Showing posts with label Stone Circles & Ancient Sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stone Circles & Ancient Sites. Show all posts

Friday, 9 December 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Doniert Stone -The King’s Cross

The Doniert Stone in St. Cleer, Cornwall framed by grass and a bright blue sky

This stone, located in St. Cleer, Cornwall, is the decorated granite base for a Celtic cross that dates to the late 9th Century AD. It is thought to have been built to commemorate Doniert, the last (known) recorded king of Cornwall. 

The back of the stone is intricately decorated with four carved knots, each made up of two interlacing oval rings. Intertwining decoration is found on either side of the stone. On the side is a Latin inscription “Doniert rogavit pro anima” which means “Doniert has begged prayers for his soul.”

It is believed that King Doniert is actually King Dungarth, the King of Dumnonia. Dumnonia was the kingdom named after the Dumnonii, a British Celtic tribe living in the south west at the time of the Roman invasion.

Doniert Stone in St. Cleer, Cornwall standing in the bright sunshine with a blue sky

It sits next to The Other Half Stone. When complete, the Doniert Stone and the Other Half Stone would have been impressive stone crosses. They are located at a crossroads for a number of important trackways that divide the downland. 

Monday, 17 October 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Ashwell Sacred Spring

The stone surround of Ashwell Spring, Ashwell, Oakham lit by late afternoon sunlight

I’ve been searching for holy wells and sacred springs in my area, of which there are quite a few. I have been unable to find the one at nearby Ladywell, but my husband accidentally found the Ashwell spring on his travels. We went to see it and it is one of those sites that is tantalisingly close to the road, but easily missed! 

Ash trees are often associated with wells, and at the top left hand side of the picture you can see the trunk and leaves of the ash tree situated next to the site of the spring. It’s possible that the village is named literally after this spot, “Ash-well,” although it started off as “Exwell” in the 11th century. 

Ash trees have long been associated with Yggdrasil, the immense sacred tree in Norse mythology that is central to the cosmos, with all else existing around it. At the base of Yggdrasil was a spring where the Norns (Fate, Being, Necessity) lived. The ash was considered sacred in Britain as well as Scandinavia. 

The spring arises in a stone well house, not dissimilar to the one at nearby Greetham, and bearing an inscription that is nearly the same:

“All ye who hither come to drink. Rest not your thoughts below. Look at the sacred sign and think. Whence living waters flow.”

It was really dry when we had a look, but I’m hoping that as we edge toward the winter and have a bit more rain we’ll be able to see the small pool the spring is said to create, and perhaps I can take some sacred water.

Do you have any sacred springs or holy wells near you?

Saturday, 15 October 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Stonehenge

Stonehenge framed by a purple sky and a bright distant moon

There are many myths and legends surrounding Stonehenge, with many of these stories attempting to explain its origin. Most of these stories involve the devil, gods, giants or wizards. One such tale tells of giants holding hands, dancing in a circle on Salisbury Plain, before being turned to stone.

Another yarn describes the Devil disguising himself as a man to broker a deal with an old Irish lady who owned the stones. In return for them, he agreed to give her as a any gold coins as she could count before he finished moving them. She thought she was on to a winner with the time it would take to do this, but the Devil cheated the old woman out of a princely sum by using his powers to instantly move the stones to England, the site of Stonehenge.

After the Devil created Stonehenge he claimed that no-one could successfully count the number of stones. The antiquarian William Stukeley was quite fascinated by this story; he managed to count to 140 before stating:

"Behold the solution of the mighty problem, the magical spell is broke, which has so long perplexed the vulgar. They think 'tis an ominous thing to count the true number of the stones and whoever does so, shall certainly die after it."

Other folklore states that Merlin brought the stones over from Ireland to mark the graves of British nobles slaughtered by the Saxons and erected them on Salisbury Plain using magick.

What stories have you heard?

Sunday, 11 September 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill, West Kennet facing towards the main road.

Silbury Hill, located a stone’s throw from West Kennet Long Barrow, is the largest artificial, prehistoric mound in Europe. It is believed to have been built sometime between 2470 and 2350 BC; making it around 4,400 years old. Its purpose to the Neolithic people who built it unknown and no burial has ever been found inside. It is comparative in volume and size to the Egyptian pyramids.

