MENHIRS, DOLMEN AND CIRCLES OF STONE: THE FOLKLORE AND MAGIC OF SACRED STONE MENHIRS, DOLMEN AND CIRCLES OF STONE: THE FOLKLORE AND MAGIC OF SACRED STONE Gary R. Varner Algora Publishing New York © 2004 by Algora Publishing. All Rights Reserved www.algora.com No portion of this book (beyond what is permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976) may be reproduced by any process, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 0-87586-349-3 (softcover) ISBN: 0-87586-350-7 (hardcover) ISBN: 0-87586-351-5 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Varner, Gary R. Menhirs, dolmen, and circles of stone: the folklore and magic of sacred stone / Gary R. Varner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87586-350-7 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-87586-349-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-87586-351-5 (ebook) 1. Rocks—Religious aspects. 2. Megalithic monuments. I. Title. BL457.S7.V37 2004 203'.7—dc22 2004017625 Printed in the United States Other Books by This Author: Sacred Wells: A Study in the History, Meaning, and Mythology of Holy Wells & Waters (2002) Water of Life — Water of Death: The Folklore and Mythology of Sacred Water (2004) We implore the pastors to expel from the Church all those whom they may see performing before certain stones things which have no relation with the ceremonies of the Church. — The Council of Tours, AD 567 …as in remote places and in woodlands there stand certain stones which the people often worship we decree that they all be cast down and concealed. — Christian decree, Britain, AD 658 …it is perhaps the spirit of evil which exercises its power on us…teaching us, little by little, that safety is not to be sought from God but from a gem. — Anselmus De Boot, Gemmarum et lapidum historia, 1636 The worship of stones was expressly forbidden by the Council of Nantes in the seventh century, and as late as 1672 by an ecclesiastical ordinance, ordering the destruction of circles. — James Bonwick, Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, 1894 The adoration of sacred stones continued into Christian times and was much opposed by the Church. — J.A. MacCulloch, The Religion of the Ancient Celts, 1911 Among countless stones, one stone becomes sacred — and hence instantly becomes saturated with being — because it constitutes a hierophany, or possesses mana, or again because it commemorates a mythical act… — Mircea Eliade, Cosmos and History: The Myth of the Eternal Return, 1959 It could be that the entire history of the land is recorded within…ritual stones, each of which is a repository of ancient wisdom and a channel for healing energies. — Paul Broadhurst, Tintagel and the Arthurian Mythos, 1992 …throughout history the assumption seems to be the same — that stone can in certain circumstances become more than the stuff of which it is made. — Lyall Watson, The Nature of Things, 1992 The Megalithic faith was a powerful and widespread religion, as compelling as Christianity was later to become. — Dorothy Carrington, The Dream-Hunters of Corsica, 1995 At the most basic level, stone is the fabric of the earth, and as such is a symbol of the everlasting. The anthropomorphic view of the world sees stones and rocks as the bones of Mother Earth. They are the fundamental structure that supports all other aspects of physical existence and contains traces of earlier life-forms. — Nigel Pennick, Celtic Sacred Landscapes, 1996 To my wife Susan, who first thought of this book, and to my grandfather, James Berrian Smith who, along the banks of the Mississippi River, introduced the world of prehistory to me when I was a child. Acknowledgements While I have visited many of the sites discussed in this book, by no means have I been able to gain firsthand information about more than a handful — there are many others whom I wish to thank for their research. Aubrey Burl, Sir Peter Buck, Paul Devereux, Lewis Spence, James Mooney and the many folklorist, historians, archaeologists and ethnologists, living and deceased, who have recorded the artifacts, legends and rituals, have given me much to work with and to think about. A note of thanks goes to Ms. Aloha Montgomery for her research assistance on anomalous falling stones, and the German Externstein (site of the Externsteine rocks). She also kindly provided the photo of the Externsteine which appears in this book. All other photographs, unless otherwise noted, were taken by the author. