key, attached to his neck.’ said Dahut, to which the prince replied, ‘Your father the king sleeps. You can now easily take his key.’ She did just that and handed it to the red prince, who was the devil in princely garb. He took the key and unlocked the gate, which allowed a wave as large as a mountain into the city.
Gradlon and Dahut tried to escape the tsunami by climbing on Morvac’h, the king’s magical horse. The weight of the two of them was too much for the horse to handle, and Gradlon was instructed by Saint Winwaloe to, ‘push back the demon sitting behind you!’ The king initially refused, but eventually relented and removed his daughter from his horse. The salty waters took Dahut and turned her into a mermaid, Marie-Morgane. Gradlon escaped the now submerged city, and took up residence in Quimper.
Like Kitezh, locals say that on a quiet day the bells of the city can be heard below the waves. It is also commonly said that Paris was named after the mythical city of Y’s - ‘par Ys’ means ‘similar to Ys’ in Breton.
Vineta
On the southern coast of the Baltic Sea there once existed the mythical city of Vineta. The exact location of the city is unknown, and various sources map the city at either Ruden, Wolin or Barth, in northern Germany. There are a number of myths concerning the disappearance of the city - but they all share a common ethos; the Vinetans were punished for their immoral, hedonistic, and greedy way of life by way of a flood, which washed the city into the Baltic Sea.
Traces of the city can be found in various texts from 900 - 1190 and the authors describe the city as a hub of trade and commerce. In 1080, Adam of Bremen describes Wolin - the potential site of Vineta - as ‘the largest of all cities Europe has to offer, in which live Slavs and other tribes, Greeks and barbarians,’ where, ‘nothing desirable or rare is unobtainable.’ Wolin suffered greatly from incursions by Danes in the 12th century, and trade suffered as a result. The city would no longer be the ‘largest city’ in Europe.
Llys Helig
Llys Helig is actually the name of a rock off the coast of north Wales, near Penmaenmawr. ‘I thought this was a post about sunken cities!’ you cry. It is! It is - old folk tales suggest that the rock formations are actually the remains of Prince Helig ap Glanawg, who lived in the 6th century.
Much like Ys, the palace was taken by the sea due to the actions of Glanawg’s daughter, Gwendud. Gwendud was a beautiful young woman with an evil heart, and she was constantly being sought after by the not so gentle gentleman, Tathal. Eventually, he won her over, but as the son of the Baron of Snowdon Tathal was too low of birth for her. She convinced him that the only way they could be married is if he wore the golden torc of a nobleman.
Like Gwendud, Tathal was a cruel fellow. He murdered a Scottish chieftain for the golden torc placed around the man’s wrist. The tale varies here, some say that Tathal lied to Gwendud and told her he had killed a man in self-defense whist traveling, and had then taken the man's torc, in another version Tathal tells her the truth and she helps to cover up the crime. In any case, she and her father consented to the marriage - but the proceedings were interrupted by the spirit of the Scotsman, who swore revenge.
Then, nothing happened. Gwendud and Tethal lived happy lives, their children lead happy lives, their children's children lead happy lives… the Scotsman took revenge on Gwendud and Tethal’s great-great-grandchildren. During another large party in the palace (24/7 party palace) a maid was sent to retrieve more wine from the cellar. The cellar was full of water, and informed her lover - the court minstrel. They escaped the palace and watched from the shore as a series of waves submerged the palace. By morning, the Helig’s Palace had been completely submerged.
On exceptionally low tides the rocks can be seen, and an expedition in the 1800’s lead by Reverend Charlton Hall claimed to find an ancient wall in the area. Underwater, and covered in seaweed.
Saeftinghe
Unlike the others, there is definite evidence of Saeftinhe’s existence. History tells us how the land was submerged - but there’s also a common legend surrounding the coming of the sea in this small patch of land in the Netherlands.
Like Vineta, Saeftinhe was a prosperous city in the southwest Netherlands. The people suffered from the trinkets brought in by trade, and the growing power of the city in which they lived. They became rich, but vain and prissy. Even common farmers were dressed in fine embroidered clothing, their horses wore silver jewelry and the houses were made of gold. As happens with prosperous cities the wealth of Saeftinghe drew the interest of the poor - but rather than taken in by the rich residents, the poor were chased away. So began the fall of Saeftinghe.
Not long later a fisherman caught a mermaid on the coast. The mermaid told him that the city needed to change its ways, or all those living there would be punished. The fisherman did not immediately free the mermaid, and the mermaids husband came to the surface of the water and asked for her to be freed. The fisherman refused, and so the merman cursed the city; ‘The lands of Saeftinghe will fall, only its towers will continue to stand tall!’
The citizens in the city became more and more narcissistic and greedy. They cared only about themselves, their appearance, and the wealth of the city. They spent their time adorning their horses with garments, and crafting jewelry. No one thought to maintain the dikes that kept the sea at bay.
One day a maid pulled up a bucket full of fishes from one of the cities wells. The fresh water had turned salty, and it was clear to her then that the sea was closing in. Soon after, a huge flood hit the land on which the city stood, and the nearby towns of Namen, Casuwele and Sint-Laureins were swept away.
Surrounded by the sea, and slowly slipping into the boggy landscape, was Saeftinghe.
The myth is not too different from the real story. After being drained in the 13th century, the lands of Saeftinghe were occupied and worked until 1570 when the land was taken by the All Saint’s Flood. Saeftinghe found itself an island in the middle of the bog. It lasted another 14 years, until in 1584 the last dike was destroyed by Dutch soldiers during the Eighty Years War.
Shambhala
Alright, so Shambhala isn’t a sunken city. I’ll admit that much, but I wanted to include it here. Sure, it’s not under the sea, but Shambala is under the ground. You could say it’s submerged beneath the earth - a brown sea of soil. *note to self, never use the phrase; ‘brown sea’ ever again*.
This mythical city exists in the Hollow Earth of the Tibetan and Hindu religions. In the Hindu texts, the city is the birthplace of the final incarnation of Vishnu; Kalki. Kalki’s coming will lead to the Satya Yuga - a time when humanity is governed by the gods and everything is good and sexy. Enough about the cities famous resident, however. Let’s get back to the city itself.
In Buddhist teachings, Shambala is ruled over by Maitreya and is the home of a huge army of light, who will invade the real world when that world declines into chaos, war, greed and violence. This purification of the world will lead to a Golden Age - much like the Hindu reading of Shambala and the coming of Kalki.
Over time, Shambala has become a kind of pure, idealized land for the Buddhist faith. Unlike other mythic cities and monotheistic religions, the city is as much spiritual as physical - a kind of inner city as much as one hidden below the earth. This is in keeping with the history of Shambala before the Hindu and Buddhist faiths - it’s origins exist well before these religions, existing potentially as a belief system or shamanic tradition.
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