Return to Annotated Bibliography home page

Chapter 19

Legends: Historical Interpretations & Reviews

Several authors have attempted to place the legends of Mt. Shasta into a cultural or historical perspective. Foremost among these works is Walter Kafton Minkel's 1989 Subterranean Worlds... which explains in a scholarly manner how the Mt. Shasta legends of a city inside of the mountain are part of a long tradition of such legends from around the world. He states that these kinds of legends serve to fulfill a basic and necessary human need for myth. Not all of the entries in this section attempt to explain the function of myth, but several of them do at least attempt to explain why Mt. Shasta has such a unusual panoply of legends. Lawerence W. Jorden Jr. said quite simply, for example, that " A prolonged, quiet contemplation of the peak tends to foster mysticism." Some authors, like Edwin Bernbaum, have traveled around the world to sacred places of pilgrimage and of natural beauty, and have attempted to explain Mt. Shasta's legendary mystic appeal on the basis of their own observations. A few of the books and articles in this section contain general reviews of the unusual and amusing tales associated with California's most legendary mountain. Noteworthy is John Calderazzo's chapter "Eighteen Views of a Volcano: Mount Shasta, California" in his book: "Where the Earth Begins: Volcanoes and Our Inner Lives."

Visit the online bibliography to search bibliographic entries or browse the entries below.
The [MS number] indicates the Mount Shasta Special Collection accession numbers
used by the College of the Siskiyous Library.

[MS1019].          Frank, Emilie A. California's Sacred Mountain. 1985? Typescript manuscript. Originally published in the Siskiyou Playlander, 1971, a summer tourist magazine.     Contains accounts of many legends and beliefs about Mount Shasta. The author is an expert on the legends of Mount Shasta and has written hundreds of newspaper articles on all facets of Mt. Shasta lore. This particular article is a synthesis of many years of research. Discussion centers on several of the books responsible for the Mt. Shasta legends, and although there is little critical commentary as to the accuracy of the books, there is nonetheless a well-integrated presentation of the more important Mt. Shasta myths as they developed from these books. Notably absent is a discussion of the 1880s Frederick Spencer Oliver book entitled Phylos the Thibetan: A Dweller on Two Planets which the author has elsewhere described as "by far the most important book--actually a minor classic--relating to the development of the Mt. Shasta legend-cycle..." (see Frank "An Occult Book Dating Back to the 1884," in Siskiyou County Scene, Spring 1990, p. 10).
      Among the books discussed are those of Wishar S. Cerve (1931); Abraham Joseph Mansfield (1970?); Dr. M. Doreal (1940?); and Guy Warren Ballard (1934).
       A portion of the article is devoted to explanations of the beliefs of some of the lesser-known Mt. Shasta religious and esoteric groups of the past fifty years: Zen Buddhist Abbey headed by Jiyu Kennett; Sree Sree Provo founded by Mother Mary Maier; Association Sananda and Sanat Kumara founded by Sister Thedra; Kriya Babaji Hoga Sangam annual Christmas pilgrimage led by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, Radiant School of Seekers and Servers founded by Nola Van Valer; and the Elan Vital. The author has written elsewhere on these various groups (see, for example, Emilie Frank. "Another Mystic Shrine on Mt. Shasta" about S.A.A. Ramiah's Christmas pilgrimage, in Siskiyou County Scene, Winter 1988-89; and Emilie Frank. "Astral Visits to Mt. Shasta" about the Elan Vital group, in Siskiyou County Scene, Spring 1987).     19. Legends: Historical Interpretations and Reviews. [MS1019].

