(Garden of) Eden

Genesis says that a river flowed out of Eden to water the Garden ("the river of life") and there it started to become divided into 4 rivers (the Euphrates, Hiddekel/Tigris, Gihon and Pishon.)

It seems to have been pretty much unanimously taken for granted that because 2 of the rivers of Eden (the Tigris and the Euphrates) are names of rivers in Iraq, that the biblical Garden of Eden is located either at the source or mouth of these 2 rivers [or perhaps where 2 rivers bends come close together in middle Iraq near Baghdad?] (&/or cp some say Babylon is on Eden site), while the [Gihon or Pison] is arbitrarily identified with an Arabian ex-river west of the Euphrates meeting towards south (cp S Deyo), and the [Pison or Gihon] is arbitrarily identified with an Elamite river east of Tigris meeting towards south.

(The Gihon has also alt been connected with the Ceyhan to west of Euphrates diverging from near it in north, or with the (Ethiopian) Nile, or else with the Euphrates which was also called by the name; and the Pishon has sometimes been identified with the [Indus/Ganges], or Seyhan, (compare [Urantia/Sarmast]).)

However, as pointed out in some of your previous posts there are some difficulties with this:

1 - It is possible that the Great Flood could have drastically altered the surface features of the Earth wiping out all traces of the rivers of Eden;

2 - The Tigris and Euphrates don't share a common source, &/or they didn't meet when the ancient gulf used to extend further north upto Ur, &/or in ice age the gulf was dry land;

3 - No definate proof of identification of the other (2) river(s) Pison (& Gihon);

(4 - Dilmun was in the north not Bahrein, &/or Bahrein ("Dilmun") is not at mouth or source of rivers.)

Moreover, somewhile ago I discovered a possible alternative theory of my own:
A picture of the 4 rivers of Eden in Philipot uses the symbol of a circle with a cross in it ("sun wheel", note the CROSS? (river/blood)), which implies that the rivers were global/world sized rivers dividing the whole earth, which disqualifies the Euphrates/Tigris/Nile/etc as a glance at an atlas will show they are small-local not crossing whole continents (though there are said to be traces of lots of rivers under the Sahara desert and/or Nile supposedly once flowed w-e, and also Rift valley).
But then a glance at maps of the stages of the continental "drift" do show global/continental sized "rivers" dividing Pangaea along/between the edges of the future continents, suggesting the possibility that the continents may have split up (&/or come together (Ural, Rift valley)) along the rivers of Eden, the rivers widening into oceans.
In ancient sources the borders of Europe, Asia and Libya/Africa were defined by rivers, (and in the Bible the borders of prophetic Israel are the Euphrates & Nile (or wadi Arish).)
The ancients considered the seas/oceans as parts of 1 RIVER Oceanus.

(Please note I am not saying that (the Garden of) Eden was Pangaea, only that the 4 rivers out of Eden crossed the whole of Pangaea.)

Furthermore I have also found the Genesis account of the 4 rivers of Paradise in a number of mythologies around the world, confirming the historicity of both.
The combination of the biblical and mythological gives a fuller picture, and seemingly strengthens my theory (esp some like the Aztec, Babylonian, Chinese):

-> Judaeo-Xtian version: 4 rivers of Eden/paradise divide whole earth (ref: Philipot). [Pseudepigrapha says 3 sons Noah divided 4 region post-flood earth leaving 1 qrter unallocated/unihab.]
-> Sumer-Akkad version: 4 rivers Karduniyash (T, E, Surappi, Ukni); 4 rivers Dilmun; "To water the 4 regions of the earth" (refs: A Heidel, .)
[-> Indian version: 4 rivers Meru?]
-> Chinese version: Kun-lun source of 4 great rivers which flowed in 4 directions (ref Larousse.)
-> Aegean version: 4 rivers Thera.
-> Norse version: 4 streams Ymir/Audhumla (refs: JC Cooper.)
-> Egyptian: Nile comes from core of earth. (Atlantic cross?)
-> Navaho: In the age of beginning 4 streams flowed from the earth's center to the 4 cardinal points.
-> Aztec version: Tonacatecuhtli drove 4 roads thru centre of earth after cataclysm to disperse flood waters of the deluge (ref: M Jordan.)
-> Peru: Cuzco 4 parts/divs.


