The Golden Man Of Legendary Wealth

The Golden Man Of Legendary Wealth

There is a legend of ‘the Golden Man’ or ‘El Dorado’ among the Muisca tribe in the mystical Andean planes.

In the land that is now Colombia, the Muisca tribe once had a spectacular way of crowning a new king. When a ruler died, his successor was called the ‘golden one’ or the ‘gilded one’ and he had to be in solitary confinement in a cave without salt products and without being able to venture out. His first journey thereafter would be to the ceremonial lake of Guatavita. The raft of rushes on which the new ruler and the priest travelled to the middle of the lake was decorated beautifully. He would be surrounded by four priests who would be adorned with feathers and body ornaments. Meanwhile, the leader, the heir to the throne, would be naked but gold dust would cover his body from tip to toe.

He became the Golden Man – ‘El Dorado’

Clouds of fragrant incense sweetened the air. Fires lit up the night and the would-be king floated over the dark waters. The shores of the lake were filled with spectators playing musical instruments and burning fires. When the raft reached the centre of the lake, the priests raised a white flag which was a signal for all noise to he stopped. Then, all the treasures piled at the feet of the would-he king would be thrown into the depths of the lake. At this point, pipes and flutes played, and the people danced and sang as he returned to the shore as their new king.

When European invaders came, they heard of the Golden Man legend. They assumed that any people who could throw gold away must be incredibly wealthy. The story of El Dorado became transformed into a tale of a kingdom, an empire, and a ‘Lost City of God’ that had belonged to this golden king. What the European invaders did not realize is that for the Muisca tribe, the gold and the treasures were just artifacts to find their ruler. They were valuable only to that end.

The invaders foolishly squandered much money and many lives looking for what was nothing but a beautiful ceremony. They even drained the lake Guatavita a few times in search of gold, but found only ancient artifacts belonging to the Muisca tribe. What they missed was the true spirit of the legend.