Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login
The John Byrne Forum
Byrne Robotics > The John Byrne Forum
Topic: Erich von Daeniken dead at 90 Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135498
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 12:28pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Reuters
Back to Top profile | search
 
Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 13088
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 1:47pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Carl Sagan likened this bunkum artist to a "quack doctor whose ministrations prevent the patient from seeing a physician competent to help him."

More true today than ever before, it seems.


Back to Top profile | search
 
Trevor Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 21 September 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 3642
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 2:38pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Aside from contributing to the dumbing down of society,
let's not forget the racism of "those primitive dark people
couldn't possibly have done that".
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135498
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 2:59pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I will admit to being intrigued by his “theory” when he first showed up. In my teens and early twenties I was open to a lot of wild speculation. Loch Ness, Sasquatch, the chariots of the gods, the Bermuda Triangle. But somewhat ironically I had settled down a lot by the time I started working in comics.

I saw this as a distinct benefit. As I delved into wilder and wilder stories, I didn’t have to fret about getting the concepts “right”. Ghosts, aliens, lost civilizations—they were all fiction, and so not bound by harsh realities.

(A woman my ex knew looked at one of my stories, one with a ghost, and informed me I had gotten it “wrong”. I chuckled. “No, my hogwash is just different from yours.”)

Back to Top profile | search
 
Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 13088
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 3:42pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

No doubt the 70s especially was seduced by the juggernaut that was this book. 
Back to Top profile | search
 
Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 16320
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 6:01pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

When I was at university, one of my friends told me about Chariots of the Gods? and I was intrigued by the high level summary version. I borrowed the book, skimmed it, and realised it was twaddle. I recall a photo of an ancient relief carving of someone lying down and then a caption along the lines of: Apollo astronauts lie on their backs for take-off; could this have been an ancient astronaut?

The answer was an obvious no.


Edited by Peter Martin on 12 January 2026 at 6:02pm
Back to Top profile | search
 
Greg McPhee
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 25 August 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5166
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

If nothing else he was a pretty direct influence on THE ETERNALS and STARGATE.
Back to Top profile | search
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135498
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 8:16pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

The thing that really makes me mad about this ancient astronaut claptrap is that it denies the existence of human imagination.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Greg McPhee
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 25 August 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5166
Posted: 12 January 2026 at 9:23pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

The thing that really makes me mad about this ancient astronaut claptrap is that it denies the existence of human imagination.

=======================================================

Typical conspiracy theorist, gullible, and stupid people's beliefs in one:

They need to look for some more bizarre, fantastic, hidden or sinister reason instead of the old Occam's Razor view.
Back to Top profile | search
 

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

  Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login