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| accessdate = 2010-09-01}}</ref> The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by ], a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world.
| accessdate = 2010-09-01}}</ref> The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by ], a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world.
==Origins==
The first appearance of "]" in literature was in ]'s story, "]", published in '']'' in August 1929. This story drew on the ] ideas of the "lost worlds" of ] and ], particularly ]'s '']'', with its reference to "'dragon-men' who once had a mighty civilization on a Lemurian continent".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Trompf|first1=Garry W.|last2=Bernauer|first2=Lauren|editor1-last=Cusack|editor1-first=Carole|editor2-last=Norman|editor2-first=Alex|title=Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production|date=2012|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=9004221875|pages=113-4|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=5aRyJ-vbrJsC&pg=PA113#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014|chapter=Producing Lost Civilisations: Theosophical Concepts in Literature, Visual Media and Popular Culture}}</ref> Howard's "serpent men" were described as humanoid with human bodies but snake heads, being able to imitate real humans at will. Having been defeated eons ago by the predecessors of King Kull, they remained hiding in underground passages, using their shapechanging and mind control abilities to infiltrate Kull's court.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barkun|first1=Michael|authorlink1=Michael Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America|date=2003|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley and Los Angeles|isbn=0520238052|page=121|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=-0wFZRWKdfoC&dq=Culture+of+Conspiracy%3A+Apocalyptic+Visions+in+Contemporary+America&q=%22the+shadow+kingdom%22#v=snippet&q=%22the%20shadow%20kingdom%22&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref> ] used Howard's "serpent men" in his stories, as well as themes from ], and he, Howard and Lovecraft together laid the basis for the ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mott|first1=William Michael|title=Caverns, Cauldrons, and Concealed Creatures: A Study of Subterranean Mysteries in History, Folklore, and Myth|date=2011|publisher=Grave Distractions Publications|isbn=0982912870|page=27|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=d0l7AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=3 September 2014}}</ref> In the 1940s, a non-fiction writer, Maurice Doreal, wrote a pamphlet entitled "Mysteries Of The Gobi" which described a "serpent race" that had "bodies like man but...heads...like a great snake" and an ability to take true human form.<ref>Barkun (2003), </ref> These creatures also appeared in Doreal's poem, "The Emerald Tablets", in which he claimed the ] were written by "Toth, an Atlantean Priest king". Doreal's ideas almost certainly came from "The Shadow Kingdom", and in turn, "The Emerald Tablets" formed the basis for ]'s book, ''Children of the Matrix''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy|date=2003|pages=120-1|quote=Doreal's 'translation' of the tablets was used extensively by David Icke in his book on the reptilians, ''Children of the Matrix''...Although Doreal and the others spoke of the serpent race as a confirmable historic reality, the idea almost certainly came from pulp fiction...In all likelihood, the notion of a shape-changing serpent race first came from the imagination of an obscure pulp fiction author, Robert E. Howard.}}</ref>
Reptilians (also called reptoids, reptiloids, or draconians) are purported reptilianhumanoids that play a prominent role in science fiction, as well as modern ufology and conspiracy theories. The idea of reptilians on Earth was popularized by David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, reptilians ruling the world.
Origins
The first appearance of "serpent men" in literature was in Robert E. Howard's story, "The Shadow Kingdom", published in Weird Tales in August 1929. This story drew on the Theosophical ideas of the "lost worlds" of Atlantis and Lemuria, particularly Helena Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine, with its reference to "'dragon-men' who once had a mighty civilization on a Lemurian continent". Howard's "serpent men" were described as humanoid with human bodies but snake heads, being able to imitate real humans at will. Having been defeated eons ago by the predecessors of King Kull, they remained hiding in underground passages, using their shapechanging and mind control abilities to infiltrate Kull's court. Clark Ashton Smith used Howard's "serpent men" in his stories, as well as themes from H. P. Lovecraft, and he, Howard and Lovecraft together laid the basis for the Cthulhu Mythos. In the 1940s, a non-fiction writer, Maurice Doreal, wrote a pamphlet entitled "Mysteries Of The Gobi" which described a "serpent race" that had "bodies like man but...heads...like a great snake" and an ability to take true human form. These creatures also appeared in Doreal's poem, "The Emerald Tablets", in which he claimed the titular tablets were written by "Toth, an Atlantean Priest king". Doreal's ideas almost certainly came from "The Shadow Kingdom", and in turn, "The Emerald Tablets" formed the basis for David Icke's book, Children of the Matrix.