The Romans built a settlement around the base of the mound, with a road running past it, and a structure may have been built on the top during the medieval period.

Unfortunately, due to three excavations that were not properly handled between 1776 and 1970, a 14 metre crater opened on the summit in May 2000. It was made off-limits to the public, and only a few people were allowed to access the mound due to safety concerns, including my late friend Terry, the Arch Druid of Avebury, who would go up there to work the energies. It was filled with polystyrene before further research was carried out around 2007. Eventually it was filled with chalk. The summit is still officially off-limits, but you can walk around the base of the hill.

Folklore says that it is the resting place of King Sil, who lies beneath the mound, with the hill encasing a life-sized gold statue of him astride his horse.

It was also said that the Devil created the mound. He was on his way to Marlborough to bury it under a heap of earth when he met a cobbler carrying a bag of worn out shoes. The Devil, who never seems to quite know what he’s doing when it comes to these schemes, asked the cobbler how far it was to Marlborough. The clever cobbler replied that it was so far away he’d worn out all the shoes trying to reach it. Dismayed, the Devil just dropped the earth where he stood, creating Silbury Hill.

Friday, 9 September 2022

Fabulous Folklore: The Hurlers on Bodmin Moor

The Hurlers on Bodmin Moor with a bright blue sky

The Hurlers, situated on Bodmin Moor, are three stone circles that date back to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. Their arrangement in a row is unique in England; and whilst the exact function of The Hurlers is unknown, it is believed to be a ceremonial monument and a meeting place for community gatherings.

It is possible that these stone circles mark a processional route between the Stowe’s Hill Neolithic hilltop settlement in the north, to the Caradon Hill barrow cemetery in the south.

Local legend says the stones were men who were turned to stone for playing hurling on a Sunday, with The Pipers, two nearby standing stones, being two men who were also turned to stone for playing music on a Sunday. This makes a lovely change from them being women, who were popular targets for being turned to stone in myths and legends about other stone circles across the U.K., for example the Nine Ladies on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire.

This is a fantastic site to visit but the weather can be extremely changeable ~ or even just extreme! ~ but the horses and cows seem to like it.

Tuesday, 9 August 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Jacob’s Well

The stone architecture of Jacob's Well, Rutland, which is surrounded by trees and foliage

I noticed this stone structure as we drove through the nearby village of Greetham, so we stopped to take a look. It’s called Jacob’s Well and was built in 1850, in the gothic architecture style of the day.

Jacob’s Well provided clean drinking water to villagers as part of a national public health initiative following cholera outbreaks in the 1840s. The water comes from a natural spring nearby. Originally the water gushed from the lion’s head, and in later years it came from a tap. The villagers would collect the water in buckets. 

The inscription reads:

“All ye who hither come to drink,
Rest not your thoughts below, 
Remember Jacob’s Well and think,
Whence ‘living waters’ flow.” 

An interesting thing to note is that “Jacob’s Well” is spelt without a possessive apostrophe. According to the information sign next to the well, stonemasons rarely used them. 

Sadly, there isn’t any more information to find on Jacob’s Well, but I can’t help but think back to the people of the 1840s and 1850s, whose lives started to become a lot easier and safer as a result of the introduction of The Public Health Act of 1848.

Thursday, 7 July 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Sheela-na-Gig

Wren, The Cemetery Witch laying flowers at the Braunston Sheela-na-Gig in a brown and black outfit with a green scarf

Here is our beautiful local Sheela-na-Gig.

Sheela-na-Gigs are architectural grotesques that depict a woman showing an exaggerated vulva. They are found throughout most of Europe, and first appeared between the 11th and 15th Century, depending on location.

They are common in Ireland, Britain, France and Spain, with Ireland having the highest concentration of surviving Sheela-na-Gigs. It is believed that there were over 140 Sheela-na-Gigs in Britain and Ireland, with about 80 still in their original locations, including this one.

They may have represented fertility figures, or been used to ward off death, evil, and demons. A popular hypothesis is that they represented a pagan goddess, but the situation is complex, with multiple interpretations.

