The long history behind the reptilian conspiracy theory.

The ancient roots of the reptilian conspiracy theory

If you have spent any time wandering through the stranger corners of the internet, you will have seen the wild claims that shape the reptilian conspiracy theory. It is the story that tries to explain why certain people rise to global influence and why governments and major corporations take decisions that seem to defy reason. Online communities point fingers at Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, George W Bush, Barack Obama, and both Hillary and Bill Clinton, calling them reptilian overlords who secretly pull the strings of world affairs.

The idea sounds modern. Yet the belief that reptile-like beings guide or control humanity began long before social media, long before printed books, and long before the first recorded empires. Ancient cultures filled their myths with serpent figures linked to creation, destruction, knowledge, and judgement. The fact that the reptilian conspiracy theory predates recorded history have some people speculating that they may be true. These early stories created a foundation that still influences today’s claims about hidden reptilian rulers.

These ancient stories were not political warnings. They were attempts to explain the natural world and the forces believed to shape it. Yet they provided the raw material that modern conspiracy thinkers would later reshape into a narrative of manipulation and hidden power.

In Mesopotamia, Tiamat was shown in serpentine or dragon-like form and represented the primal sea from which the cosmos emerged. Her defeat by Marduk was not a tale of secret rule but of order triumphing over chaos.

In India, the Nāga were powerful semi-divine beings linked to water, fertility, and protection. They lived in an underworld realm and interacted with gods and humans alike. In China, the dragon held an exalted place as a symbol of imperial authority and heavenly favour. It was a harbinger of rain and good fortune, not a force lurking in the shadows.

Other traditions explored the serpent as a keeper of knowledge. The figure in the Garden of Eden tempted humanity with an understanding it was not meant to possess. In Mesoamerica, the feathered serpent gods Quetzalcoatl and Kukulkan were patrons of learning and civilisation.

These stories contributed to a global symbolic vocabulary in which serpents could be wise, dangerous, primordial, or divine. All of these ideas sat dormant in culture for centuries, waiting for reinterpretation.

From myth to fiction: The birth of a modern template

Just like today, our ancestors tried to explain decisions made by the ruling elite that may defy logic and/or common sense. Since reptiles like warmer climates, our reptilian overlords may be intentionally heating the earth through global warming, or releasing viruses to maintain a manageable human population. So what was genesis of the modern day reptilian conspiracy theory?

The first recognisable ancestor of today’s reptilian conspiracy theory emerged in early twentieth-century fiction. Robert E Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian, introduced the “Serpent Men’’ in his 1929 story The Shadow Kingdom.

This tale appeared in Weird Tales and followed King Kull of Atlantis as he uncovered an infiltration of his court by shape-shifting reptilian beings. They could mimic humans perfectly, replacing advisers, manipulating kingdoms, and seeking to reclaim ancient dominance over a world they once ruled.

Howard described a deep past in which reptilian civilisations held power before the rise of humanity. Their defeat drove them underground, where they plotted their return. This story gave the genre a clear structure: an ancient reptilian race, skilled in deception, working through infiltration rather than open conflict. Howard’s Serpent Men were embedded in a grand mythic history that spanned from the prehistoric Thurian Age to the later Hyborian Age of Conan.

This fictional setting proved remarkably influential. Later adaptations and expansions brought serpent imagery deeper into popular culture. Conan the Adventurer placed the Serpent Men as central antagonists, serving the sorcerer Wrath-Amon.

In the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film, Thulsa Doom led a snake cult and transformed into a vast serpent. The Serpent Ring of Set, a powerful relic tied to ancient reptilian magic, appeared across multiple stories featuring Conan, Solomon Kane, and other characters. It became a symbol of a lingering, malevolent influence capable of surviving through ages by passing through the hands of rulers and sorcerers.

The concept flourished beyond Howard’s works. Writers such as HP Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith echoed the idea of pre-human reptilian civilisations in their own mythologies. Television shows like Land of the Lost, Doctor Who, and V carried the concept into mainstream entertainment.

Films such as They Live, Society, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers explored the theme of hidden inhuman forces replacing leaders or living among ordinary people. These stories collectively shaped the cultural imagination, preparing the ground for a conspiracy theory long before it gained a name.

The theosophical influence and the search for ancient races

Howard himself was influenced by the esoteric movements of his era, particularly the writings of Helena Blavatsky. Her Theosophical teachings proposed a series of ancient, pre-human races, lost continents, and knowledge passed down from forgotten ages.

