Nine Unknown Men
Encyclopedia
The Nine Unknown is a 1923 novel by Talbot Mundy
.Originally serialised in Adventure
magazine,
it concerns the "Nine Unknown Men", a fictional secret society
founded by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka around 270 BC to preserve and develop knowledge that would be dangerous to humanity if it fell into the wrong hands.
The nine unknown men were entrusted with guarding nine books of secret knowledge.
In the novel the nine men are embodiment of good and face up against nine Kali
worshippers, who sow confusion and masquerade as the true sages. The story surrounds a priest called Father Cyprian who is in possession of the books but who wants to destroy them out of Christian piety, and a number of other characters who are interested in learning their contents.
The Nine Unknown Men also appear in Mundy's Caves of terror (1924), but are portrayed as evil in that book.
The nine books entrusted to the Nine Unknown contain information on
In 1960, Louis Pauwels
and Jacques Bergier
wrote about the Nine Unknown Men in their Morning of the Magicians
. Pauwels and Bergier (1960:36) attribute mention of the Nine Unknown to Louis Jacolliot
(1837-1890), a French judge working in India and Tahiti in the 1860s.
In their works, Pauwels and Bergier claimed that the society occasionally revealed itself to wise outsiders such as Pope Sylvester II who was said to have received, among other things, training in supernatural powers and a robotic talking head from the group.
Talbot Mundy
Talbot Mundy was an English writer. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt.-Life and work:...
.Originally serialised in Adventure
Adventure (magazine)
Adventure magazine was first published in November 1910 as a monthly pulp magazine. Adventure went on become one of the most profitable and critically acclaimed of all the American pulp magazines...
magazine,
it concerns the "Nine Unknown Men", a fictional secret society
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
founded by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka around 270 BC to preserve and develop knowledge that would be dangerous to humanity if it fell into the wrong hands.
The nine unknown men were entrusted with guarding nine books of secret knowledge.
In the novel the nine men are embodiment of good and face up against nine Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
worshippers, who sow confusion and masquerade as the true sages. The story surrounds a priest called Father Cyprian who is in possession of the books but who wants to destroy them out of Christian piety, and a number of other characters who are interested in learning their contents.
The Nine Unknown Men also appear in Mundy's Caves of terror (1924), but are portrayed as evil in that book.
The nine books entrusted to the Nine Unknown contain information on
- PropagandaPropagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and Psychological warfarePsychological warfarePsychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
, - PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, including secrets concerning the "touch of deathTouch of DeathThe Death Touch refers to any martial arts technique that can kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body....
", - MicrobiologyMicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, - AlchemyAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, - CommunicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
, including communication with extraterrestrials, - Gravity, and anti-gravityAnti-gravityAnti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
devices (VimanaVimanaVimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
s, the "ancient UFOs of India"), - CosmologyCosmologyCosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, including hyperspaceHyperspaceHyperspace may refer to:*in mathematics and general science** A Euclidean space of dimension greater than three, see fourth dimension and higher dimensions ** Space of any dimension, whether lower, higher, or...
and time-travel, - LightLightLight or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, and a technology capable of modifying the speed of lightSpeed of lightThe speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
and - SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, including rules predicting the rise and fall of empires.
In 1960, Louis Pauwels
Louis Pauwels
Louis Pauwels was a French journalist and writer.- Biography :Louis Pauwels was a teacher at Athis-Mons from 1939 to 1945 , Louis Pauwels wrote in many monthly literary French magazines as early as 1946 until the...
and Jacques Bergier
Jacques Bergier
Jacques Bergier , was a chemical engineer, member of the French-resistance, spy, journalist and writer...
wrote about the Nine Unknown Men in their Morning of the Magicians
Le Matin des Magiciens
The Morning of the Magicians was first published as Le Matin des magiciens. Written by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier in 1960, it became a best seller, first in French, then translated into English in 1963 as The Dawn of Magic, and later released in the United States as The Morning of the...
. Pauwels and Bergier (1960:36) attribute mention of the Nine Unknown to Louis Jacolliot
Louis Jacolliot
Louis Jacolliot was a French barrister, colonial judge, author and lecturer.Born in Charolles, Saône-et-Loire, he lived several years in Tahiti and India during the period 1865-1869....
(1837-1890), a French judge working in India and Tahiti in the 1860s.
In their works, Pauwels and Bergier claimed that the society occasionally revealed itself to wise outsiders such as Pope Sylvester II who was said to have received, among other things, training in supernatural powers and a robotic talking head from the group.
See also
- Ascended masterAscended masterAscended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or "Mahatmas", though they differ in important aspects...
- IlluminatiIlluminatiThe Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
- Vaimanika ShastraVaimanika ShastraThe Vaimānika Shāstra वैमानिक शास्त्र is an early 20th century Sanskrit text on aeronautics obtained by psychic channeling and automatic writing...
- Eight ImmortalsEight ImmortalsThe Eight Immortals are a group of legendary xian in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can be transferred to a power tool that can give life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called "Covert Eight Immortals" . Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or...
- Seven Brahmarshi
- NavaratnasNavaratnasNavaratnas Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India...