Some suggest that they were used as ‘birthing stones’, and there is some folkloric evidence to suggest that they were loaned to labouring women. Another theory suggests that they warned against lust and ‘sins of the flesh’. What we do know is that scholars generally disagree on the origins and uses of these figures.

The villagers here can’t have liked her very much. She was found around 1920, upside down, being used as a step into the church, hidden from view. She is now around the back of the church, being battered by the elements, but at least she is now uncovered.

I like to place flowers by her at Beltane., I feel she should be honoured, as should fertility, life, female sexual energy, and women everywhere.

Wednesday, 6 July 2022

Fabulous Folklore: The Ring Stone at Avebury

The Ring Stone in Avebury surrounded by bright green grass

This is the Ring Stone found within Avebury Stone Circle. Hundreds of Handfastings have been carried out here over the years, including my own, conducted by the great, late Terry Dobney; the Arch Druid and Keeper of the Stones, my beautiful friend.

Even though it works perfectly as an altar during Handfastings, it is not called the Ring Stone because of these unions. Terry told me that it was originally one of the tall megaliths that formed the circle, and would have had a hole in it, giving it its name. There is also an interesting, albeit sad, story about how it came to be a smaller rock.

Avebury is part of a set of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial sites, and the recumbent Ring Stone had come to be used for pagan wedding and fertility ceremonies until it was smashed by a church minister who was enraged by it. I’m not sure exactly when this is supposed to have happened, but for ten years after the stone was smashed there were no babies born to newly married couples in the village. Concerned villagers realised that the minister had made a huge mistake in breaking up the rock; and so they collected up as many pieces of the smashed stone as they could find, burying them together. This action brought fertility back to Avebury, and babies were born once again.

When my husband and I were Handfasted by Terry we were given a choice - be Handfasted for a year and a day, using this time as a trial period, with the opportunity to repeat the process as many times as we wished; or pledge a lifetime commitment, which is exactly what we did.

You can see a picture of us being Handfasted by Terry at the Ring Stone a bit further down my Instagram page.

Sunday, 3 July 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Stanton Tower

Stanton Tower on Stanton Moor surrounded by bright green foliage and trees and framed by a bright blue sky

High on Stanton Moor, a stone’s throw from the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, and so high that you can actually walk underneath it during the fully bloomed season of summer without seeing it, lies Stanton Tower; also known as the Reform Tower, or Earl Grey Tower.

With all the barrows and standing stones of Stanton Moor you would expect this tower, in all of its atmospheric glory, to have a “witchier” background than being dedicated to UK politics, but it has an interesting and important history nonetheless.

It was built in 1832 by William Pole Thornhill to commemorate Earl Grey, a politician who successfully campaigned in the early 19th century to reform parliament. Thornhill was a Whig ~ a political faction that opposed absolute monarchy ~ who believe that parliament should be reformed to get rid of rotten boroughs, and to allow more men to vote. (Unfortunately at this stage women were excluded from the electorate. 1832 saw the first petition on women's suffrage presented to Parliament.)

Thornhill had the tower built where it was visible from the Duke of Rutland’s estate (whose other seat was Belvoir - see my Witches of Belvoir post); the Duke of Rutland being Earl Grey’s Tory rival.

It was dedicated to The Representation of the People Act, also known as the Great Reform Act, which was finally passed into law on the third attempt. There are also a number of large stones on the moor carved with dates and insignia that the Thornhill family had carved to commemorate several people, for reasons unknown.

If you haven't been already, Stanton Moor is well worth a visit.

Friday, 1 July 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Gravestone Symbolism

Close up of stone carvings on a cemetery headstone

Many gravestones have symbols and images on them, some common, some uncommon,  with scholars still debating the various meanings and interpretations of them.

Here are ten gravestone symbols and their suggested meanings:
  • Angels - Messengers between God and man
  • Bat wings - Death, misfortune
  • Bone - Death
  • Candle - Life
  • Heart - Romantic love
  • Key - Knowledge, entrance to Heaven
  • Lamp - Knowledge, spiritual immortality
  • Oak leaf - Strength, stability, endurance
  • Phoenix - Resurrection
  • Winged Death’s Head - Mortal remains of the deceased
Next time you visit a cemetery or graveyard take notice of all the symbols you see - I’d love to  hear what you’ve seen.

