Lemuria

I am reading a fascinating book on the the idea of Lemuria and its use by Western occultists and Tamil nationalists.

I have learned that Lemuria, initially conceived of as having been a land bridge between Africa and the Indian subcontinent, was originally postulated in an attempt to explain the geographical distribution of lemurs.

Somehow, I had never put this bit of etymology together myself. The lost continent that accreted so many associations with Atlantis, Mu, sunken civilization, extraterrestrial wisdom, crystals, pyramids, Theosophy and whatall is in fact called land of lemurs.

I cannot help but think of how things could have fallen out slightly differently and the locus of lost mystic wisdom come by a different name:

Chipmunkia. Squirrelia. Chinchillia.