Paios and Beres: the alternative history built on Basque
«Elengoa» sounds strikingly like the Basque word «lehenengoa». From that echo comes Paios and Beres, an alternative history of human origins that is taking off on YouTube
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Paios and Beres: the alternative history built on Basque
One theory claims that humanity did not come out of Africa, but from three different planets. What is striking is not the nonsense itself, but that part of its appeal hangs on a specific linguistic detail: «Elengoa», one of the pillars of the story, bears a resemblance that is hard to ignore to the Basque term «lehenengoa» —the first, in the first place—. From that echo, and from the root shared by Iberian and Berber, rises an alternative history of human origins that has been circulating for years on the fringes of heterodox paleoanthropology.
The documentary, Gorreig and the figure behind it
The story is now being spread through a YouTube documentary, more than two hours long, which compiles material from Gorreig. Its inspiration is said to be one Alexander Eleazar, presented —according to this version— as an illegitimate descendant of the Romanovs and of the house of Faisal. The name is not new to certain audiences, who link it to Luis Carlos Campos, cited as a promoter of similar theses. A mix of aristocratic lineage, extraterrestrial origin and miraculous linguistics: the classic instruction manual of the genre.
Why Basque cannot support the Basque-Iberian theory
The Basque hook is the weakest link. Attempts to decipher Iberian using Basque have been failing for decades, and the method behind them would work just as well for any pair of languages. As one critic puts it: «You cannot decipher classical Latin from Murcian slang either». The coincidence of the root «BER» in Iberian and Berber is a resemblance, not proof.
A story with supremacist pedigree
The skeleton of the theory —three human lineages arising separately on three worlds— rests on a Nordic-style hierarchy and flatly denies the African origin of humankind. That bias, more than a detail, is the engine of the story, and explains both its appeal and its discredit. It is no coincidence that much of its audience defends it as pure fiction —«it reminds me of Tolkien's universe», some compare— or dismisses it outright as a waste of time.
Why does such a recognizable structure keep finding new readers every season?
One theory claims that humanity did not come out of Africa, but from three different planets. What is striking is not the nonsense itself, but that part of its appeal hangs on a specific linguistic detail: «Elengoa», one of the pillars of the story, bears a resemblance that is hard to ignore to the Basque term «lehenengoa» —the first, in the first place—. From that echo, and from the root shared by Iberian and Berber, rises an alternative history of human origins that has been circulating for years on the fringes of heterodox paleoanthropology.
The documentary, Gorreig and the figure behind it
The story is now being spread through a YouTube documentary, more than two hours long, which compiles material from Gorreig. Its inspiration is said to be one Alexander Eleazar, presented —according to this version— as an illegitimate descendant of the Romanovs and of the house of Faisal. The name is not new to certain audiences, who link it to Luis Carlos Campos, cited as a promoter of similar theses. A mix of aristocratic lineage, extraterrestrial origin and miraculous linguistics: the classic instruction manual of the genre.
Why Basque cannot support the Basque-Iberian theory
The Basque hook is the weakest link. Attempts to decipher Iberian using Basque have been failing for decades, and the method behind them would work just as well for any pair of languages. As one critic puts it: «You cannot decipher classical Latin from Murcian slang either». The coincidence of the root «BER» in Iberian and Berber is a resemblance, not proof.
A story with supremacist pedigree
The skeleton of the theory —three human lineages arising separately on three worlds— rests on a Nordic-style hierarchy and flatly denies the African origin of humankind. That bias, more than a detail, is the engine of the story, and explains both its appeal and its discredit. It is no coincidence that much of its audience defends it as pure fiction —«it reminds me of Tolkien's universe», some compare— or dismisses it outright as a waste of time.
Why does such a recognizable structure keep finding new readers every season?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (27 replies).
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