The drama of #Swordgate has been with us for almost a month now. A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours. It has been difficult to keep up with, and I didn't even know if I would have the time today to write anything. But one of my kids got me up at 4:45, so I'm going for it while he watches videos of pancake art. He's two. Here are a few more twos.
Two More News Stories
Two more noteworthy articles about Swordgate came out on the heels of the piece published in the Halifax Chronicle Herald yesterday morning.
The first is a story titled "The Curse of Hoax Island" in Frank, a so-called "scandal" magazine based in Nova Scotia (unfortunately it's not accessible without a subscription). The story delivers on the "scandal" angle, for sure, telling some of the backstory of the sword's appearance and J. Hutton Pulitzer's role in the program. Here's an interesting section:
"When word reached Hutton that the show had been contacted by the son of an anonymous local fisherman claiming to have found an ancient weapon not far away -- only one of the dozens of bizarre tips the show receives, says [Kevin] Burns [produce of The Curse of Oak Island]-- he "went apeshit," aggressively proclaiming that it vindicated his theories that the Ancients had visited Oak Island."
The story goes on to report that the sword was purchased by the Laginas for $10,000 after an examination that took place on the hood of a car (hence the mirror-like background on the sword photo that we've all seen). The story alleges that the program's decision to wait on discussing the sword angered Pulitzer, who threatened to "expose the show's producers." That certainly dovetails with the title of Pulitzer's promised book: Commodus's Secret: Dirty Secrets Behind History Channel's "Curse of Oak Island" and the Truth about the Lost Roman Legion, Holy Solomonic Relics and the Secret of Hercules of the North (as of now, the webpage that has offered the book on "pre-order" is still unavailable).
The Frank story repeated the assertion that there's an "original sword" in a museum in Naples, Italy. I still haven't seen any proof of that.
The other story is a new piece by Scott Hough in The Inquisitr titled "The "Magical" Oak Island Roman Sword and J. Hutton Pulitzer's, Formerly Jeffrey Jovan Philyaw, Incredible Past." The story mentions my blog and also draws from the article in The Chronicle Herald.
Two More Swords
Alert followers of Swordgate found two more Hercules-hilted swords for sale online yesterday, one in Spain and one in France. You can thank Pablo Raw and Matti J. for these.
Two More News Stories
Two more noteworthy articles about Swordgate came out on the heels of the piece published in the Halifax Chronicle Herald yesterday morning.
The first is a story titled "The Curse of Hoax Island" in Frank, a so-called "scandal" magazine based in Nova Scotia (unfortunately it's not accessible without a subscription). The story delivers on the "scandal" angle, for sure, telling some of the backstory of the sword's appearance and J. Hutton Pulitzer's role in the program. Here's an interesting section:
"When word reached Hutton that the show had been contacted by the son of an anonymous local fisherman claiming to have found an ancient weapon not far away -- only one of the dozens of bizarre tips the show receives, says [Kevin] Burns [produce of The Curse of Oak Island]-- he "went apeshit," aggressively proclaiming that it vindicated his theories that the Ancients had visited Oak Island."
The story goes on to report that the sword was purchased by the Laginas for $10,000 after an examination that took place on the hood of a car (hence the mirror-like background on the sword photo that we've all seen). The story alleges that the program's decision to wait on discussing the sword angered Pulitzer, who threatened to "expose the show's producers." That certainly dovetails with the title of Pulitzer's promised book: Commodus's Secret: Dirty Secrets Behind History Channel's "Curse of Oak Island" and the Truth about the Lost Roman Legion, Holy Solomonic Relics and the Secret of Hercules of the North (as of now, the webpage that has offered the book on "pre-order" is still unavailable).
The Frank story repeated the assertion that there's an "original sword" in a museum in Naples, Italy. I still haven't seen any proof of that.
The other story is a new piece by Scott Hough in The Inquisitr titled "The "Magical" Oak Island Roman Sword and J. Hutton Pulitzer's, Formerly Jeffrey Jovan Philyaw, Incredible Past." The story mentions my blog and also draws from the article in The Chronicle Herald.
Two More Swords
Alert followers of Swordgate found two more Hercules-hilted swords for sale online yesterday, one in Spain and one in France. You can thank Pablo Raw and Matti J. for these.
Photo of Hercules-hilted sword for sale in Spain (link in text).
Photo of Hercules-hilted sword for sale in France (link in text).
It's hard to tell from the photos exactly what to make of these. Is the Spain sword copper alloy, or just painted to look like it? The France sword certainly appears to be brass/bronze. Interesting.
How many of these things are there are out there? Who knows. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if I found one molding in the back of the fridge somewhere (Killbuck - anything in your couch cushions? Rose McDonald - any luck in your junk drawer?). It seems like there are enough of them that someone should be able to tell us what they are (i.e., when and where they were made).
Two Lions
As I wrote briefly yesterday, James Lawrence commented that the two animals under Hercules' feet could suggest a Spanish connection. It's a potentially promising lead. Check out of the coat of arms of Andalusia:
How many of these things are there are out there? Who knows. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if I found one molding in the back of the fridge somewhere (Killbuck - anything in your couch cushions? Rose McDonald - any luck in your junk drawer?). It seems like there are enough of them that someone should be able to tell us what they are (i.e., when and where they were made).
Two Lions
As I wrote briefly yesterday, James Lawrence commented that the two animals under Hercules' feet could suggest a Spanish connection. It's a potentially promising lead. Check out of the coat of arms of Andalusia:
That's our guy right there -- lion skin and double lions at his feet. The coat of arms was adopted in 1918. Could, as JA Sterling suggested in The Fraudulent Archaeology Wall of Shame, the brass/bronze swords be somehow related to that? Commemorative tokens perhaps?
There are other sword leads to track down. I doubt I'll have much time to work on them today, but I wish anyone out there good luck in helping to solve this mystery. I feel like we're getting close.
How about this: $50 reward to the first person providing evidence leading to the arrest of the original generation of Hercules-hilted, copper alloy swords. I smell blood in the water.
There are other sword leads to track down. I doubt I'll have much time to work on them today, but I wish anyone out there good luck in helping to solve this mystery. I feel like we're getting close.
How about this: $50 reward to the first person providing evidence leading to the arrest of the original generation of Hercules-hilted, copper alloy swords. I smell blood in the water.
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