People in the Legends

Helena P. Blavatsky

Esoteric thinker
Russia
1831–1891

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was an esoteric thinker from the Russian Empire. In 1875 she founded the Theosophical Society in New York and spread Theosophy, which combined Eastern religious thought with Western mysticism.

In her major work The Secret Doctrine (1888), she described humanity as evolving through a series of “root races,” with Lemuria and Atlantis as their stages. The influence of Blavatsky and Theosophy is a major reason why Lemuria, originally a scientific hypothesis, came to be told of as a “lost civilization.”

Entries Related to Helena P. Blavatsky

Entries: 4

Mysteries & Phenomena ★★★★★ France

Count of Saint-Germain

A mysterious figure who appeared at the courts of 18th-century Europe. He spoke several languages, was versed in alchemy, and was rumored never to age. Records say he died in 1784, but sightings continued to be told afterward, and he became legendary as an "immortal man" and "time traveler."

Urban Legends ★★★★★ Europe and America (influenced by Indian thought)

Akashic Records

A "library of cosmic memory" said to record every event since the beginning of the universe, down to people's thoughts and feelings. Talked about in 19th-century Theosophy, it spread in the spiritual world as a way to learn about past lives and the future. There is no scientific support for it.

Ancient Civilizations ★★★★★ Indian Ocean

Lemuria

A phantom continent said to have once existed in the Indian Ocean. It was a hypothesis proposed by a scientist in the 19th century to explain the distribution of lemur fossils, later tied to mystical thought and told of as a "lost civilization."

Ancient Civilizations ★★★★★ Greece

Atlantis

A great island nation said to have sunk into the sea in a single day and night, described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his dialogues. Many theories about whether it really existed are still debated.

All people ›