Alien abduction
Alien abduction narratives sometimes allege contact with reptilian creatures. One of the earliest reports was that of Ashland, Nebraska police officer Herbert Schirmer, who claims to have been taken aboard a UFO in 1967 by humanoid beings with a slightly reptilian appearance, who wore a "winged serpent" emblem on the left side of their chests.
David Icke
According to British writer David Icke, 5- to 12-foot (1.5–3.7 m) tall, blood-drinking, shape-shifting reptilian humanoids from the Alpha Draconis star system, now hiding in underground bases, are the force behind a worldwide conspiracy against humanity. He contends that most of the world's leaders are related to these reptilians, including George W. Bush of the United States, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Icke's conspiracy theories now have supporters in 47 countries and he has given lectures to crowds of up to 6,000. American writer Vicki Santillano included it in her list of the 10 most popular conspiracy theories, describing it as the "wackiest theory" she had encountered.
A poll of Americans in 2013 by Public Policy Polling showed that 4% of registered voters (+/- 2.8%) believed in David Icke's ideas.
Politics
In the closely fought 2008 U.S. Senate election between comedian and commentator Al Franken and incumbent Senator Norm Coleman, one of the ballots challenged by Coleman included a vote for Franken with "Lizard People" written in the space provided for write-in candidates. Lucas Davenport who later claimed to have written the gag ballot, said, "I don't know if you've heard the conspiracy theory about the Lizard Men; a friend of mine, we didn't like the candidates, so we were at first going to write in 'revolution', because we thought that was good and to the point. And then, we thought 'the Lizard People' would be even funnier."
In February 2011, on the Opie and Anthony radio show, the comedian Louis C.K. asked former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld a number of times if he and Dick Cheney were lizard people who enjoyed the taste of human flesh. Rumsfeld did not answer the question. Louis C.K. interpreted Rumsfeld's refusal to answer as an admission and further suggested that those who are lizard people cannot lie about it; when asked if they are lizards, they either have to avoid answering the question or say yes.
On March 4, 2013, a video depicting a security agent with unusual features guarding a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama was spotlighted in a Wired report about shapeshifting reptilian humanoids, leading to a tongue-in-cheek response from chief National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden that "any alleged program to guard the president with aliens or robots would likely have to be scaled back or eliminated in the sequester."
Skeptical interpretations
Skeptics who adhere to the psychosocial hypothesis of UFOs argue that the "Reptilians" mythos originates from V, a series of science fiction television movies, miniseries and series which first aired in 1983. In V, supposedly peaceful alien "Visitors", who appear human, arrive on Earth in giant flying saucers and initiate first contact. In fact, the Visitors wear masks concealing their true shapes. In their natural form, they resemble humanoid reptiles and eat living mammals. The Visitors commence a stealth alien invasion in which they set out subtly undermining the human, and, specifically, the American way of life. The creators of the series intended this as an allegory of fascism.
A 1934 Los Angeles Times article may have been the origin of such beliefs. The article reported that a geophysicalmining engineer claimed to have discovered subterranean labyrinths beneath Los Angeles to an underground city built by an advanced race of "Lizard People" to escape surface catastrophes some 5,000 years ago. This article, however, had remained obscure in the intervening years, even among consumers of conspiracy theories.
Trompf, Garry W.; Bernauer, Lauren (2012). "Producing Lost Civilisations: Theosophical Concepts in Literature, Visual Media and Popular Culture". In Cusack, Carole; Norman, Alex (eds.). Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production. Leiden: Brill. pp. 113–4. ISBN9004221875. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
Barkun (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy. pp. 120–1. Doreal's 'translation' of the tablets was used extensively by David Icke in his book on the reptilians, Children of the Matrix...Although Doreal and the others spoke of the serpent race as a confirmable historic reality, the idea almost certainly came from pulp fiction...In all likelihood, the notion of a shape-changing serpent race first came from the imagination of an obscure pulp fiction author, Robert E. Howard.
