Robert Charroux

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Robert Charroux was the best-known pen-name of Robert Joseph Grugeau (April 7, 1909 - June
24, 1978). He was a French author known for his writings on the ancient astronaut theme.[1]
Contents
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1Career

2Ancient astronauts

3Other views

4Rennes-le-Chteau

5Publications

6References

Career[edit]
Charroux worked for the French post office and wrote eight works of fiction between 1942-1946
using the pseudonym Saint-Saviol. He also wrote the scripts for a French comic strip, Atomas, about
an atomic-powered superhero, appearing in the weekly magazine Mon Journal in the late 1940s. For
the same magazine Charroux wrote a science fictionadventure in serial form, "Prof. Barthelemy's
Flying Island." He first began using the pseudonym Charroux in 1942, that became his regular
pseudonym from 1962 onwards.
Robert Charroux married Yvette Bernuchot in April 1930. They lived in rue St Sulpice in Paris during
the late 1950s.
In 1976 he began making plans to be buried in the cemetery of Charroux.

Ancient astronauts[edit]
Charroux was a pioneer of the theory of ancient astronauts, publishing at least six non-fiction works
in this genre in the last decade of his life, including One Hundred Thousand Years of Man's
Unknown History (1963, 1970), Forgotten Worlds (1973), Masters of the World (1974), The Gods
Unknown (1974) and Legacy of the Gods (1974).

The influence that Charroux's first work (in its 1963 version) had on Erich Von Dniken's first books
(ca. 1966), as well as the influence that Von Dniken's early books had on Charroux, is widely
appreciated, but Von Dniken seems to have been equally familiar with an earlier French work, The
Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier (1960), which is likely to have been
a direct inspiration for both Charroux and Von Dniken. Charroux's publisher contacted Von
Dniken's in March 1968 concerning evidence of plagiarism, with the result that later printings
of Chariots of the Gods and Return to the Stars at least mentioned Charroux in the bibliography.
Charroux's theories concerning Ancient Astronauts were criticised by French archaeologist JeanPierre Adam in 1975.[2] His works have been described as pseudohistory.[3]

Other views[edit]
Some see his works as examples of Celticism. Celticism, similar to Nordicism, was a popular
Nationalistic movement in France and Celtic countries in the early 20th century. He suggested in his
book Lost Worlds: Scientific Secrets of the Ancients, that the Mayans and ancient Peruvians were
ancient Celtic migrants. According to Charroux, the candle stick of the Andes and the Nasca Lines
were created by a pre-Celtic civilization, perhaps the same as those who created the Long Man of
Wilmington of Sussex in England.[4] He also related the white skinned Gods mentioned in the Popul
Vuh to ancient Celts from Hyperborea.
Writing in his book Lost Worlds Charroux rejected evolution, instead he argued for human
devolution. Charroux claimed that man is regressing and was superior in the past; he claimed that
"Atlantis and Mu are not dreams of spiritualists, but realities of a mysterious era". He further
explained that the Atlantans and Hyperboreans were the ancestors ofmodern humans, and the first
humans on earth were originally extraterrestrial. [5]
Unlike most ancient astronaut writers, Charroux took a large interest in racialism. According to
Charroux, Hyperborea was situated between Iceland and Greenland and was the home of
a Nordic White race with blonde hair and blue eyes. Charroux claimed that this race
was extraterrestrial in origin and had originally come from a cold planet situated far from the sun.
[6]
Charroux also claimed that the White race of the Hyperboreans and their ancestors the Celts had
dominated the whole world in the ancient past. Some of these beliefs have influenced Esoteric
Nazism such as the work of Miguel Serrano.[7][8]

Rennes-le-Chteau[edit]
Robert Charroux developed an active interest in the alleged treasure of Rennes-le-Chteau,
following up claims made by Noel Corbu in the local press in 1956 that it was discovered
by Brenger Saunire during the late 19th century. In 1958, with his wife Yvette and Denise
Carvenne,[9] member of The Treasure Seekers' Club (that he founded in 1951), he scanned the
village and its church for treasure using a metal detector. Charroux also distributed a leaflet about
this entitled Lbouriffante histoire du "cur aux milliards"that has not survived, but is referred to in
French newspapers of the period.[10][11] He described his activities there in his 1962 book Trsors du
Monde enterres, emmurs, engloutis (Fayard) that was published in English in 1967.[12]

Publications[edit]

One Hundred Thousand Years Of Mans Unknown History (1963) (English Translation 1970)

Treasures Of The World (1967)

The Mysterious Unknown (1972)

Lost Worlds: Scientific Secrets of The Ancients and Their Warning For Our Time (1973)

The Mysterious Past (1974)

Legacy Of The Gods (1974)

The Mysteries Of The Andes (1977)

Masters Of The World: Groundbreaking New Revelations About The Ancient

Astronauts (1979)