Legends of Mount Shasta
myths and legends associated with Mount Shasta in California, United States
California's Mount Shasta has been the subject of a large number of myths and legends. In particular, it is often said there is a secret city beneath its peaks. In some stories, the city is no longer inhabited, while in others, it is inhabited by a technologically advanced society of human beings or mythical creatures.
Klamath legend
According to the local Klamath people, Mount Shasta is inhabited by the spirit chief Skell, who descended from heaven to the mountain's summit. Skell fought with the Spirit of the Below-World, Llao, who resided at Mount Mazama, by throwing hot rocks and lava, probably representing the volcanic eruptions at both mountains. Writer Joaquin Miller recorded various related legends in the 1870s.
Lemuria
Mount Shasta has also been a focus for non-Native American legends, centered on a hidden city (called Telos) of advanced beings from the lost continent of Lemuria. The legend grew from an offhand mention of Lemuria in the 1880s. In 1905, A Dweller on Two Planets by Frederick Spencer Oliver was published, which claimed that survivors from a sunken continent called Lemuria were living in or on Mount Shasta. Oliver's Lemurians lived in a complex system of tunnels beneath with jeweled walls and fur-carpeted floors within the mountain, and occasionally were seen walking the surface dressed in white robes.
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