A True Story
Welcome to Digging Up Ancient Aliens. The podcast where we examine strange claims about alternative history and ancient aliens in popular media. Do their claims hold water to an archeologist, or are there better explanations out there?
We are now on episode 66, and I am Fredrik, your guide into the world of pseudo-archaeology. It’s summer, and I’m out traveling at the moment. This got me thinking about space travel of sorts. Within Ancient Aliens, we often hear these claims that the descriptions in the myths, stories, and accounts are people describing UFOs with the vocabulary they had access to. So when they speak of a giant flying fire-spitting dragon, they mean space rocket. As I have discussed throughout this show, this often just misrepresents what the authors really wanted to represent. In some cases, the text Ancient Aliens cites does not even contain the descriptions they claim.
But this got me thinking. How would an ancient person attempt to describe space travel? Lucky for us, there’s one ancient author who did just this. In the second century CE, Lucian of Samosata wrote a short story titled “A true story.” Some claim that this is the first Sci-Fi novel in history. And it’s because it contains space travel, battles between alien beings, and intergalactic exchange. There are even descriptions of alien abductions. In reality, Lucian isn’t trying to make a Sci-Fi novel but a satirical criticism regarding travel books and the works of some historians. I think this novel might be of value to us because it’s someone from history providing us an insight into how they would picture space travel.
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A True Story
Based on Francis Hickes's translation and updated for modern languages by Fredrik Trusohamn
Just like athletes and wrestlers who work on their strength and agility, take care of their health, follow a regular exercise routine, and take breaks to stay in top shape, I believe scholars and students should do the same. After diving deep into serious studies, they should take a little break to refresh their minds. This way, they'll be better prepared for ongoing study sessions.
These breaks will be even more effective if spent on reading materials that aren't just enjoyable and provoke exciting thoughts. I think my books fit this purpose perfectly. They not only entertain with their unique subjects and engaging storytelling but also invite readers to think critically. In my writing, I use humor to poke fun at the old poets, historians, and philosophers who have recorded some pretty outrageous and untrue stories. I haven't named them directly, but you'll recognize them easily.
Take Ctesias, for example. He wrote about India and its customs, but he had never seen those places or heard about them from anyone credible. Iambulus also penned many tall tales about the ocean, which everyone knew were made up but still found entertaining. Many others have followed suit, writing about their travels and describing bizarre animals and fierce humans with strange lifestyles. However, the original storyteller of this genre was Homer’s Ulysses. He spun incredible yarns for Alcinous about controlling the winds, one-eyed men who ate raw flesh, multi-headed beasts, and friends transformed by magic potions – and he convinced the gullible Phæakes it was all true.
Seeing all this, I couldn’t fault ordinary people for lying when even so-called philosophers did it. But I was amazed that they didn’t expect to be caught despite writing such apparent lies. This inspired me to leave my mark too – I didn't want to be the only one not enjoying the liberty of lying. I created my own stories since I had no actual events worth writing about. But I’m more honest about it: I openly admit I lie. Hopefully, this confession will excuse the rest of my work as I write about things I haven’t seen, experienced, or heard from others – things that never existed and never will. So, don’t take any of it seriously.
With a favorable wind, I set sail from the Pillars of Hercules one day. I was driven by sheer curiosity, a desire for new experiences, and a longing to discover the ocean's boundaries and the people living on distant shores. I stocked up on food and water, gathered fifty like-minded companions, equipped ourselves with plenty of supplies, hired an experienced pilot, and readied a sturdy ship for the long and challenging journey ahead.
We sailed on with a favorable wind for a day and a night, taking it easy as long as we could see land. But the following day, just as the sun rose, the wind picked up, the waves grew wild, and a thick darkness fell over us. We couldn't even see well enough to lower the sails, so we let the ship ride the storm. For seventy-nine days, we were tossed about by this storm. On the eightieth day, the sun suddenly broke through, and we spotted an island not too far off. It was full of mountains and woods, and the sea around it was much calmer. We eagerly headed for it, went ashore, and collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted from our ordeal at sea. After resting for a long time, we finally got up and divided into groups: thirty stayed to guard the ship, while I took twenty others to explore the island.
We hadn't gone more than 600 meters through the woods when we came upon a bronze pillar with worn Greek letters inscribed saying, "Hercules and Bacchus traveled this far."