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1. THE FOLK NATURE OF SACRED STONES 5 STONES USED IN MAGIC: HEALING AND CHARMS 8 THE POWERS OF HOLED STONES 14 HEALING STONES 17 THUNDERSTONES 20 THE LORE OF MYSTICAL STONES 21 SAINTS AND STONES 33 STONES THAT MOVE AND FALL FROM THE SKY 35 NAVEL STONES — STONES OF THE CENTER OF THE WORLD 41 IMPRINTED STONES 46 TALKING STONES 49 HUMANS AND TROLLS TURNED TO STONE 51 FAERIES, GORICS AND OTHER SPIRITS OF THE STONE 54 TREASURE! 56 CHAPTER 2. MAGICAL STONES AND CHARMS 57 THE BLARNEY STONE AND THE STONE OF DESTINY 61 OTHER ROYAL STONES 63 THE RITUAL USE OF STONES 65 COG STONES 71 OFFERINGS OF STONE 73 THE POWER OF CRYSTAL 74 THE MYSTERY OF JADE 79 FLINT 80 OBSIDIAN 81 DRUID’S EGGS 83 GIFTS FROM FAERIES 84 xv Sacred Stone CHAPTER 3. STANDING STONES AND ANCIENT CULTURES 85 STONES OF ENERGY, STONES OF POWER 91 THE FOLKLORE OF STANDING STONES 93 AVEBURY 93 STONEHENGE 95 BETH-EL: DID THE HEBREWS WORSHIP A GOD OF STONE? 97 THE SACRED STONES OF BELARUS 99 CHAPTER 4. STANDING STONES IN AMERICA 101 CHAPTER 5. STONE CIRCLES AND ALIGNED STONES 107 CHAPTER 6. STORIES FROM THE STONES 113 THE ROLLRIGHT STONES 113 THE MERRY MAIDENS 116 BOSCAWEN-UN 117 THE LONDON STONE 118 EXTERNSTEINE 119 THE KA’BAH AND OTHER BLACK STONES 120 THE LORE OF THE DOLMEN 123 STONES WITH EYES 125 “ROCKING” AND BALANCED STONES 127 CHAPTER 7. SIMULACRA — NATURE’S ARTWORK 131 CHAPTER 8. CAVES, ROCKS AND MOUNTAINS: PORTALS TO THE OTHERWORLD 139 CAVES 139 MOUNTAINS 147 ROCKS 148 CHAPTER 9. CAIRNS 151 CHAPTER 10. CARVED AND PAINTED STONES: MYSTIC SYMBOLISM 161 VULVAS AND PHALLUSES GALORE 161 THOSE MYSTERIOUS CUP MARKS 165 THE SPIRAL AND THE LABYRINTH 174 THE POWER OF ROCK ART 180 CHAPTER 11. THE GODS OF STONE 183 INYAN 184 GRANDFATHER ROCK 186 KANE, THE “ROLLING STONE” GOD OF HAWAII 186 SHIVA’S LINGAM STONES 189 THE BEN STONE 189 xvi Table of Contents THE THUNDER GOD 191 THE WORLD OF STONE GIANTS 191 THE STONE “GODLINGS” OF NEPAL 194 AFTERWORD. THE IMPORTANCE OF SACRED STONES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY 197 APPENDIX: A MEGALITH TIMELINE 201 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 203 INDEX 213 xvii INTRODUCTION Philosopher-historian Mircea Eliade wrote, “a rock reveals itself to be sacred because its very existence is a hierophany: incompressible, invulnerable, it is that which man is not. It resists time; its reality is coupled with perenni- ality.”1 This is true, as far as Eliade goes. But why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, myste- rious and imbued with power? The very atmosphere which surrounds some of these stones is permeated with a sense of ancient wisdom and we cannot help but walk quietly, often peeking over our shoulders in the attempt to catch that other being peeking right back at us. When I see large rock outcroppings, I am always tempted to stop and climb my way to the top — not only to observe the world from the lofty pinnacle but also to determine how these structures were perceived and used by an older people, in the ancient past. The word “megalith” brings to mind images of Stonehenge and Avebury, two of the most awe-inspiring, ancient and sacred sites in the world. However, I have found over the years, large stones and standing stones in particular were universally viewed as connections to the heavens, to ancestors, to the gods them- selves. Even today, we feel dwarfed not only in physical stature but also in our very existence as we stand next to these massive and timeless features of the natural and supernatural world. 1. Eliade, Mircea. Cosmos and History: The Myth of the Eternal Return. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1959, 4. 1 Sacred Stone It is interesting, though, that these feelings of awe are not applied to every large rock outcropping. Only certain features seem to be infused with a sense of sacredness. What is it in these select stones that instill such feelings? This book will examine the universal view of sacredness assigned to some of these stones, the folklore surrounding them and the usage of certain types of stones as charms and amulets. The properties of stone were recognized as unique early in humankind’s rise to civilization. Even when cultures were transitioning their technologies from stone to metal, it was stone that was used for ritual and other important acts. Early 20th-century Egyptologist Wallis Budge wrote, “in a tomb of the VIth Dynasty at Sakkârah, when the Egyptians had a good knowledge of working in metals, we see in a painting on the wall the act of circumcision being performed on a youth by an operator who uses a flint knife.” 2 Like my other books, this one delves into the world of folklore, early reli- gions and the continuation of ancient traditions into contemporary society. It is important that these things are not forgotten but are remembered, enhanced and continued from one generation to another.