One of the most often debated "relics" of the ancient world has to be the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull. Bill Homann is the current care-taker of this item (He claims it to be an ancient Mayan Relic, but others believe it to be a semi-modern fake) and he claims that the skull has a wide variety of mystical powers, including the ability to open up portals to other worlds. What is the skull, really? No one knows the answer to this but a lot of speculation is being made. This item was recently thrust back into the public eye with the release of the latest Indiana Jones movie and the debates all started up again. Do the people who claim the skull to be an ancient relic with magical powers have any basis in their beliefs? Let's examine that.
Let's start off by saying this: This skull has been put through a lot of tests by independant scientists, and none of them can come up with a conclusive date for the construction of this item or even a good explanation for how it could have been built. This skull is greatly detailed and "carved (?)" from one piece of crystal. It has a removable lower jaw, and really is quite fascinating in it's construction. Bill Homann claims this item to be a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, a god-head figure amongst the ancient Mayan culture. The history of this skull is confusing, and reports vary but Bill Homann always tells the same story about it's origins. According to Bill the skull was found in 1924 by Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the daughter of real life Indiana Jones type explorer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges. She claims to have found the skull buried beneath some rubble at an ancient temple in the Mayan ruins at lubaantun while exploring there on her birthday with her father on one of his expeditions. This is where it gets cloudy because F.A. Mitchell-Hedges made no notes about the discovery of the skull in his journals of this expedition and several members of the expedition even went so far as to say that Anna was not even with them on this expedition. But, Bill Homann remaines resolved about the history of the skull and has never waivered on his stories of it's origin.
Anna told many amazing stories about this skull, even referring to it sometimes as the "Skull of Doom" because she said that a Mayan shaman with knowledge of the skulls powers could actually use it to will death on someone. She also claimed that the skull could cause visions and cure cancer. She also claims to have used it to make premonitions about future events even claiming to have witnessed the assasination of John F. Kennedy in the skull before the event took place. The biggest collection of myth surrounding the skull has to do with the completion of the Mayan calendar and the supposed events that will take place in 2012. In legend, there are 13 of these crystal skulls scattered about the globe. Some are said to have been found already but others are said to lie in wait. It is rumored that in 2012 all 13 of the skulls shall be gathered together in one place and this shall forestall some great catastrophe that is said to befall the Earth in this year, on December 12. Richard C. Hoagland has even claimed that this skull (and the Mayan race) had ties to the planet Mars. Others have tried to link the skull to the lost civilization of Atlantis, claiming that they would have been the only ancient race to have the ability to fashion such a marvelous piece out of one solid piece of quartz crystal. The wildest claims, in my opinion, state that it is an alien relic given to us by a race of aliens to use as a communication and travel tool. It is said that in the hands of someone who knows how to properly use it all sorts of alien information can be revealed. Supposedly the skull can enter into a state of purely charged electricity and images begin to appear in the skull showing the user alien technology such as crafts and architecture. It is said to store all the known knowledge of the universe, much like a mystical computer chip, and it is said that the information can be retrieved if used properly. Some have made claims that go far past any of these others. Some claim that the reason no one can determine how it was built is simple...it wasn't. These people claim this to be the actual skull of an ET.
Others merely claim it to be a fake that was most likely made in the mid 19th century, most likely in Europe. They claim that Mitchell-Hedges bought the skull out-right from Burney at Southeby's. Anna, of course, had an explanation for this. Anna explained that her father had actually left the skull in the keeping of Burney, who put it up for auction as payment for a debt in 1943. Mitchell-Hedges ended up paying Burney at Sotheby's auction house to get the skull back.
The one fact that cannot be overlooked is this: No lab, museum, or independant scientist has ever been able to PROVE that it is a fake. Some of the other crystal skulls have been completely debunked by the same methods of testing used on the Mitchell-Hedges skull, yet no proof can be found to 100% say that this skull is a fake. Are Anna and Bill telling the truth? That is up for you to decide. We can no longer go to Anna for information because sadly Anna Mitchell-Hedges (affectionately known as "Sammy" to her friends ) passed away in 2007 at the age of 100. Maybe there was some truth to her claims, living to 100 is quite an accomplishment!
Here is ALL we know for fact about the skull's physical properties:
The skull is made from a block of clear quartz about the size of a small human cranium, measuring some 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long and 5 inches wide. The lower jaw is detached. In the early 1970s it came under the temporary care of freelance art restorer Frank Dorland, who claimed upon inspecting it that it had been "carved" with total disregard to the natural crystal axes without the use of metal tools. Dorland reported being unable to find any tell-tale scratch marks, except for traces of mechanical grinding on the teeth, and speculated it was first chiseled into rough form, probably using diamonds, and the finer shaping, grinding and polishing achieved through the use of sand over a period of 150 to 300 years. Although various claims have been made over the years regarding the skull's physical properties, such as an allegedly constant temperature of 70°F (21°C), Dorland reported that there was no difference in properties between it and other natural quartz crystals. (excerpt taken from the Wikipedia page dedicated to the skull)
Will we ever know what the skull really is? Well....2012 is approaching quickly.....
