What's the oldest story ever told?
Summary
This episode explores the theory that the Pleiades "seven sisters" myth, featuring a missing star, may be the oldest story ever told, dating back 100,000 years to early human migration. Astrophysicist Ray Norris argues that stellar movement explains the shift from seven to six visible stars, linking isolated cultures like Aboriginal Australians and Greeks. The hosts discuss this with cognitive anthropologist Munvir Singh, who remains skeptical due to linguistic gaps but highlights the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European "storm god vs. serpent" narrative as a more verifiable ancient tale.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Google Gemini for learning and sports
Discovery of the Epic of Gilgamesh by George Smith
Introduction: The oldest story ever told
Guest intro and the constellation Orion
Myth of Orion and the Pleiades (7 Sisters)
Global variations of the missing star story
Ray Norris and Aboriginal Australian astronomy
The 100,000-year-old story hypothesis
Astronomical evidence: Star movement and visibility
How the story evolved from 7 to 6 stars
Skepticism and the need for proof
Cognitive anthropologist Munvir Singh's critique
Counter-arguments: Visual cues and human vision
Transition to reconstructing older stories
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Methodology: Comparative linguistics and myths
Proto-Indo-European sky god reconstruction
The 5,000-year-old storm god vs. serpent myth
Personal connections to ancient myths
Universal human storytelling and cultural roots
Outro, credits, and final sponsors
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