The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Holne Moor

Cist

Folklore

A granite menhir at Holne, on the spurs of Dartmoor, was associated with a May festival known as "the Ram Feast". Before daybreak the young men of the village would assemble at the pillar, and having run down a young ram from the moor, they fastened it to the stone, killed it and roasted it whole and undressed. At midday struggles took place for slices of the animal, and these collops were esteemed as mascots for the ensuing year. Dancing, wrestling and drinking prolonged the festival, which did not cease till midnight.

The Minor Traditions of British Mythology
Lewis Spence
1925
fitzcoraldo Posted by fitzcoraldo
9th November 2007ce

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