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

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Glassonby (Ring Cairn) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>Glassonby</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Glassonby</b>Posted by faerygirl

Little Meg (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Little Meg</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Little Meg</b>Posted by faerygirl

Gwynedd (County) — News

Tyddyn Pandy Archaeological Find


A friend of mine was telling me about this the other day. Apparently they have now moved the proposed building site for the school and archaeological digs are on-going Caernarfon

http://www.caernarfonherald.co.uk/caernarfon-county-news/local-caernarfon-news/2010/01/14/big-archaeological-find-could-delay-caernarfon-school-move-88817-25595726/

Cork Stone (Natural Rock Feature) — Images

<b>Cork Stone</b>Posted by faerygirl

Aberdeenshire (County) — Links

Folklore of the Aberdeenshire Stone Circles and Standing Stones


Good paper by James Richie.

Hawk Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Folklore

In local folklore the Hawk Stone formed an integral part of a stone circle here, but there is little known evidence to substantiate this. In Thorn Graves' (1980) dowsing experiments at the Rollright circle, he found what he described as an 'overground' linking the Circle to the Hawk Stone, but no other connecting sites are known along this line. Interestingly one legend surrounding the monolith tells how this monolith was thrown, or dragged, across the land by a old witch or hag, though we are not told from where- a motif found in connection with spirit lines across the country.

In Corbett's History of Spelsbury (1962) the author referenced some of the folklore spoken of the holed Hawk Stone by one Mr Caleb Lainchbury who said the cleft at the top of the Hawk Stone at Dean was supposed to have been made by the chains of the witches who were tied to it and burnt. As witches seem to have been extremely rare in Oxfordshire it cannot have been a very common practise to burn them at Dean; but there may have been some kind of fire ceremonies near the stone. In name, Hawk stone may come from a fancied resemblence to a Hawk, or because there very often are hawks hovering over those upland fields: or it may simply be a corruption of 'Hoar' meaning old.

In pagan Celtic Britain hawks played a not inconsiderable part in their shamanic lore and,according to Ross [1967] were "malevolent birds". This evidently important and visually impressive monolith plays a substantial part in an incredibly precise alignment (ley) running roughly east-west across the landscape.


http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/aburnham/eng/hawk_stone.htm

Scorhill (Stone Circle) — Folklore

From
http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/scorhill.htm

A modern happening reported in 1998 was that a small herd of moorland ponies were seen to walk up to the circle. The herd leader entered the ring of stones and stood there for about a minute, it then rejoined the rest of the ponies. One by one all the ponies did the same thing, went into the circle stood there for 30 - 60 seconds and the came out. All the animals faced the same direction whilst they were stood in the stone ring. It was suggested at the time that the ponies were 'taking energy' from the stones - who knows?

A story which possibly reinforces the 'natural energy' theory is that of a lady who for six and a half years had suffered with a swelling in the knee. This made walking difficult to say the least. Many doctors had examined the joint but none were able to solve the problem. Living in the Chagford area the woman was aware of the stories relating to Scorhill circle, so one day she made a slow and painful trip up to the stones. Having sat inside the circle for a while she then made her way back, by the time she had reached Scorhill Gate the swelling had reduced by 50%. By and by the ability to walk soon returned and the swelling has caused few problems ever since.

Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor (Stone Circle) — Folklore

The image of an unidentified man dressed in black is said to be seen standing just outside the stone circle after dark. According to legend, the 9 stones are witches caught dancing on the Sabbath to the sounds of the Devil's fiddle playing. In this view,the man in black could be the Devil admiring his handiwork. It is also said that when the moon is full, the stones move around in a ritual dance.


http://www.chris-moss.net/homesweethome/ancientbritain.html

TRIBE website

Stannon (Stone Circle) — Miscellaneous

A large number of cairns are sited on Stannon Down with four small upright stones to the north-west of the circle that may be part of an orientation through Stannon towards Lauden circle. A several orientations can be seen between circles and other monuments; a line from Stannon circle via Fernacre circle leads to a cairn on the northern side of Brown Willy. A line from Roughtor's northern summit through Fernacre circle passes through the cairn cemeteries and natural tor on Garrow Hill. There is also a convincing astronomical alignment from Stannon to Rough Tor around May Day and Lammas time when the sun rises through the gap between the two summits of the tor. At the equinoxes the sun rises over the tip of Brown Willy.

Boscawen-Un (Stone Circle) — Folklore

Boscawen-ûn; Cornish name derived from bod, "dwelling or farmstead" and scawen, "elder tree". The suffix –un comes from goon, "downland or unenclosed pasture".

Folklore has it that Boscawen-ûn is a circle created by maidens dancing on the Sabbath being turned to stone. Whilst this story is attractive, perhaps more credible is the possibility of Boscawen-ûn being one of the three Gorsedds, or Druid Meeting Places, of Britain. The Welsh Triads which date back to around the 6th Century AD record "Boskawen of Dumnonia" as being one of the "Gorsedds of Poetry of the Island of Britain". Certainly the circle is still an important spiritual meeting place for local Pagan groups and ritual offerings are still placed here.


