The Man Who Voyaged to Hollow Earth

Olaf Jansen was a Norwegian who gave an account of his voyage to this Hollow Earth. Hollow Earth is a long-held theory by some that there is a whole world within our world. This hearty Norwegian in the 1800s had a father and uncle who encouraged him into ship owning and eventually he was able to sell the business, move to the Midwest of American in 1901, he moved on to Los Angeles. He spent the rest of his life drawing maps of new lands they found. 

He recounted (here)  that in 1829, he and family members headed to Lofoden Islands in upper Norway in the Norwegian Sea.  

They moved on to Hammerfast and heading to Spitzbergen.

The sea became icy and they had to dodge icebergs. They then proceeded to lift anchor and head through Hinlopen Straits.  

His father wanted to continue on to Franz Josef Land where he had found tusks that brought him good money in Stockholm.

Winds being favorable, they finally landed on the west coast of Franz Josef Land. "One could hardly believe it was the Northland. The place was green with growing vegetation, and while the area did not comprise more than one or two acres, yet the air was warm and tranquil. It seemed to be at that point where the Gulf Stream's influence is most keenly felt."

Olaf wrote in his journal; "My father was an ardent believer in Odin and Thor, and had frequently told me they were gods who came from far beyond the `North Wind.' There was a tradition, my father explained, that still farther northward was a land more beautiful than any that mortal man had ever known, and that it was inhabited by the `Chosen.'"

Olaf preceded to tell a very extremely detailed account of the most unusual world they had entered. 

There was not a single man aboard who would not have measured fully twelve feet in height. They all wore full beards, not particularly long, but seemingly short-cropped. They had mild and beautiful faces, exceedingly fair, with ruddy complexions. The hair and beard of some were black, others sandy, and still others yellow. The captain, as we designated the dignitary in command of the great vessel, was fully a head taller than any of his companions. The women averaged from ten to eleven feet in height. Their features were especially regular and refined, while their complexion was of a most delicate tint heightened by a healthful glow.

I never saw such a display of gold. It was everywhere. The door-casings were inlaid and the tables were veneered with sheetings of gold. Domes of the public buildings were of gold. It was used most generously in the finishings of the great temples of music.

Vegetation grew in lavish exuberance, and fruit of all kinds possessed the most delicate flavor. Clusters of grapes four and five feet in length, each grape as large as an orange, and apples larger than a man's head typified the wonderful growth of all things on the "inside" of the earth.

The great redwood trees of California would be considered mere underbrush compared with the giant forest trees extending for miles and miles in all directions. In many directions along the foothills of the mountains vast herds of cattle were seen during the last day of our travel on the river.


Many have claimed to have happened upon this nirvana-like land in Hollow Earth where the climate is beautiful, the lands are rich, the people are tall, long-lived and happy. In fact, even in recent years a voyager got together a team and funds to make the trek to the Northern Seas, though he passed away before it happened. 

Come on, Josh Gates, here's your chance! 

Although it sounds extraordinary, so did the concepts of life in boiling waters and in an icy subglacial lake or very deep in the pressurized bottom of the ocean. Our concepts of life on our earth needs some tweaking. After all, it was only in recent years we found jets and sprites in our upper atmosphere. 

**Tomorrow's post is "Dangers From the Sea!"**