transcript —
20260601-Is This a Stone？ Where is the Serpent？ - With @drawingdownthedragons

[Watch on YouTube] | Timestamped transcript

Transcript

Hello beautiful people and welcome to Drawing Down the Dragon. I'm Snappy and thank you for joining me tonight for our interview with my good friend Bruno de la Vega Garcia of Stones and Serpents. How's it going, Bruno? >> Hello Snappy. Hello everybody. I'm good, but cold. >> Good but cold there. It's winter there, right? Great out in Chile. >> Yeah, [snorts] I'm not even winter yet. We are in autumn. >> yet, right. >> But started like um It's very different each season here in the south.

It's like you will feel the difference in four of them. >> Oh wow. >> So autumn is cold, windy, some of the days you have a lot of sun and you put a a jacket and then you're hot and then you're cold again and you know. >> [laughter] >> It just danced and right can't can't figure it out. Oh wow. Well, thank you so much for making the time to come and chat with me again to get a catch up with you and all of the projects that you're involved in. You know, I've been

Diligently watching your channel. I absolutely loved the Histories Inquiry podcast which you guys just wrapped up and I'm looking forward I saw in your post you have another podcast with Dr. Armand planned. You just released a music video Daemon and you are still working on the main uh production of Stones and Serpents. So why don't you give us an update and talk to us about your current projects and what you got coming out on the channel?

>> Oh, man. Okay. Well, thank you. Thank you Snappy for inviting me again and um we are honored. The team also. And well, right now >> to them, man. You guys do such incredible work, so. >> Thank you, bro. Yeah, and I am well, and when I say the team, I should say that well, here in Chile is three of us. Now four. We have another

Another one that just joined us for the writing stuff that we needed and well I don't have to name her if she doesn't want, but but we have now a a new a new person that is working with us writing some some stuff that is happening as um during this whole project. I'm talking about the movie. And is connected, you know, with what we're doing as our research in the research department with with Dr. Armen. So, obviously you have some changes. Not in the essence of it,

But for sure in some stuff that we were picturing that as you are getting more information. >> Unpack this for us because this is something that I just I love so much because, you know, the more you learn, the more the picture changes and develops and becomes clearer. Past images stop being so reflective. So, what have you garnered that has changed your outlook? What are you changing in the documentary? What's the big revelations from Armen?

>> Well, I guess I can put it this put it this way. It's we had a script before even to start working with with Dr. Armen. But with it hasn't changed in essence. But the script for us was also we were starting an expedition. So, we knew that we will have stuff happening in real time while we are recording, you know, rolling camera. >> the documentary, yeah. >> Yeah, of course because that's the whole point. That's why we went there because we interviewed people in Greece,

In Malta Island, South Spain, you know, we we talked with a lot of people. So, the whole thing was that we were hoping that Evan was like replying to us to be part of of that um of that moment, you know, that that that expedition was worth just 45 days. So, uh it was we were very lucky that he answered us before just at the beginning of the expedition. So, that started in the at the same time we arrived to Europe. So, he was actually watching

The places where we were going. So, as we were interviewing people on site, at the same time we had a we were having an interviews with him online and on spot. So, it was changing all the time with what he was saying, what we were finding with the people in the actual place, you know, they You know, when you go to a museum, you will have you will have your first approach that we'll give to everybody to any tourist that is going. Um if you want to go a bit deeper, you

Can have some permits and and actually record inside. Um you can have a guide who specialize in different stuff. Um as you know that we we are trying to search into things that are not very mainstream. I mean, it's in your face, but but it's some way the info is not so much in your face, you know, it's more like you can actually see the serpent, but you will not understand what it is unless you go deeper on it. >> that's gone underground. You know, it's

Interesting. Earlier today I did this interview with my friend Leslie and she's in Egypt and she was talking to us about how she discovered that people are still practicing the old religion, you know, the classical Egyptian religion. You just got to know the right people and be invited to the right cookout, you know? You got to drink a lot of tea. >> [laughter] >> Exactly. >> You know. >> Exactly, bro. Yeah. And and it's the same in Greece. It's the same in Greece. I mean uh

We had um uh a lead. [clears throat] I'm sorry. I'm a bit with my my my throat is a bit um um warring with the winter. But uh the thing is um yeah, in Greece is the same. Um at the beginning nobody will give us anything.

We had some leads and then every Well, in uh that's everything on record. So, uh when they were saying, "Okay, you cannot stay here. You cannot film that that much time. Um What are you looking for? No, you will not find it here. Um People was following us all the time, especially the director. And um So, yeah, we found everything. But at some some other stuff that happened also was in the in the other in in in for good, let's say. Like they were actually saying to us

Like, "You should go this place." or that place, or you should talk with this person. And you've been that search, you will find something that is quite what you are looking for and something what that you thought it was what you were looking for and is is completely off.