She wrote of serpent-like peoples and Atlantean civilisations, claiming they were remnants of a distant epoch rather than inventions. These ideas did not attempt to expose global control but rather to offer a spiritual history of humanity that stretched far beyond recorded time.

Blavatsky’s theories were widely read among writers of speculative fiction, and many borrowed her imagery. Howard’s depiction of submerged civilisations, forgotten gods, and pre-human rulers fits neatly within this framework. The idea that ancient beings might leave behind relics of power, such as the Serpent Ring of Set, was a natural extension of Theosophical speculation.

Although Blavatsky’s work was intended to inspire spiritual reflection, elements of it later became repurposed by conspiracy theorists who sought a grand narrative of hidden rulers and suppressed truth. This merging of esotericism with suspicion of authority would become a defining feature of the modern reptilian conspiracy theory.

Science fiction becomes conspiracy: The shift in the late twentieth century

The transformation of the serpent archetype from myth and fiction into a political conspiracy accelerated in the latter half of the twentieth century. Stories about infiltrating aliens, hidden elites, and shape-shifters became increasingly popular across books, films, and television.

By the 1980s, these ideas blended with a growing distrust of governments and institutions. The Cold War, economic strain, and rapid technological change created a cultural atmosphere in which rumours about hidden powers spread easily.

It was during the 1990s, however, that the modern form of the Reptilian Conspiracy Theory took shape.

David Icke and the contemporary narrative

British writer David Icke introduced the most influential modern version of the theory. According to his claims, Earth is controlled by shape-shifting reptilian beings from the Alpha Draconis star system or an inter-dimensional realm.

He argues that these entities, sometimes called Archons or Reptoids, manipulate global events to maintain control through fear and division. Icke further claims that a hybrid bloodline, the Babylonian Brotherhood, serves as their agent on Earth. This group is said to include prominent political and financial families around the world.

The theory proposes that these reptilian forces feed on human negative energy and therefore promote turmoil and conflict. Many of the world’s leaders are portrayed as either reptilian beings or human-reptilian hybrids.

This narrative merged science fiction with New Age cosmology, spiritual dualism, and existing conspiracy theories. It spread rapidly through books, lectures, and later the internet, reshaping the reptilian archetype into a global political warning.

Reptilian theory as a cultural symbol

Although only a small portion of the population reports literal belief in the existence of reptilian rulers, the theory has become a cultural shorthand for mistrust. In an age marked by political polarisation, economic instability, and an overwhelming flow of information, the idea of a hidden elite resonates with people who feel alienated from powerful institutions.

The reptilian metaphor speaks to anxieties about control, transparency, and the fear that leaders lack empathy or humanity. Memes, online discussions, and fictional portrayals use reptilian imagery to express this scepticism. The theory has also been incorporated into other conspiratorial frameworks, including QAnon and related narratives, demonstrating an ability to adapt and survive within the digital ecosystem.

The dark undercurrents and historical parallels

Despite its often humorous presentation online, the Reptilian Conspiracy Theory has serious implications. Scholars have noted its echoes of older antisemitic tropes, particularly those found in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Accusations about hidden global control, secret bloodlines, and all-powerful families draw on narratives historically used to demonise Jewish communities. Although Icke denies any such intent, many critics argue that the structure of his claims mirrors these harmful myths.

The theory has also been linked to acts of violence. The perpetrator of the 2020 Nashville bombing reportedly subscribed to reptilian beliefs, illustrating how deeply held conspiratorial thinking can lead to real-world harm.

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From myth to meme: The enduring power of the reptilian narrative

The Reptilian Conspiracy Theory persists because it draws on powerful storytelling traditions. Ancient myths, pulp fiction, occult speculation, and modern digital culture have all shaped its evolution.

It combines fear of deception with fascination for hidden history, balancing entertainment with anxiety. Its imagery is simple and adaptable, allowing it to thrive in an online world where complex frustrations often seek symbolic expression.

Whether taken literally or metaphorically, the theory reflects a widespread uncertainty about authority and truth. It endures not because people believe in reptilian shapeshifters, but because many feel that something about modern power structures is cold, distant, and untrustworthy. The serpentine archetype continues to fascinate, reminding us that stories from the ancient world still influence the way people interpret the present.

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