Iconic places that (probably) never existed

[jw5]

Lyonesse​

The kingdom of Lyonesse was supposedly connected to the Isles of Scilly (off the south coast of England). It was then submerged by water, following a divine punishment.

 

[jw5]

Lyonesse​

Residents were strong and handsome. They built many churches in the kingdom, but God got mad at them for some reason and sent a huge wave to destroy the whole thing.

 

[jw5]

Lyonesse​

The wave wiped the whole kingdom, except for a man who survived. According to legend, he outran the wave riding his white horse. To this day there are people who say they descend from this man.

 

[jw5]

Thule​

This legendary frozen land was reportedly discovered by a Greek explorer named Pytheas in the 4th century BCE. For many years this remained the farthest north location in many maps.

 

[jw5]

Thule​

Of course, several expeditions took place in search of this cold land. The Romans managed to get to the Shetland Islands and assumed that was it. Then, the British explorer Richard Francis Burton went to Iceland and, again, thought he had found Thule.

 

[jw5]

Thule​

Years later, the Nazis came into the picture. A Thule Society was formed after World War I. Reportedly, members included Rudolf Hess and Adolf Hitler. It was named after the mythical land of Thule.

 

[jw5]

Zerzura​

The legend of this oasis city somewhere in the Sahara Desert dates back to the 1400s. It apparently had a gate with a bird that would hold they keys to the city.

 

[jw5]

Zerzura​

Of course, back then many areas were not mapped, so people would go looking for them. Surprisingly, expeditions to find this oasis went on until the 1930s. But there was no sign of the mythical city.

 

[jw5]

Bermuda Triangle​

The Bermuda Triangle was first called such in 1964 by a writer named Vincent Gaddis. Throughout the years, numerous accounts of disappearing vessels and aircraft have contributed to the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle.

 

[jw5]

Bermuda Triangle​

A famous example is Flight 19, where five bombers vanished on December 5, 1945. But it gets weirder: the search and rescue aircraft sent to look for them also vanished.

 

[jw5]

Bermuda Triangle​

Reasons for these mysterious disappearances have been attributed to numerous causes, from gas explosions to aliens. Though severe weather might have something to do with it, as this NASA map of hurricanes between 1851 and 2019 shows.

 

[jw5]

St. Brendan's Island​

St. Brendan, aka "the Navigator," was an Irish saint who navigated the seas spreading the word of God.

 

[jw5]

St. Brendan's Island​

At one point he landed in this mythical island in the North Atlantic, somewhere west of North Africa. This island was like paradise, except no one ever found it.

 

[jw5]

Kingdom of Prester John​

In 1165, a forged "Letter of Prester John" reached Europe. It was reportedly sent by a Christian African king to the leader of the Byzantine Empire talking about this land and the fountain of youth. The news spread.

 

[jw5]

Kingdom of Prester John​

Inspired by this story, many explorations followed, namely by the Portuguese. But when they reached East Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries by boat, there was no sign of said magical fountain. Or the kingdom.