Nearby, we found two large carvings in a rock: one about the size of an Olympic swimming pool and the other smaller. I guessed the smaller one was Bacchus, and the larger one was Hercules. After paying our respects, we continued our journey. Before long, we came to a river that seemed to flow with rich wine, like the best from Chios. It was wide enough in some places to carry a ship, which made me believe the inscription on the pillar even more, seeing these clear signs of Bacchus's travels. We decided to follow the river upstream to find its source. When we reached the head, we found no spring but countless enormous vine trees—from their roots flowed pure wine, creating the river. The stream was also full of fish that looked and tasted like wine. Those who ate them got drunk because they were full of wine dregs. We mixed some freshwater fish with them to tone down the strong taste of the wine.
We then crossed the river, where it was shallow, and found ourselves in a forest of incredible vines. The vines had sturdy trunks, but from the hips up, they turned into women, like how Daphne is depicted when she transformed into a tree to escape Apollo. These vine-women had branches full of grapes sprouting from their fingers, and their hair was made of vine tendrils and grape clusters. When we approached, they greeted us, shook our hands, and spoke in Lydian, Indian, and mostly Greek. They also kissed us, but whoever got kissed would immediately get drunk and lose control for a while. They couldn’t stand having their grapes picked and would scream if anyone tried.
Some of them wanted to be intimate with us, and two of our men accepted their offer. Afterward, they couldn’t break free and became rooted to the ground, with branches and tendrils sprouting from their fingers, ready to bear fruit. Seeing this, we fled to our ship and told the others what had happened, how our comrades were entangled with the vines. We filled containers with water and wine from the river and spent the night near the shore.
We set sail again the next day, although the wind was relatively weak. A sudden whirlwind hit us around noon after we had lost sight of the island. It spun our ship around, lifted us about 600,000 meters into the air, and kept us there. We were carried aloft by a mighty wind that filled our sails. For seven days and nights, we were blown along in this manner. On the eighth day, we spotted a large, shiny island in the sky, glowing brightly. We approached and landed, finding the place inhabited and well-kept.
During the day, we couldn’t see much, but at night, many other islands appeared, some larger and some smaller, all glowing like fire. Beneath us, we saw another land with cities, seas, rivers, woods, and mountains, which we figured was our own Earth. As we ventured further into the land, we were captured by the Hippogypians, who rode giant vultures instead of horses. These vultures had three heads each, and their feathers were bigger than the masts of tall ships. The Hippogypians' job was to patrol the land and bring any strangers to their king.
We were taken to the king, who guessed we were Greeks based on our appearance. He asked how we had managed to travel through so much air. We told him our story, and he shared his own: he was once a man named Endymion who had been taken from Earth while sleeping and brought to this place, where Endymion somehow became king. He told us that this land was what we see as the moon from Earth. He assured us we had nothing to fear and would be well cared for. He also mentioned that if his ongoing war with the inhabitants of the sun went well, we would live in great happiness with him.
We asked about his enemies and the cause of the war. He explained that Phaethon, king of the sun's inhabitants, had been waging war against them because Endymion had planned to send a colony to the Morning Star, a deserted land. Phaethon had thwarted this plan by sending his Hippomyrmicks, who intercepted them. Endymion now intended to renew the war and send the colony again. He invited us to join his expedition, promising us the best vultures and all necessary armor as they were setting out the next day. We agreed enthusiastically.
That evening, we were feasted and stayed with him. As our scouts reported the enemy was near, we prepared for battle in the morning. Endymion's forces numbered one hundred thousand, plus carriers, engineers, foot soldiers, and additional allies. Eighty thousand were Hippogypians, and twenty thousand rode Lachanopters, giant birds with leaves instead of feathers. There were also Cenchrobolians, Scorodomachians, and reinforcements from the Bear Star: thirty thousand Psyllotoxotans, who rode giant fleas, and fifty thousand Anemodromians, who flew through the air using large mantles like sails.
Expected reinforcements from the stars over Cappadocia included seventy thousand Struthobalanians and five thousand Hippogeranians, but they hadn't arrived yet. Endymion's army was well-equipped with helmets made from large bean hulls and breastplates from lupin shells, making them as tough as horns. Their shields and swords resembled those from Greece. The Hippogypians formed the right wing, with the king and his best soldiers, including us. The Lachanopters took the left wing and arranged the rest in the center. The foot soldiers, about six thousand myriads, were led by Nycterion, son of Eudianax, and two others. Giant spiders spun a web between the Moon and the Morning Star, creating a field where the foot soldiers were positioned.
