Column: Legends, Lore, Superstitions, and More
The Alaskan wilderness is unforgiving, brutal, and quite literally cold, so it's no big surprise that 16,000 people have gone missing in the Alaskan Triangle since 1988. Some well-known disappearances in the Alaskan Triangle include U.S. Representatives Nick Begich and Hale Boggs, Leonard Lane, and a U.S. Air Force plane.
The Alaskan Triangle is a stretch of wilderness between Anchorage, Barrow, and Juneau uninhabited by humans. The harsh wilderness accompanied by wild animals can be an explanation as to why so many people go missing in the triangle, but not everyone believes it's just the wilderness contributing to all the missing person cases surrounding the Alaskan Triangle.
The Tlingit Tribe credit the Kushtaka or Kooshdakhaa with the ominous disappearances in Alaska. The Kushtaka are often described as otters that shapeshift into men so they can trap the souls of their victims. Stories of the Kushtaka go something like this: If you’re alone, lost, or injured you might be approached by multiple men, in some cases these people look like loved ones or friends. These men lead you into the woods where they either turn you into one of them or kill you. According to this legend, dogs can protect you from the Kushtaka because they are scared of dogs.
Another theory for the strange disappearances includes energy vortexes. Energy vortexes are described to be a center of concentrated energy in the shape of a funnel or cone. These vortexes can allegedly affect humans, whether it be physically or psychologically.
There are both positive and negative energy vortexes, positive ones enhance the flow of positive energy and can aid in meditation and the healing process. Some places notorious for a positive energy vortex include the Pyramids in Egypt, Stonehenge, and multiple cathedrals. On the other hand, negative energy vortexes get rid of positive energy in the surrounding areas. Negative vortexes are notorious for causing depression, confusion, and hallucinations among humans.
The Alaskan triangle is not the only triangle known for spooky disappearances. The Bermuda Triangle is the area between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. This triangle is known for the disappearances of many ships and planes. It’s also said that the Bermuda Triangle is home to another negative energy vortex
Triangles are not only known for spooky happenings, but they are very prominent in spirituality and in many religions. Triangles symbolize the number three because they have three sides, angles, and points. In a lot of cultures, number three represents good things such as creativity, optimism, unity, and wisdom. The number three and triangles also represent trinities such as the Holy Trinity. Threes can also represent birth, life, death, past, present, and future.
One notorious triangle used as symbolism is The Eye of Providence. The Eye of Providence is depicted as an eye in a triangle and is often associated with Christianity
and Freemasonry. It is believed by many that The Eye of Providence on the Great Seal of The United States depicted on the dollar bill symbolizes the critical role freemasons played in the creation of the United States even though Freemasons did not use The Eye of Providence until after the seal was created.
The triangle being used in symbolism isn’t unique to Christianity, Hinduism also uses a triangle to represent the Anja chakra, commonly known as the Third Eye. Yantras in Hindu and Buddhist cultures help aid meditation and often include triangle designs.
Overall, triangles play a big role in symbolism and lore in many cultures.
I love triangles!