The Merovingian Mythos and the Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau

A literary cottage industry was spawned nearly twenty years ago with the publication of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Lincoln, Baigent and Leigh. The outstanding example of its output is "The DaVinci Code," in which the story has been even further dumbed down for popular consumption. While Tracy Twyman's "The Merovingian Mythos" is not quite as abysmally bad, it is representative of the genre. It takes a handful of historical facts (some of which are quite fascinating), relates them to literature and legend (again, often having considerable interest) and leavens them with a great deal of speculation, myth, and, one suspects, wishful thinking. It is entirely typical of the attitude that permeates so much of our society, whereby facts (whether they be intelligence reports from the middle east, economic data, or whatever) are selected to fit their consumer's desires and prejudices. Sad to say, there are many people who would rather believe in fairy tales than in humdrum realities. The failing of all the "Merovingian mythos" books is that they do not face genealogical facts. As we trace our ancestry back from the present generation, each generation of ancestors doubles in number. Thus, every person has two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and so on. There are today about sixty generations separating us from the time of the semi-legendary Merovingian progenitor who is variously called Meroveus, Merovech, or Merovée. Accordingly, the typical middle-aged adult of the early twenty-first century has ancestors at that period numbering approximately two to the sixtieth power. This number is, of course, many times the number of people actually living in Europe during the fifth century A.D., so there is much repetition of ancestral lines. Accordingly all people of European descent have many ancestors in common. In such works on genealogy as Roderick Stuart's "Royalty for Commoners," Frederick Lewis Weis's "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists," and Gary Boyd Roberts's "The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies," documented lineages having living representatives may be followed all the way back to the Merovingians. For example, in Stuart's book one may find lineages back to Merovech through Charlemagne, through Charlemagne's wife Hildegarde of Swabia, through Hugh "le Méfiant," and through Regnier "Longhals." The last-named of these goes through Adela, the daughter of the doomed Dagobert II, thus encompassing virtually the complete Merovingian line. A relatively large number of people exist who can prove they descend through at least one of these lines, some through all four, and often with much duplication. This number is dwarfed by that of the descendants who are completely unaware of their ancestry. Even if the fanciful theories advanced in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" and elaborated in "The Merovingian Mythos" were all true, just what would it mean? That perhaps more than half of all people of north European descent were descended from a) Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalen; b) Jews of ancient Palestine; c) Sumerian god-kings? And what would any of these prove? The study of genealogy is rewarding because it yields a personalized acquaintance with history. For example, the revolutionary battle of King's Mountain, or the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, somehow have more significance to me because ancestors of mine were there. Shortly after I was able to prove a line to Charlemagne, I was able to pick up Ariosto's "Orlando furioso" with a bit more interest than I had in it three decades ago in college. It adds a certain dimension to know that one is descended from the saintly Margaret, queen of Scotland, or from Fredegonde, whom Stuart identifies as one of the most bloodthirsty women in history. We are a mixed-up race, descended from saints and sinners, heroes and villains, and none of these facts changes in the least who we are or what we do in life, unless we are inspired (or repelled) by their examples. I would far rather study a well-documented work of genealogy, with the literary classics and a good historical reference like the eleventh edition of the Encylopædia Britannica close at hand, than any number of pseudo-histories such as "The Merovingian Mythos."

The Merovingian Mythos is a great book in many ways. There is plenty of information about bible characters and quotes from the New and Old Testaments. etc. A very good presentation is made of Cain & Able, Satin, Annunaki, Enki & Enlil, etc. This book makes the rift between Cather’s and the Catholic Church very understandable. I.e. If Jesus did not die on the cross, but lived in France, and did not ascend into heaven where is the basis for the Roman Catholic Church? The Catholic Church has done much good in this world during the past 100 years, but I wish they didn’t have to make us all sinners, although at times they may have a point when one looks at the world of today. It is easy to understand why the others would rather be the chosen ones.It was not covered in this book, and I do not understand, why the Spanish Inquisition by the Church of Rome came so late: Spanish Inquisition established: 1478; abandoned in 1800’s. It would seem like eliminating the Cather’s/Templars, etc. would have been a massive effort by Rome much earlier.At times this book has a bit too much detail for me, on some of the key characters like Mary Magdalene, etc... Good glossary. This book helped me understand why the Catholic Church wanted to destroy the Merovingian families in France and the Cather’s and later the Knight Templars and possibly even now, the Masons (?) who most likely support the Knight Templars philosophy?One problem with the book, I don't know how to properly pronounce the word Merovingian, and it is used extensively in the book.

A positively fascinating book, packed with fascinating information. I've read about and studied almost every subject Twyman writes about in her book. But what I really enjoyed about her style of writing and the book itself, is how she makes it easy to understand it all and allows the reader to absorb the basic information thats most essential in understanding in the first place. She takes the complication out of the complicated so you don't have to do all the work trying to figure out what your author is trying to explain to you. To the point, straight up facts and theories. I loved this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who has studied or found interesting the topic of the Merovingian Dynasty. You will not be disappointed with this read.

Wrong About This What About other things? On page 146 she got family lines for Melusine very much wrong. It is my family line and I have done family research for over 12 years. When I read the family lines for Melusine that Ms Twyman gave at first I doubted my research. How could a writer of such a well researched book be wrong and me be right? Doubting myself I went back into research mode. However she is wrong. Melusine married into the de Vere family and all the other family lines do not belong to the "Dragon Princess"Granted she did a lot of research of what others wrote. Then taking that information she inserted her ideas and that's what they were was theories. I cannot nor will ever believe that Judas died on the cross and Jesus his twin slunk off into the sunset.I was excited to get this book ... then I waded through the whole book trying to find something and it's not there.

Its a highly engrossing and interesting book. Highly informational and indepth detail. I would recommend it to all people who are interested in history, mythology and all those who are interested in learning the truth about Jesus.

Tracy Twyman is a Priory of Sion fanatic. When the book talks about the origins of European monarchy, it is informative and interesting. When she takes the reader to Atlantis, and discusses the Greek gods as if they were beings-in-fact, I feel as if I am reading a fantasy novel. Stick to geneologies, Tracy, and leave myth-making to the bicameral civilizations that first thought them up. As for the book, buy it only as the next-to-last item in your collection of Priory-Rennes-Magdalene-fish stories.

When I started reading this book i felt that many paets were lifted almoost directly from HOLY BLOOD, HOLY RAIL, but I kept reading to give him the benifit of my doubts about his research until I reached the part where he said that "Edward the 4th had only partially followed Philip Le Bel's orders to rid England of the Tem[lars. Well it wasn't Edward the 4th it was Edward the 2nd/Edward the 3rd started the 100 Year was and had a son Edward the Black Prince who died before heis father and never inherited the crown. This started the "War of the Roses" as there were no further direct inheritors of the Yorkist line.Well,, I continued reading the book as I thought, just maybe, it was a typographical error using the 4th for the 2nd Edward. But when I came to the part where he attributes Catherine de Medici as being the mother of Mary Queen of Scots, I finally stopped reading it. Mary Queen of Scots was the daughter of Marie de Guise and James the 5th of Scotland. Catherine de Medici was briefly her mother-in-law!This book is just rubbish!

Why forget Plantard's and Sauniere's frauds? It's a gigantic scheme, but is it true? How can you be with and against the catholics, and with against the jews? Who became the Grand Priest after Plantard? Or Cocteau, for that matter? I don't believe in this s***, though it sounds ok.

Finger weg