On the enemy's side, the left wing was made up of the Hippomyrmicks, led by Phaethon. These creatures were enormous, winged, and looked like giant ants. The largest ones were about the size of football fields, and not only did the riders fight, but the ants also caused a lot of damage with their horns. There were fifty thousand of them. In the right wing were the Aeroconopes, also fifty thousand strong, all archers riding giant gnats. Next came the Aerocardakes, lightly armed foot soldiers who were good in battle, throwing giant turnips from slings. Anyone hit by these turnips would soon die from the horrible smell, as they were coated with a toxic mallow substance. Following them were fifty thousand Caulomycetes, heavily armed soldiers with mushroom shields and asparagus stalk spears. Nearby were the Cynobalanians, sent from the Dog Star, men with dog faces riding on winged acorns.
The slingers from the Milky Way and the Nephelocentaurs arrived too late to help as the battle was over. In fact, the slingers never showed up at all, which angered Phaethon so much that he overran their country.
These were the forces Phaethon brought to the battle. When the signal was given, and the asses (not that ass, a donkey, of course) on either side brayed (they used these instead of trumpets), the fight began. The left wing of the Sun soldiers quickly fled from the Hippogypians, leading to a significant slaughter. However, the right wing of the Sun soldiers pushed back our left wing until they reached our foot soldiers. Our foot soldiers joined forces and made the enemies turn and flee, especially after realizing their left wing was defeated.
Thus, the enemy was entirely routed, with many captured and slain. Blood was spilled everywhere, some falling on the clouds, making them appear red like during a sunset, and some dropping to Earth. I think Homer might have gotten his idea of Jupiter raining blood from something similar.
After the pursuit, we set up two monuments for our glory and victory: one for the ground battle on the spiders' web and another for the aerial fight on the clouds. Just as we finished, our scouts reported that the Nephelocentaurs were approaching. They should have joined Phaethon before the battle. When they came into view, they were a sight to behold—monsters with the bodies of flying horses and the upper halves of men as big as the Rhodian Colossus and large ships. The Sagittarius led them from the Zodiac. Upon learning of their allies' defeat, they sent a messenger to Phaethon to restart the fight. They quickly arranged themselves and attacked the Moon soldiers, who were scattered while gathering spoils. The Moon soldiers were routed, the king was chased into his city, most of his birds were killed, the trophies were overturned, and the spiders' spun territory was conquered. My two companions and I were captured alive.
When Phaethon arrived, they set up their monuments instead to celebrate their victory. The following day, we were taken to the Sun with our arms bound behind us with a piece of the cobweb. They didn’t lay siege to the city but built a double wall of clouds in the sky to block the sunlight from reaching the Moon, causing a total eclipse and perpetual night.
Deep troubled by the darkness, Endymion sent ambassadors to plead for the wall to be torn down, promising to pay tribute, be a friend, and never again rise against Phaethon. Phaethon's council met twice; at first, they refused, but the next day, they reconsidered and agreed to these terms:
"The Sun people (Heliotans) and their allies have made peace with the Moon people (Selenitans) and their allies under these terms: The Sun people will take down the wall and release the prisoners for a fair ransom. The Moon people will leave the other stars alone and not start any wars with the Sun people. Instead, they will help each other if either is attacked. The Moon king will pay the Sun king a yearly tribute of ten thousand vessels of dew and provide ten thousand of their people as hostages to ensure their loyalty. Both groups will jointly send a colony to the Morning Star, allowing anyone else to join if they want. These peace terms will be engraved on an amber pillar, to be erected in the sky at the border of their lands. The Sun people representatives, Pyronides, Therites, and Phlogius, and the Moon people representatives, Nyctor, Menius, and Polylampes, have sworn to uphold these terms."
With that, peace was concluded, the wall was demolished, and we prisoners were freed. When we returned to the Moon, Endymion, and his friends welcomed us with open arms and tears of joy. He asked us to stay and join the colony, even offering me his son in marriage (since no women were there). I politely declined, wanting to return to the sea. After seven days of feasting, he reluctantly allowed us to leave.
