The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls. Chris Morton
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one feature was strangely missing. Real human skulls have a series of marks which run across them, known as suture marks. These are the seams that are left when the different plates of the skull have grown together. Morrill pointed out that these markings would have been very easy to add and would have given the skull even greater realism. The fact that they were missing indicated to him that the skull was not made simply to serve as a memorial to any particular individual.
Morrill puzzled over the absence of these marks and reached the rather dramatic conclusion that the only reason they could have been so obviously and intentionally left out was that the maker of the skull was forbidden to add them, or that ‘such an easily carved feature would be completely unacceptable’.9
The reason for this, he thought, was that to have suture marks would interfere with the true purpose of the skull. Morrill believed its primary purpose was for ‘foreseeing the future and affecting the outcome of events’. He said, ‘Suture marks … would be as out of place as engravings on the surface of a crystal ball.’10 His view was that:
‘The foreseeing of the future would be handled by … the priest, [who,] after preliminaries that might include fasting, the use of drugs, or both, and after other prescribed rites, would peer down into the crystal in an effort to see in its depths and striations … what the future held.11
‘[Morrill concluded:] How effective an aid the crystal skull was in foretelling the future is unknowable. All that can be said with certainty … is that it was probably the most effective crystal ball ever devised, and … it is highly probable that in some cases over the centuries the skull served that purpose well.’ 12
So, what had the skull really been used for? Had it been an animated god-head, a sort of talking oracle? Was it an elaborate crystal ball, used for seeing into the past, present and future, or was it the head of some ancient priest? What was meant by it being ‘made to talk’? What clues to its ancient role lay hidden in those polished prismatic surfaces? What secrets lay behind its penetrating crystal gaze? There had been an enormous amount of speculation but as yet no firm evidence or definitive answers.
In 1959 Frederick Mitchell-Hedges died and left his devoted daughter Anna in sole possession of the skull. Anna has looked after it in her own home ever since, although she has allowed more than the occasional visitor to come and experience ‘the power of the skull’ for themselves. This turned out to be our next step.
Through our telephone conversations with Anna it was now becoming increasingly clear that the incredible claims about the crystal skull’s paranormal powers had continued unabated ever since its original discovery. From the moment that the skull had been recovered from deep in the jungle, it had been widely recognized that there was something very strange, extraordinary and powerful about this object. But, over the years, it seemed to have escaped being labelled or categorized. In fact, from what we could tell, it seemed quite simply to have defied explanation altogether.
By now, Ceri and I were quite convinced that the skull would make an excellent subject for a documentary investigation. We mentioned this to Anna and explained that we would need a lot more information. All Anna was prepared to say, however, was that if we wanted to know more about the skull then we would have to ‘come and meet him’ for ourselves.
The strangest thing was that in speaking to Anna on the telephone we kept getting the impression that when she was talking about the skull she was actually talking about a real person. She spoke about the crystal skull as ‘he’ or ‘him’ and used the same affectionate tone that people often use when talking about their children, grandchildren or even a much-loved pet.
We were intrigued, but it seemed that the only way for us to find out more was to take Anna up on her kind offer and make the trip out to Canada. This would not only give us the chance to see the crystal skull for ourselves, but also to make the necessary arrangements for our documentary. This was a bit of a risk, as we had just blown all our money on the trip to Central America and at this stage had no guarantee whatsoever that the film we intended to make would be commissioned at all. But, in what must have been a temporary fit of madness, we decided to make the trip to Canada all the same.
It was during the cold snows of the Canadian winter that we arrived at Anna’s neat modern house in the quiet little town of Kitchener, near Toronto, Ontario. A greater contrast to the steaming tropical jungles of Belize we could hardly imagine. But Anna, looking much younger than her years, greeted us warmly and she and her nephew Jimmy, who was in his late thirties and also visiting, were wonderfully hospitable during our short stay.
As soon as we arrived, Anna led us into her small sitting-room to ‘meet’ the crystal skull. As we entered the room, our eyes were immediately drawn to the skull, which was placed on a black velvet cushion on the coffee table. It was absolutely flawless, remarkably anatomically accurate and exactly the same size and shape as a small adult’s head, yet it was almost totally transparent. It really was magnificent, the most exquisitely carved and beautiful object that either of us had ever seen. It was like gazing on perfection (see plates 1 and 2).
‘I’m only the caretaker,’ Anna began. ‘The skull really belongs to everyone. He has brought lots of happiness to people. I show him all over the world. I’m asked to go here, there and everywhere – Australia, New Zealand and even Japan. But I particularly like people to come here so that I can see their joy and happiness in my own home.’
As she was speaking, I found myself staring at the skull, captivated. The way the light seemed to be captured, channelled and played around deep in its interior and reflected back off its silky smooth surface was totally mesmerizing. There was some strange, almost indefinable quality about looking at the skull, but I couldn’t figure out quite what it was. It was as though the skull was holding me there, somehow communicating with my unconscious mind. It was as if some part of my mind was stirred in a subtle, almost incomprehensible way. I was totally absorbed.
Anna spoke to me, but I didn’t hear. She had to tap me on the shoulder before I realized that she was saying something. ‘I don’t normally allow people to do this, but you can pick him up if you like.’
‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t with you,’ I replied.
‘Oh, that’s perfectly normal,’ chuckled Anna. ‘The skull usually casts a spell over people when they meet him. They often seem to go into a trance for a few moments.’
I lifted up the crystal skull. I was surprised at how heavy it felt. ‘It weighs almost 12 lbs [5 kg],’ said Anna.
I handed the skull to Ceri, who commented that it was ‘deathly cold’ to the touch and quickly placed it back on the table.
‘There’s nothing to be frightened of,’ said Anna. ‘People are often frightened when they first see the skull,’ she added.
‘It’s not surprising, really,’ said Jimmy. ‘Just look at how the skull has become a symbol to be feared. It’s either in horror movies, Friday the Thirteenth and all that, or it’s a warning on a bottle of poison.’
It was true, the skull did always seem to be a fearful image in our culture. Its primary purpose always appeared to be to terrify people or warn them of danger.
Anna continued, ‘People usually come to see the skull in twos and threes and often one of them is nervous about seeing him. But the next thing you know they are sitting right near to the skull. They say, “It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s beautiful.” And the joy comes into their faces and they are happy.’
This struck me as rather curious. Here was an image of death that Anna claimed actually made people feel happy. At first