Tuesday, 15 March 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Duloe Stone Circle

View of Duloe Stone Circle in Cornwall on a misty day

This stone circle was constructed in c2000 BC and is unique for its small diameter combined with large stones. The diameter is actually less than 12 metres; making Duloe the smallest stone circle in Cornwall.

The eight quartzite stones containing ankorite are formed in an oval, and are from nearby Herodsfoot, which is about 2 miles away. The neighbouring farm, Stonetown, was named in 1329 after the circle, but the circle was not “officially” discovered until 1801.

Nestled behind a couple of houses on a small patch of green, this little place is truly magical. I did some filming at this place - I’ll show you later!

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Simple Magick: How to Utilise a Special Connection with the Land

A view across fields to Rutland Water, backdropped by a bright blue sky

Further to my post “How to Connect to the Land or a Special Place” here are my suggestions for using the connection you have built with the land or a special place:


Spells and Workings 
You can use the land (provided its suitable) as an actual place in which to carry out your magick. But you can also use this connection from afar. You can recall the feelings you get, and create a mental picture of this place in your mind’s eye. For example, if you are creating a spell for safety, and you feel safe there, you can conjure those feelings and images for your working.

Meditation 
You can visit a special place on your meditative journeys. Maybe you feel relaxed in this special place, and so you meditate on it to enter a deep state of peace. Maybe your special place is at a distance, and this is one way to regularly visit, and to connect in.

Grounding Yourself 
Visiting your special place is a great way to ground yourself. Take your shoes and socks off and walk the Earth. You can also call upon the feeling of safety and security you feel at this special place to ground you, when you’re feeling stressed or scared.

Invoking the Elements When Casting a Circle 
You can use experiences of your special place(s) when casting a Circle. Recall how the wind feels stood atop a hillfort, “see” the image of water at a nearby lake, feel the warmth of a hot and sunny place. All are experiences you can use in your magick.

Using Items Found at Your Special Place 
You can forage items such as fallen leaves, acorns, berries, herbs etc. to use in your magick. This further establishes the connection you have. Don’t forget to ask permission, and to give thanks.

NEXT - Simple Magick: Spellcasting Ethics
NEXT - Simple Magick: The Witch's Stang
NEXT - Snowdrop Magick: 8 Correspondences For Strength & Hope

Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Professor Alice Roberts - A Chance Meeting!

Professor Alice Roberts flanked by The Cemetery Witch Wren Harris and friend Tara stood upon Burrough Hill Iron Age Hillfort

I’ve been meaning to share this picture since last September!

It was my lovely friend’s birthday, and the night before our dear friend Terry’s funeral (the Archdruid of Avebury, and Keeper of the Stones). We we went to my local hillfort for a walk and bumped into Professor Alice Roberts @prof_alice_roberts

For those that don’t know, or don’t live in the U.K., Professor Roberts is a biological anthropologist and TV presenter. She had just finished filming Digging for Britain at the hillfort when we arrived there.

Professor Roberts has done loads of fantastic programmes including King Arthur’s Britain: The Truth Unearthed, looking at archaeological discoveries giving insight on the political situation in Britain in the Early Middle Ages; and Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed, which looks at the bluestones of Stonehenge and Waun Mawn.

We were definitely not expecting this chance meeting. What started out as a birthday celebration, and a quick walk in the middle of nowhere to clear our heads before a big emotional day, turned into this marvellous encounter.

Thank you Professor Roberts for talking to us and agreeing to a photograph!

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Fabulous Folklore: The Celtic Cross

Close up of a Celtic Cross standing in front of a dark and moody sky

The Celtic cross is known as a symbol of Irish heritage. It is a form of cross that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. It’s not clear exactly where the first crosses originated, but the wave of cross building in Ireland came to an end in about 1200 AD. Most of the examples in Britain were destroyed during the Protestant Reformation. They gained popularity in the 19th Century, the name “Celtic cross” coming from that time.