Now, let me share some bizarre things I observed during my stay. First, they are not born of women but of men. They have no concept of women. Until they turn twenty-five, they are given in marriage to others, and after that, they take others in marriage themselves, not unlike the practice of Pederasty in Athens. When a baby is conceived, the man's leg swells. When it's time for birth, they make an incision and take the baby out, which is initially dead. They open the baby's mouth towards the wind, and it comes to life. This might be why Greeks call it the 'belly of the leg,' as it serves the same purpose.
Even stranger, there are men called Dendritans who are born in a rather macabre way. They cut out the right testicle from a man and plant it in the ground. From this grows a tree of flesh with branches and leaves, bearing fruit that looks like a cubit-long acorn. When ripe, they harvest these fruits and cut out men from them. Their private parts can be attached and removed as needed. Rich men have ones made of ivory, while poor men use wooden ones. These are used for procreation and intimate relations.
When a man reaches his full age, he doesn't die in the usual sense; instead, he dissolves into smoke and turns into air. Their food is unique: they light a fire and broil frogs, which are plentiful and fly through the air. As the frogs cook, they gather around the fire and inhale the smoke, which is their meal. For drink, they beat the air in a mortar until it becomes moist, like dew. They don't have to worry about excreting waste since they produce none.
Their boys engage in a form of intimacy that's different from ours, using a small opening behind their legs. Being bald is considered very attractive, and hairy people are looked down upon, except among the comet stars, where hair is admired. They grow beards above their knees and have no toenails; their feet are just one big toe. Each person has a long, unbreakable cabbage-like tail growing from their backside. The mucus from their noses is sweeter than honey.
When they work or exercise, they rub their bodies with milk. If some of their sweet mucus mixes with the milk, it becomes cheese. They produce a fragrant, high-quality oil from beans. They have many vines that produce water instead of wine, and the grape clusters resemble hailstones. I believe that when a strong wind shakes these vines, it causes hailstorms on Earth.
Their bellies act as pouches to store their belongings, which they can open and close at will. They don't have livers or entrails; their insides are rough and hairy, allowing them to keep their young warm inside their bellies. Rich people wear soft, delicate garments made of glass, while the poor wear clothes woven from brass, which they soften with water, much like we do with wool.
Their eyes are remarkable: they can take them in and out as they please. If someone wants to rest their eyes, they can simply remove them and set them aside until needed again. Those who lose their eyes can borrow from others, as the rich often have extra pairs lying around. Their ears are made from the leaves of plane trees, except those born from acorns, which have wooden ears.
I saw another strange thing in that same court: a colossal glass lying over a shallow pit. Anyone who descends into the pit can hear everything happening on Earth. And if they look into the glass, they can see all the cities and nations as clearly as they were there. I saw all my friends and the whole country around me. Whether they saw me or not, I can't say. If you don't believe it, go there yourself, and you'll see I'm telling the truth.
We set sail again after saying our goodbyes to the king and his courtiers. Endymion gave me two glass mantles, five brass ones, and a complete set of armor made from lupin shells, all of which I left behind in the whale. He also sent a thousand Hippogypians to escort us for 11,000 kilometers. We passed many other lands along the way and finally arrived at the Morning Star, now newly inhabited. We landed, got fresh water, and continued our journey through the Zodiac, passing by the Sun. Although our crew wanted to land in the Sun's country, the wind didn't allow it. We saw it was a lush, well-watered land full of delights.
The Nephelocentaurs, who were mercenaries for Phaethon, spotted us. Realizing we were friendly, they left us alone since our Hippogypian escorts had departed. We sailed through the night and day, and by evening, we arrived at a city called Lychnopolis, located in the air between the Pleiades and the Hyades, just below the Zodiac. We saw no people in this city, only countless lights moving around. Some were in the marketplace, some at the harbor. There were small, humble, and large, magnificent lights, each with its own place and name. We heard them speak.
The lights didn't harm us but invited us to feast with them. However, we were too scared to eat or sleep while we were there. The court of justice stood in the city center, where the governor sat all night, calling each light by name. Those who didn't respond were sentenced to "death," which meant being extinguished. We witnessed these proceedings, heard the lights explain their lateness, and even spoke to our own light, learning about affairs back home.