Alternatively the rivers could (now) be underground rivers of water which scientists have discovered (& known to ancient dowsers) underneath the [continents &/or oceans].*

Alt/also there is a tradition which locates the Garden of Eden on the site of Jerusalem [or Mt Tabor?] which is considered to be the geopolitical centre of the world in Judaeo-Christian tradition.*
Eden could then be Jerusalem, and pre-flood Enoch/Nod to the (then) east of Eden could correspond to post-flood Babel (Babylon/Borsippa) (as in the Roman tradition of 2 cities on the same site "1 on each side of the flood", compare cities on two sides of a river? cp Ad/Urem) rather than Babylon being Eden as some have claimed (cp hanging gardens, Eridu/Edin.)

* This could perhaps be connected with the 2 rivers of living water that will come forth from [mt Olivet] (cp Bethesda?) in prophecy.

The Phoenician myth of Sad-El ("field/mount of God") the residence of El at the source of the 2 rivers, although it resembles the rivers of Eden, is also/alt evidence of an identification of Eden with the landing place of the Ark (perhaps from Noah planting vine?) El can be identified with Noah, since El was an old man, father of mankind, and on one occasion was helplessly drunk, [and his wife Asheratian was mother of 70 like table of 70 nations in Gen 10]. Sad-El evidently corresponds to Sumerian Dilmun which was at source of the rivers where Utnapishtim/Ziusudra dwelt.
(Enoch east of Eden, Babylon east of Jerusalem, Babel east of Ararat?)


The flaming sword may represent fire/conflaguration?

The 4 rivers/[lands] may be types of 4 world ages, with Havilah land of gold = golden age? (2nd land Cush may matche Greek trad that Ethiopians were silver age?)

Havilah :- Himalaya,
Cush :- Kur,
Asshur :- Asia, Euros/Europa,
Nod :- India, Andes, Nuristan, Nuzi, Noatun,
Pishon :- Apsu,
Gihon :- Nihon, Ceyhan,
Hiddekel :- Itak, Tigris,
Euphrates :-

Eden:
edin, bit-adini/beth-eden (tel-barsip), kar-dunyash, ve-dan, jotun/etin, aden, athens, idun, jordan, [guedin, anedin], suedin, padan,
lugal-id/itak/etana,
ida, hades, ad,

Acknowledgements:
bruce paul, brian hooper, herodotus, pseudepigrapha, philipot, NWT, david rohl, peter helmkamp/seirizzim, stan deyo, graham hancock (sign & seal), a h sayce, david fasold, [urantia/sarmast], geoffrey parker, pambi ncube, radio, chuck misler (66 40), thubron (hills of adonis).


4 evangelists/gospels;
4 horsemen Apoc (Rev);
"4 lets Corinthians";
4 tetrarchs;
4 faces cherubs/liv creatures/Adonai (Rev, Ezek);
4 cities (tetrapolis) Nimrod ;
4 letters tetragrammation YHWH;
4 beasts/metals (Daniel);
4 heads/wings leopard (Dan);
4 rivers Eden (Gen);
4 dogs Nabiru/Marduk (Sayce, Sitchin);
4 Vedas;
4 yugas;
4 heads Brahma;
4 castes;

4 worlds Celt (up, mundane, low, Mide);
4 Celtic beasts (Naddair)?
4 cities Celtic (M, G, F, F, Sykes);
firkin 4th of a barrel;
4 suits pack (tarot) cards;
4 Jungian types;
4 arms swastika (Cox, Helmkamp, );
tetraktys (1+2+3+4);
4 elements;
4 yrs Olympiad/leap yr/election/Sothis;
4 heads/faces Sventovit/Porevit;

4 sons Horus (Canopic);
4 yrs Sothic/Sirius;
4 faces/sides/corners pyramid (base);

4 suns Aztec;
4 chacs;
4 bacabs;
4 tlaloque/tlalocs;

4 dimensions (Paul, Misler, );
[4 zodiac pts (L,T,A,S, Myers);]
4 seasons;
4 corners/cardinal pts/quadrants;
4 winds/directions;
4 feet quadruped;
4 weeks month;
4 wheels;
4 sides/corners square/quadrilateral/quadrangle;
4 seasonal/daily positions Ursa Maj/Plow;
4 lge moons Jupiter;
[4 states matter;]