Flying Machines in Historical Texts

Flying Vimana Temples, Magic Carpets & Ezekiel’s Flying Wheel

In Girl in the Glass, Declan doesn’t understand why the Clypeate is so confident the navigation machine can make the Valencia levitate. Garrett points out the historical precedent for levitation. He explains:

“You’re right, we weren’t entirely guessing. There’s plenty of precedent for levitation, historic texts are full of references. Throughout ancient times many cultures reported flight as a ubiquitous power of the gods. Sanskrit texts describe Flying Vimana temples, magic carpets flew across the Middle East, even the Hebrew God descended to Ezekiel in a flying wheel.”

Flying Vimana Temples

In Hindu texts, Vimanas are described as the flying palaces or chariots of gods, depicted as elaborate vehicles capable of levitating in the sky and even capable of travel to other worlds. Their designs play heavily into the architecture of Hindu temples. These monumental, often pyramidal, structures are seen as a symbolic representation of the celestial vehicles, connecting the earthly temple with the divine realm. In ancient Indian texts, the Vimanas come in various shapes and sizes, some even resembling palaces with rooms, windows, and decorations. Vimanas are also able to travel into space, underwater, or other dimensions, suggesting the use of advanced technology.

Magic Carpets

Magic, flying carpets play a prominent role in Middle Eastern folklore and culture. These levitation devices are described in the historical texts of One Thousand and One Nights, or Arabian Nights, as well as Hebrew legends of King Solomon using a massive flying carpet to carry thousands of men. These magical vehicles transport people swiftly and safely through the air to any desired location, most stories depicting the carpets as flying although some are described as carpets capable of teleportation, instantly whisking away people with just a thought.

Ezekiel and the Flying Wheel

The prophet Ezekiel, around 600 B.C, encounters a flying machine. In the Book of Ezekiel, found in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, he describes a divine chariot with wheels within wheels, full of eyes, and accompanied by living creatures. These wheels are not just ordinary wheels, but are described as having a supernatural, almost otherworldly appearance.

Ezekiel's description waxes poetic, detailing a difficult-to-imagine and even less likely to fly chariot. The chariot, composed of four living creatures (human, lion, ox, eagle), is also equipped with four wings. Beneath each creature is a wheel within a wheel, appearing to shine like gemstones and be full of eyes. Whatever Ezekiel saw flying in the sky, it was clearly worth documenting.