A crystal skull was a crystalline object shaped like a cranium, sometimes having supernatural properties. There were several skulls scattered worldwide, but all held connections tracing to the pre-Columbian Americas. Indiana Jones believed he had stumbled upon half of them. Of the skulls discovered, many had different powers attributed to them, frequently leading to death or disaster.
History
Thirteen skulls resided in the ancient kingdom of Akator with unearthly origins embodying the gods of a lost Mayan culture. Another was recovered in 1947 from the wreckage of an unknown object that had crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Still another was found near Lucasio, Mexico.
Known skulls
- British Museum's Crystal Skull
- Mitchell-Hedges Skull / Skull of Doom
- Toltec Crystal Skull
- Crystal Skull of Cozan
- Crystal Skull of Akator
Behind the scenes
Crystal skulls are real (though none have been authenticated as pre-Columbian in origin, and were most likely fabricated in the mid-19th century or later in Europe[1]) and while their real-world paranormal properties are questionable, variations of the theme have been a part of the Indiana Jones canon since 1995 as part Jones' lecture notes in Indiana Jones and the Golden Vampires.
Appearances
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Honduras, December 1920" (Cancelled)
- Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates (First mentioned)
- Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs
- Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth
- Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx
- Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures
- Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sources
- Indiana Jones and the Golden Vampires
- The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 3
Notes and references
- ↑ British Museum (n.d.-b), Jenkins (2004, p.217), Sax et al. (2008), Smith (2005), Walsh (1997; 2008)
External links
- Crystal Skulls - at Leland Chee's blog
- Crystal Skulls - Fact and Fiction - at the StarWars.com message boards
- Crystal skulls on Wikipedia