These crosses are usually intricately carved, often with Bible stories and knot work, and a variety feature inscriptions in ogham. Some historians have suggested that the shape of these crosses may have mirrored trees, which the Celts revered, and that the symbol of Christianity was linked with the Sun Cross to appeal to early Pagans. Some assert that placing the cross on top of the circle represents Christ’s supremacy over the Pagan sun.

No one really knows why these huge stones were erected, by they’re typically located by important monasteries, and are popular for funerary monuments. This cross is situated in Duloe village, Cornwall.


Sunday, 6 February 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Merlin’s Cave

The entrance of Merlin’s Cave in Tintagel, Cornwall

This is Merlin’s Cave on the beach below Merlin’s Castle in Tintagel, Cornwall. This incredible cave is 100m long and you can walk all the way through it. It was formed by sea erosion as it fills with water at high tide.

Legend has it that this cave was once home to Merlin.

Light streaming in the entrance of Merlin’s Cave in Tintagel, Cornwall

Merlin was a fictional character in the Celtic Arthurian mythology stories. He was a wiseman and wizard. He was birthed by a normal woman, having been sired by an incubus, which is where he was said to get his mystical powers and abilities. Later, using magic, he engineered the birth of King Arthur. He served as King Arthur’s advisor, until becoming infatuated with, and later killed by, the Lady of the Lake.

View out from Merlin’s Cave in Tintagel, Cornwall

Whilst the cave is impressive in its own right, and was made famous in the Arthurian legends, the cave became even more notorious following the publication of Tennyson’s poems. His “Idylls of the King” (1859-1885) was a series of poems telling the stories of King Arthur, and told of Arthur being washed ashore as an infant; only to be found by Merlin:

“They found a naked child upon the sands
Of dark Tintagil by the Cornish sea; 
And that was Arthur; and they fostered him 
Till he by miracle was approven King.”

Have you been to this cave? Or perhaps another that took your breath away?

Tuesday, 25 January 2022

Fabulous Folklore: King Doniert’s Stone

King Doniert’s Stone in St. Cleer, Cornwall showing a bright blue sky on a sunny day

Trigger warning: drowning

This is King Doniert’s Stone located in St. Cleer, Cornwall, and dates to the late 9th Century. It’s actually the granite base of what would have been a Celtic cross. The Stone is believed to have been a memorial to Doniert, the last (known) recorded king of Cornwall.

On the side is a Latin inscription “Doniert rogavit pro anima” which means “Doniert has begged prayers for his soul.”

It is believed that King Doniert is actually King Dungarth, the King of Dumnonia. Dumnonia was the kingdom named after the Dumnonii, a British Celtic tribe living in the south west at the time of the Roman invasion.

King Doniert is believed to have drowned around AD 875 in the River Fowey, at nearby Golitha Falls. Some suggest that this wasn’t an accident, and that this was punishment for King Doniert collaborating with the Vikings against the Saxons.

There is another stone next to Doniert’s Stone known as The Other Half Stone, which I will share later.

Sunday, 23 January 2022

Fabulous Folklore: Cornish Piskies

Painting of Cornish Piskies dressed in bright orange clothing by a skull and toadstools

This picture is a photograph of part of a painting at the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall. It was probably painted in the 1960s, and features a group of Cornish piskies.

It gives us a visual glimpse into the nature of Piskies. They are small, merry, unexpected, mischievous, playful, ageless, mythical creatures - often associated with death. They are found on moorland areas of Devon and Cornwall, and around ancient sites such stone circles, barrows and dolmen. They are considered “in between” - neither cursed nor blessed.

Their name changes depending on region. In Cornwall they’re known as piskay, pigsy, piskey, or piskie. In Devon they are known as pixies, pixy, or piscy.

The nature of these creatures also varies from county to county. In some places they are mischievous, in some places they are friendly and benign, and in others they are more devious and cunning. They are known to lead travellers astray on the moors, getting them lost, which is known as being pixy-led.

Pixie mythology is localised to Britain, in particular to Devon and Cornwall. They have been likened to the elves of Germany and Scandinavia, including the Tomte, which I wrote about earlier, but they are distinguished from them. They are different to fairies/elves, and in some British folklore pixies have battled the fairy folk. 