[MS2157]. Frank, Emilie A. Mt. Shasta: California's Mystic Mountain. Hilt, CA: Photografix Publishing, 1997. Illustrated with numerous photographs of people and places. An important book from a local historian that contains many interesting articles on Mt. Shasta legends. Not a comprehensive account of all legends- the book's value lies in the telling of many of the lesser known and perhaps more interesting accounts. The stories are usually told from a first person account of the author's attempts to track down those who would know most about the legends. She has interviewed many of the offbeat spiritual personalities of Mt. Shasta. Table of Contents: Chapter 1. The Mt. Shasta Mystique 2. The Lemurians. 3. Dugja, Queen of the Lemurians 4. A Wondrous Strange Happening. 5. Abraham Mansfield anf the Plates of Time. 6. Queen Etruceana. 7. Lemurian Treasure Caves Found. 8. Atlanteans in Mt. Shasta? 9. Nola Van Valer: Founder of the Radient School. 10. Widow Springs. 11. Unveiled Mysteries. 12. Sphinx Rock. 13 The Baffling Castle Crags Petroglyphs. 14. A Race of 'Little Men' on Mt. Shasta? 15. Mysterious Circles and Mounds, Pyramids and Domes. 16. Acquainted with a Shasta Night. 17. Angel Clouds Converge Over Mt. Shasta. 18. Cosmic Lady Visits Mt. Shasta. 19. UFO's, Fact or Fiction in the Realm of Mt. Shasta? 20. Was Mu the Cradle of Civilization? 21. There is a Mystique About This Mountain. 22. Mystics, Spiritualists, Tibetan Lamas, Zen Buddhists. 23. The Harmonic Convergence, Mt. Shasta -1987. 24. Elizabeth Clare Prophet Visits Mt. Shasta. 25. About Other Significant Books. 26. Mt. Shasta, Geologically Speaking. 27. The Kingdom of Shasta. Some of the material not inferred from the chapter titles in this book: the Lady on the Mountain geologic form; Yaktavians; Bell Legends; Lemurians; Wishar S. Cerve; Elan Vital; Grey Butte; Duja; Dr. Doreal; Phylos the Tibetan; Radiant School of the Seekers and Servers; The Great White Lodge; Saint Germain; Norman R. Westfall; Pelleur; The Great Dwarf; Great Mahatma Koot Hoomi; Edgar Lucian Larkin; Don Corder; Cosmic Lady; Janice Aurah Kramer; Monka; White Brotherhood; Sister Thedra; Sananda; Sanat Kumara; Mother Mary Mae Maier; Tai Siyu Rinpoche; Shasta Abbey; I AM; etc. The author was a prolific freelance writer and researcher of lore for Siskiyou County from 1954 until she passed away in 1996. She wrote feature articles for many of the local newspapers, and wrote for newspaper special publications such as the Siskiyou County Scene. Only a portion of her volumnous writings are preserved in this present book; for more of her writing consult the archives of the Mount Shasta Herald and of The Mount Shasta Collection at the College of the Siskiyous. 19. Legends: Historical Interpretations and Reviews. [MS2157].

[MS349].          Hillinger, Charles. Magic Mountain: Shasta is 'Alter' That Draws Thousands. In: Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, Calif.: May 5, 1970? Section B. p. 1. Available photocopy has no printed date; handwritten note says 'Bee-May 5, 1970.'    Author comments on several uncommon Mount Shasta subjects, including: the "Mt. Shasta Shrine" of Babaji Yoga; the life of Mother Mary Maier; and Thedra, leader of the Sananda and Sanat Kumara sect.
      The author states: "Bob Gray, U.S. Forest Service ranger on the mountain the last 26 years, says he has seen thousands of people on the slopes of Mt. Shasta, many drawn there because they believe it to be a sacred place. 'They're here all the time - all seasons of the year,' he noted. Gray showed a marble slab found on the mountain. It was inscribed: 'Babaji Yoga. Founder Yogi S. A. Ramiah of Tamil Nad. Mt. Shasta Shrine' 'We found it anchored in cement,' said Gray."
      Of Mother Mary, the author says: "One of the community's better known citizens, Mother Mary Maier, 75-year-old proprietor of The Inn, a downtown Mount Shasta hotel, had died. But the death of Mother Mary, who wore flowing orange robes and sandals and was known as Angel of the West--Guardian of the Mountain, was kept secret for a month by members of the Sree Sree Pravo Sect....around the clock guard beside her body waiting for her soul to return."     19. Legends: Historical Interpretations and Reviews. [MS349].

[MS724].          McGillivray, Rosalyn. From the Great Spirit to the Lemurians: The Legends of Mount Shasta. Chico, Calif.: Department of Anthropology, California State University, 1985. 'Presented at the joint meetings of the South Western Anthropological Association and the California Geographical Society.'     Contains an excellent review of Modoc, Shasta, and Wintu Indian legends about Mt. Shasta. Notes several Indian names for Mt. Shasta, including 'Kal-kal-i-ya-ma-ni' from the Maidu tribe.
      Also contains a scholarly account of the idea of Lemuria, tracing the theory as it evolved the early paleontological evidence of lemur fossils on both sides of the Indian Ocean. This evidence led to the idea of a now sunken land bridge continent across the Indian Ocean. Contains several pictures of various lemurs, including the Ring tailed-lemur. The author pinpoints the first use of the word 'Lemuria' as being by Philip L. Sclater in 1864. Ernst Haeckel later proposed the idea of the theoretical Lemurian continent as the source of human racial stocks.
      The author describes the various unscientific theories of Lemuria which grew out of the original scientific concepts.
      Also mentioned are the spiritual groups which have used Mount Shasta as a base, including the Radiant School, Astara, Elizabeth Clare Prophet's group, the Zen Buddhist Abbey, Sree Sree Parvoo, A.S.S.K., an Essene group, and the Azariah group.     19. Legends: Historical Interpretations and Reviews. [MS724].

[Visit the orignal pages]

Geology ~ Environment ~ Native Americans ~ Folklore ~ History ~ Art ~ Literature
Recreation ~ Maps ~ Mount Shasta Collection ~ Bibliography ~ Lesson Plans ~ About Project