You know, these topics sometimes uh bring a lot of craziness also at the same time, you know? >> [laughter] >> Especially especially in some specific islands. >> Right. Right. You had You had mentioned this before, right? You know, in our first interview you talked about how near the end of your trip you guys wound up at Samothrace and had all these kind of mystical experiences with nudists there. And that's the center, right? That's where the Pelasgian mystery starts, right? That's where Hera originates right there. >> And yeah, and you have a the Samothrace

Island and and and you are very close to Turkey also, modern day Turkey. And there's Lemnos there. >> There's another sacred island, right? Let's go all of them right there, right? >> [laughter] >> Right there with Turkey now. With modern day Turkey. So yeah, all of those places and and us I don't know how many there are, but there's

The dozens and dozens of um if not hundreds of uh islands in and and and in the if you see in the map the the Aegean how it is >> Mhm. >> you you I mean you can understand how it becomes something that it will get different influences.

Through time. >> But I can also see, you know, right? That Greece is this Orthodox country. The Aegean Islands are are tourist center. You can see why they would be so close, this all I mean, right? Like what like why they're not going to just you know, they got so many people coming through who are trying to get a piece of them all the time. That just makes people, you know, more reserved in general. And then you have that that culture which we discussed it briefly too last time is that, you know,

A lot of this pagan practice has to remain underground. You know, people still get called to court. It's only very recently have the laws changed to allow people to practice openly, you know? This is still kind of an awkward an awkward thing. Now, the average person doesn't mind, but the church itself is very vindictive, right? >> [laughter] >> Yeah, especially especially in that area. >> Right. >> Uh which um Christianity like was quite strong. Like in in in in in Greece. I mean, you have to It's Turkey and Greece, you know.

You have Cyprus somewhere there. And and some parts of Turkey, you know, are are mostly There's a small part which is Christian. A small part is Europe even. The other one is not Europe in Turkey, let's say. Which it was part of what in in in like ancient times, this it was this just like the whole area was like the same, I guess. It was not the the division that we get now. But >> Right right, we have all that nationalism and modern political antagonism that colors everything.

>> Probably if you have like a big country which is They were the Ottoman Empire was there, you know, like in Turkey. And at the same time you have this other spot like right next to it. They have a lot of history. And and is Christian. So, I guess I don't know, man. I mean, I I just can't feel that like very different places that used to be the same. So, I guess it gets the strengthened the >> Oh, absolutely. It makes me think of Lord Byron, you know, one of Ammon's favorite authors who he always

Recommend. Lord Byron went and fought in the wars of independence for Greece to get them out of the out of the Ottoman control and bring them into Europe. Right? And he winds up dying of his wounds later, you know, so like >> [laughter] >> This is stuff that's also very recent in people's history, right? Everything's become so wild in that area. East meets West, right? The Crusades have never ended. Crusades have never ended. They just been ongoing of different colors and different kinds up until the present

Moment. Right? >> Mhm. Yeah, and well, it's it's like the same in Malta Island, you know. Malta Island is is is is is a >> We're Crusader Islands originally, or at least like their current you know national images, right? >> And and everybody was trying also to to bring it in, you know, it was a passage between

But because Malta I know that it's Stones and Serpents as we are doing the history inquiry on on the and we are working with Ammon tends to go Greece and you think Greece I know this is not your case because we have spoken so much about it but but that you think Greece and you are thinking modern Greece which completely different from from ancient Greece which is not even called Greece. So when when when when we are in Malta Island we are actually understanding now not even when

We were there but you are talking about pretty much the same reality of the same situations that were happening all over the Mediterranean. So Malta is not different is an island which is actually a pass a passage from Africa to Europe you know to Italy modern modern day Italy Sicily is like I've done this trip I mean it's like hours away in a sailboat from Malta Island Sicily and if you want to go which is Tunisia now it will take you a bit more so you are

Just in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in the middle and we have sailboat you know so they were doing that all the time and and and Malta is right there in that spot that's why even in Second World War they they were bombing it you know I mean there was Malta is in every war so when we got there with this whole topic

We were sure that it was going to be absolutely connected as I told you last time we talked when when we arrived to Rabat which is the old town and and it's all about Saint Paul and the snake, you know? And and we started connecting dots at the beginning. Well, if you A Maltese guy is in the movie. He was actually he's one of the producers in in Malta. Um Tor Ann and he's um and we talked a lot with him and he's very into this stuff. So obviously