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

Greeting the Sun After the Longest Night

The Winter Solstice sun shines through the stones at Stonehenge while revellers look on

I hope you all had a beautiful Solstice! 

The morning after the Winter Solstice we went to Stonehenge to welcome the return of the Sun.

This ancient monument is located on Salisbury Plain, and historians are not entirely sure what its intended purpose was. It is aligned with the Sun and may have been used for working out the farming calendar. Other considerations are that it was a healing centre, or dedicated to the world of our ancestors.

Whatever its intended use, it was incredible to walk in the footsteps of our Neolithic ancestors today, and it was good to be back, as I’ve not celebrated Winter Solstice at Stonehenge for ten years.

It was extremely cold, we are still defrosting!

What did you do to celebrate the Solstice? 

Monday, 20 December 2021

Fabulous Folklore: Nine Ladies Stone Circle

A view of the Nine Ladies Stone Circle on Stanton Moor from afar on a sunny July day

This is the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, situated on the magical Stanton Moor, and despite the name, there are actually ten stones, the tenth having been found in 1977, now laying flat.

The Nine Ladies is part of a tradition of stone circle building that took place during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age period, between 3300 and 900 BCE, with the construction of Nine Ladies falling into the Early Bronze Age.

The precise purpose of the Nine Ladies is unknown, but it is believed that the circle was used for ceremonies and rituals regarding life and death, and this site is certainly held dear by modern pagans, with many gathering at the stones on the Solstice. Experts are also unsure if the single monolith laying 40m southwest of the circle, the King Stone, is connected to the Nine Ladies, or whether their proximity to each other is purely incidental. There is no evidence to suggest that they are connected in any way.

According to legend, a fiddler - now the King Stone - played music for nine dancing ladies on Midsummer’s Night, with everyone being turned to stone as punishment for sinning on the Sabbath. Some stories say he was actually a flautist.

Other stories speak of an unidentified man dressed in black standing outside the stone circle after dark, watching nine witches dancing to the sounds of the Devil playing the fiddle, who were later turned to stone. Apparently, the man in black is actually the Devil himself watching his own handiwork.

Other legends say that when the Moon is full the stones themselves move around in a ritual dance.

There is a tendency in British folklore to name stones as women; there is the similarly named Nine Maidens stone circle near Penzance, and the Nine Maidens stone row on Bodmin.

Have you ever visited the Nine Ladies? I found the energy there beautiful and serene - what do you think? Is this on your list of places to visit?

Thursday, 2 December 2021

Fabulous Folklore: The Red Lion Pub

The Red Lion Pub in Avebury on a sunny day

Trigger Warning - Murder

The Red Lion Pub, Avebury
This 400 year old pub is the only one in the world to be situated within a prehistoric stone circle, and quite possibly the only pub to have a well inside it, too! In my humble opinion, it is one of the most fascinating pubs in the UK, and also one of my favourites, having spent a lot of time here with friends.

Originally a farmhouse dating back to the 1600s, it later becoming a coaching inn in 1802, and is said to be extremely haunted. I have heard this first hand from several people over the years, one of which has vowed never to stay there ~ or to even set foot in Avebury ~ ever again.

In the part of the pub that you can see in the picture there is an ancient well. It now has a glass top, and is utilised as a table, but it has a dark story behind it.

This 400 year old pub is the only one in the world to be situated within a prehistoric stone circle, and quite possibly the only pub to have a well inside it, too!

There are said to be several ghosts haunting the pub, but the most famous one is Florrie.

Florrie lived in the building in the 17th century during the English Civil War. Her husband was a soldier, and he returned from the war unannounced to find Florrie in the arms of a lover. He shot the lover dead, and killed Florrie, throwing her body down the well, sealing it with a boulder. Florrie’s ghost haunts the pub, emerging and disappearing from the well, appearing in the ladies toilet, throwing salt and pepper mills, and generally causing a stir whenever bearded men are around.

It doesn’t seem as if you can stay there overnight now, but it is well worth a trip for a drink if you’re visiting to see the stones.