For the purposes of narrative theming, the ancients do exist to be a window into hypoborean past. They are, like any piece of a story, intended to fufill a thematic and symbolic purpose. I know pulling back the curtain and getting at the nuts and bolts of a story can kill the magic a little, but I feel like what you are talking about is a desire for the story to be something it was not intended to be.

You are free to reject the themes put forth by a narrative, but I do not think it's fair to call something intentionally misleading or murky just because you happen to reject the narrative themes put forth.