Throughout the ages strange characters have appeared upon the world's stage from time to time, men and women who appeared to be the bearers of a message to mankind, or were at least possessed of strange powers and supernatural knowledge. Often they have influenced profoundly the course of history; at other times they have passed from land to land, leaving behind them followers who have jealously preserved the secrets which the masters taught. In this book, the author gives us as detailed an account of these strange beings as research has allowed, and the conclusions which he draws will make many of us pause to think.