- From Historic-Cornwall website
http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/a2m/bronze_age/stone_circle/boscawen_un/boscawen_un.htm

Tregeseal (Stone Circle) — Folklore

Lots of different fairy and devil tales for this one. One story tells of a local miner finding a Fairy Feast at the circle and was bound in gossamer thread and left there all night.There is another involving pixies enticing passers by and hosting "Little Folk" parties with dancing! There are stories of actual encounters with the Devil on nearby Carn Kenidjack, which dominates the horizon.

The Tree Of Life Rock (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Folklore

E.T. Cowling in "Rombalds Way" (1946) describing the Tree of life stone, records that ......

"it is one of the few known to local inhabitants, and marks the site of many May day religious services." Mayday folklore and customs have often been related to promoting fertility in people, animals and the land. Perhaps there is a link to Yorkshires' other carved stone The Fertility Stone

Bryn Gwyn (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Bryn Gwyn</b>Posted by faerygirl

Tyrebagger (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Tyrebagger</b>Posted by faerygirl

Old Bourtreebush (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Old Bourtreebush</b>Posted by faerygirl

Aquhorthies (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Aquhorthies</b>Posted by faerygirl

Sunkenkirk (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Sunkenkirk</b>Posted by faerygirl

Giant's Grave (Standing Stones) — Images

<b>Giant's Grave</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Giant's Grave</b>Posted by faerygirl

The Druid's Circle of Ulverston (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>The Druid's Circle of Ulverston</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>The Druid's Circle of Ulverston</b>Posted by faerygirl

Middle Barrow (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Images

<b>Middle Barrow</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Middle Barrow</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Middle Barrow</b>Posted by faerygirl

Broomend of Crichie (Circle henge) — Images

<b>Broomend of Crichie</b>Posted by faerygirl

Aquhorthies (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Aquhorthies</b>Posted by faerygirl

Sunhoney (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Sunhoney</b>Posted by faerygirl

Cullerie (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Cullerie</b>Posted by faerygirl

Cothiemuir Wood (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Cothiemuir Wood</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Cothiemuir Wood</b>Posted by faerygirl

Capel Garmon (Chambered Cairn) — Images

<b>Capel Garmon</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Capel Garmon</b>Posted by faerygirl

Moel ty Uchaf (Cairn circle) — Images

<b>Moel ty Uchaf</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Moel ty Uchaf</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Moel ty Uchaf</b>Posted by faerygirl

East Bovey Head (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Fieldnotes

As you head back north along the road from Grimspound you can see the larger of the stones. There is space to park and just a quick walk across the bracken there are a few circles and large stones scattered about. Oh, and some sheep :)

East Bovey Head (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Images

<b>East Bovey Head</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>East Bovey Head</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>East Bovey Head</b>Posted by faerygirl

Men-An-Tol (Holed Stone) — Fieldnotes

Ah. I had heard about it. Sang Men an Tol (Levellers classic) for many years and seen pictures of it. Everyone had told me its a dissapointment so I wasn't very hopeful. In Cornwall so I may as well...

And it was lovely. The sun was low, there was nobody else there, peaceful and calm and an easy 10 minute walk up the hill. Beautiful. You may as well go if youre down there anyway!

Oh, any guesses about those large stones used in the wall on the opposite side of the track on your way up? They just seemed too BIG and oddly positioned to be just wall stones. I like to speculate...

The Merry Maidens (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>The Merry Maidens</b>Posted by faerygirl

The Pipers (Boleigh) (Standing Stones) — Images

<b>The Pipers (Boleigh)</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>The Pipers (Boleigh)</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>The Pipers (Boleigh)</b>Posted by faerygirl

The Merry Maidens (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>The Merry Maidens</b>Posted by faerygirl

Stannon (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Stannon</b>Posted by faerygirl<b>Stannon</b>Posted by faerygirl

Lanyon Quoit (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Images

<b>Lanyon Quoit</b>Posted by faerygirl
Previous 50 | Showing 51-100 of 130 posts. Most recent first | Next 50
Hey Ho, here we go...

Geology graduate who grew up in the (barren) West Midlands, did some travelling and then ended up back in sunny Wolverhampton (mostly by default). Got some fab friends who like rocks as much as I do, so we spend lots of our freetime in country roads arguing over dodgy directions to another stone monument.

I'm as interested in the theories behind this stuff as anything else and think that most people are thinking too small. The positioning and alignment of most (if not all) burrows, megaliths, monoliths, bumps, dips and circles show an understanding of energy that we no longer possess. But thats all a bit too deep to get into on here. These trips are pilgrimages for me, in the same way as people visit churches or Mecca (silly modern religions)

I'm a holistic therapist living with the love of my life, Martin, and a lizard named Stan. I LOVE food as long as it never had a face, I'm rather partial to red wine and I'm happy to be alive and able to walk freely through moor, hill and vale finding sacred sites to "power up" and get me through.

Thats about it really...

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