We spent the night there and returned to our ship the following day. As we sailed near the clouds, we caught sight of the city Nephelococcygia, which amazed us, but we didn't enter because of the wind. Its king was Coronus, son of Cottyphion. I couldn't help but think of the poet Aristophanes, realizing how wise and truthful he was and how little reason there is to doubt his writings.
On the third day after our departure, we finally saw the ocean again, though we could only see the floating lands in the air, which looked fiery and glittering. By noon on the fourth day, the wind gently calmed and settled us slowly back into the sea. As soon as we realized we were on the water again, we were overjoyed and couldn't contain our happiness. We celebrated with the provisions we had, swam around for fun since the sea was calm, and made merry.
However, a turn for the better can often lead to greater troubles. After just two days of smooth sailing, on the third day at sunrise, we encountered many monstrous fishes and whales. One whale, in particular, was enormous—about 330,000 meters in size. It approached us with its mouth wide open, stirring the sea into a frothy mess. Its teeth, longer than any beech tree and as sharp as needles, gleamed white like ivory. Thinking this was the end, we embraced and said what we thought was our final goodbyes.
The monster reached us quickly and swallowed our ship whole, but luckily, it didn't crush us. Instead, our ship slipped through its gaping mouth and slid into its stomach. We were in complete darkness until the whale opened its mouth again. Then we saw that we were inside a monstrous whale, big enough to contain a city of ten thousand people. There were bits of fish, ship masts, anchors, human bones, and luggage scattered around. In the middle was a land with hills, likely formed from the mud settling inside the whale. Woods, trees of all kinds, and various herbs grew there, making it look like a farmed landscape. The land was about 5,200 kilometers in circumference, and there were all sorts of sea birds nesting in the trees.
At first, we wept abundantly, but eventually, I rallied my crew. We propped up our ship, struck a fire, and prepared supper with the abundance of fish around us. Fortunately, we still had enough water from the Morning Star to sustain us.
The following day, we woke early to watch for the whale's gaping mouth. Through it, we could sometimes see mountains, sometimes just the sky, and often islands. The whale moved swiftly through the sea. Tired of this, I took seven of my crew and ventured into the woods to see what we could find. After about a kilometer, we found a temple dedicated to Neptune and several sepulchers with pillars and a clear water fountain. We also heard a dog barking and saw smoke in the distance, indicating habitation nearby.
Hurrying along, we found an older man and a young boy tending a garden and channeling water from the fountain. Both they and we were struck with joy and fear, and we all stood mute for a while. The old man finally spoke, asking, "Who are you? Spirits of the sea or miserable men like us? We were born and bred on Earth but now live within this whale, unsure of our existence. We feel like dead men who believe they are alive."
I replied, "Father, we are men too. We were swallowed up with our ship just yesterday and came into these woods hoping to find something good. Some kind angel must have guided us to you, showing us we are not alone in this monster. Please, tell us your story."
The old man said, "You shall hear nothing from me until you've shared our food." He then took us to his humble home, where he served us herbs, nuts, fish, and wine. After we were satisfied, he asked about our adventures. I told him everything: the storm, the island, our flight through the air, the war, and our dive into the whale. He was amazed and began to share his tale.
"I am from the isle of Cyprus," he said. "I was a merchant traveling with my son and many friends, on a voyage to Italy in a large ship filled with merchandise. You may have seen the wreckage in the whale's mouth. We sailed well until we reached Sicily, where a terrible storm drove us into the ocean. There, we encountered this whale, which swallowed us all. Only my son and I survived; the rest perished. We buried them and built a temple to Neptune. Since then, we've lived here, planting herbs, eating fish and nuts, using the abundant wood, and enjoying the delicate wine from the vines. We have a well of cool water and make beds from tree leaves. We catch birds and fish on the whale's gills. There's even a saltwater lake nearby, about 400 kilometers in circumference, where we swim and sail in a boat I made. This is our twenty-seventh year here. We might be content if not for our troublesome neighbors."
"Are there others here besides you?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Many, and they are unfriendly and monstrous. The western part, near the whale's tail, is inhabited by the Tarychanians, who look like eels with lobster faces. They are warlike and eat raw flesh. To the right are the Tritonomendetans, with human upper bodies and cat lower bodies, who are less hostile. The left side is home to the Carcinochirians and the Thinnocephalians, who are allied. The middle region belongs to the Paguridians and the Psettopodians, who are swift and warlike. The eastern part, near the whale's mouth, is mostly deserted and overwashed by the sea. I live there, paying an annual tribute of five hundred oysters to the Psettopodians."