Uh this is going to be a place which I think in the documentary will be um

Like the one you talk to. She will be like how you I don't know how to say it in in English, but it will be an important topic um that the the Maltese island. You have to understand that Malta island is has um Stone Age history. >> What has Ammon told you about Malta? Because, you know, Sicily, Malta

The peninsulas off of Italy, these islands, there there's so much mystical magic around all these islands. I don't want to name any specific one as the one that stands out, but you know, like Circe is from these islands. You know, um Alexandria, Cassandra, her cult winds

Up in the island of Sicily. Uh you know, there's so much wildness going on here, right? Mount Etna is right there. That's where they bury Typhon, right? That's where, you know, the the penultimate Satan figure in the Greek tradition is satirized and and imprisoned, right? >> [laughter] >> Amazing. Well, yeah. I can tell you this. We have I when when I was talking with Ammon for the first time in Malta, I didn't I was in Rabat. >> Mhm. >> Which is which is what which is this place that I was telling you about the last time. Um

With the like the pole thing, you know, it's the history of the island. But the history of the island is what goes way back, you know, not not not to Paul's time, you know, like way way back. >> Right. So >> Neanderthals were in Sicily. Were they in Malta? >> [laughter] >> Yeah, and and and well, um we had an interview with a person because when you you um gave me a question about what Amon was saying. And we didn't went uh too deep on Malta

Island when we were there. It was after. But at that point I I had so many questions. Imagine this is his first um time I talked with him on record for the documentary. You might what you will ask, you know? It's first time. >> Right. >> [laughter] >> Good, you know? >> You got to start with the virgin or start with something, you know, something a little more basic. >> not. Exactly. So I was all over and I had an overview and we spoke for like 3

Hours and uh the connection was not good. So you know, but So So we didn't talk about too much about the island at that point. But but we had an interview on the island that connected a lot of stuff and they don't know each other. It's a guy. This is this guy his name is John Mitsy. He's living in Australia, but he's a Maltese and he lives in Gozo island, which is the island that supposedly Calypso was holding hostage. >> Oh, here we go. Okay, now now we're

Getting >> [laughter] >> to Odysseus. >> Oh, wow. Calypso >> I mean >> There's the great cave with Circe, right? Yeah. Go ahead. >> There's the cave and everything now. There's the cave, which is the Calypso cave. Um So obviously you think at first I I have encountered many different places

Uh that they will say to you, "Okay, this is the island." >> Yeah, of course. >> Uh, all of the islands are the island, I mean, so to speak. But, yeah, in in this in this, uh, Mal- Malta is three islands.

The big one, which everybody lives there, big island Malta. You have Gozo island, which is way smaller. And people that lives there for centuries, they call themselves, um, Gozitans. They even don't speak the same. You have Malta island is 28 km per 14. So, I can run that, you know, if it if it if it it was flat, but it's not flat. If you want to walk from one point to the other point, it will take you forever. You will not do it. It's like this, you know.

>> Right. >> So, and you don't have roads that connect them. I mean, it's it's like, um, there's just one road, which is for the for the cars. It's very not a place that you can walkable, even that is so small. It used to be walkable, of course, but but now I don't know is is is they they have just roads to connect the different spot that always the different cities or well, cities, actually, uh, are on the top of the hills all the time. You will not have on the valley. On the valley, you you will not

Have is is nothing. It's stuff that they plant or somebody owns it, or I don't know, you know, or they extract stone, but they are doing stuff for their own thing that they do in the island, you know, like, um, planting stuff or whatever, but they live in the hills. So, it's very difficult to move around. If you take a bus,

Let's say I want to go to Gozo island, which is like half an hour ferry, 20 minutes ferry, and I'm in the other side of the island, which is 28 km per 14. Let's say it will take me 20 km. So, well, it's not much, man. But, it will take you if you take a bus, you have to take two buses. One, it will take you an hour and a half.

You wait for the other one, it will be another hour and a half. Then, you get to the ferry, you will take the ferry, you will have another So, you are If you want to go to the island and go back to your to your spot in the island in the other place, you know, I mean, in the other side from the ferry to Gozo, it will take you a whole freaking day. You will be 12 hours just like moving around, you know? Once you get to Gozo island, you have to take

Another bus to get to the hills. Dude, it's like, you know? So, the very separated >> culturally. >> [laughter] >> Right. >> I guess it was also that's why it was a fort. >> Right. >> Malta is a fort. Everybody wanted Malta. The Knights of Malta would were taking care of it, which is quite connected with all the topic. >> Mhm. >> We have that, obviously, in So, in in in the in the Maltese chapters, with with the chapter, we talk about the Maltese Knights, of course, which

Psychedelics, You know, all over re- like um mystery rituals um or versions from that time. Mushrooms, whatever, man. I mean, that was happening. The the the purple stuff, you know? Of course.