Many nations inhabit this land. We needed to decide whether to fight them or find a way to live among them. I asked, "How many are there?"
"More than a thousand," he replied.
"And what kind of weapons do they have?" I asked.
"None, just fish bones," he said.
"Then it's best to fight them," I suggested, "since we're better armed. If we defeat them, we can live without fear." We all agreed and went back to our ship to gather our weapons. The reason for the war started when we didn't pay the tribute due. They sent messengers to demand it, but Scintharus, the older man, gave them a harsh and scornful reply and sent them away empty-handed.
Scintharus's response angered the Psettopodians and Paguridians, who came against us with great noise. Expecting this, we prepared ourselves. We placed twenty-five of our men in ambush, instructing them to attack once the enemy had passed. They did so, springing from their hiding places and attacking the enemy from the rear. We, another twenty-five, including Scintharus and his son, advanced to meet them head-on with great courage and strength. Ultimately, we defeated them and chased them back to their dens.
We killed one hundred and seventy of the enemy, losing only one of our own besides Trigles, our pilot, who was pierced through the back with a fish rib. That day and the following night, we stayed in our trenches and set up a dry dolphin backbone as a victory trophy.
The following day, the rest of the inhabitants realized what had happened and came to attack us. The Tarychanians, led by Pelamus, took the right wing. The Thinnocephalians were on the left, and the Carcinochirians formed the main battle line. The Tritonomendetans, however, stayed out of it and didn't join either side. We met them near Neptune's temple and engaged in battle with a loud cry that echoed through the whale-like cave. But since they were unarmed and naked, we quickly defeated them and chased them into the woods, taking control of the land.
Soon after, they sent ambassadors to ask for the bodies of their dead and to negotiate peace. We had no intention of making peace, so the next day, we attacked and killed all of them except the Tritonomendetans, who fled through the whale's gills into the sea. We then explored the now-deserted country, living there without fear of enemies. We spent our time exercising, hunting, planting vineyards, and enjoying the fruits of the trees, living like men who had the world at their disposal, albeit in a vast, inescapable prison.
We lived this way for a year and eight months. On the fifth day of the ninth month, when the whale opened its mouth for the second time that hour (we guessed the time based on this), we suddenly heard a loud cry and a mighty noise like sailors shouting and oars moving, which startled us. We crept up to the whale's mouth and, standing within its teeth, saw the strangest sight: enormous men, 100 meters tall, sailing on huge islands as if they were ships.
I know this sounds unbelievable, but here it is. The islands were long but not very high, about 2000 kilometers in circumference. Each island carried twenty-eight of these giant men, who sat on either side rowing with entire cypress trees, branches, and all, as oars. At the back, the captain stood on a high hill with a brazen rudder 200 meters long. At the front, forty soldiers, looking like men except for their flaming hair, stood ready for battle. They didn't need helmets as their hair burned brightly. The island's trees acted as sails, catching the wind and moving the island like a ship, directed by pilots.
At first, we saw only two or three of these islands, but soon, there were no less than six hundred. They divided into two groups and prepared to battle. Many collided and broke apart; some capsized and drowned. The soldiers fought fiercely, showing great bravery, with no prisoners taken. Instead of iron grapples, they used giant polypodes, which they threw to latch onto the other islands, securing them in place. They hurled enormous oysters and sponges the size of three tennis courts at each other as weapons.
The leaders were Æolocentaurus on one side and Thalassopotes on the other. Their quarrel was over a stolen booty; Thalassopotes had allegedly driven away many flocks of dolphins belonging to Æolocentaurus, as we gathered from their shouts and calls to their kings. Æolocentaurus won the day, sinking 150 of the enemy's islands and capturing three with all their men. The rest fled but were not pursued far, as it was getting late. The victors salvaged what they could from the wrecks and took their dead away. They lost eighty islands in the battle.
The victors erected a monument to their victory by fastening one of the enemy islands on a stake on the whale's head. They anchored near the whale that night with massive, strong glass anchors. The following day, after sacrificing on the whale and burying their dead, they sailed away triumphantly, singing songs of victory. And that was the remarkable battle of the islands.