Arthurian locations | Stonehenge
The good news is that filming - or at least rehearals - for Merlin's fourth season began on 14 March. Hurrah! How better to commemorate that than by visiting a 'genuine' Merlinian location?
the place itself
Stonehenge in Wiltshire is perhaps Britain's most recognisable monument; it is managed by English Heritage, and part of a World Heritage Site. The surrounding area contains a variety of other prehistoric monuments, including barrows, avenues, and other earth-and-timber henges (some of which are managed by the National Trust). Stonehenge itself was apparently intended and used as a temple, oriented to the Summer and Winter Solstices - though we are left with as many questions as answers about exactly who created it, and how and why. (And even the types of lichen growing on the stones present their own mysteries!)
Stonehenge was built in stages during the period 3000 BC to 1600 BC, beginning with a ditch and bank, surrounding a circle of timber posts. Pretty much all that now remains of the timber posts are the holes in which they stood. Cremated human bones were later buried in the then-empty holes, as well as in the ditch and bank; it is rare to find a monument of this kind used as a cemetery.
The stones we are so familiar with date back to about 2300 BC. They have been arranged and rearranged over time, and some of the fallen stones were re-erected during the 20th century, so it is difficult to now imagine how the site must have appeared in earlier times. The stones are of two different types. The largest stones with their horizontal lintels are known as sarsens, which is an extremely hard sandstone. The closest source of sarsens of this size is in the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, 30km (19 miles) to the north of Stonehenge. The smaller stones are known as bluestones, though the ones on site are actually a variety of different types of stone. All the bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in Wales, over 240km (150 miles) to the west of Stonehenge. Much of the likely route would have been via the sea and the Bristol Channel.
A great deal of craft went into building the site, quite apart from the sheer effort needed to move and place the stones. For a start, the main entrance to the circular area faces the midsummer sunrise, while directly opposing this is the midwinter sunset; the entire site (including the original earthworks and timber posts, and the later stones) is aligned to and organised around this line which runs north-east and south-west. While the creation of most standing stone sites involved leaving the stones in their natural state, and raising them upright, many of the large sarsens were obviously trimmed into rectangular forms. The uprights and lintels were fixed together by 'mortise and tenon' joints, with a peg being fashioned on top of the upright which fitted into a hollow on the bottom of the lintel. The lintels are also locked together using 'tongue and groove' joints. Both of these types of joints were more commonly used in carpentery. The lintels aren't straight rectangles, but each is curved to form part of a circle. It is not known whether this structure was ever fully complete, but if so it would have been a perfect ring of stone - and almost exactly level, despite Stonehenge being built on a sloping site. Also, a horseshoe shape of five freestanding trilithons stood in the centre of the site, increasing in height from the outer trilithons to the centre one.
So, you know… basically, Wow!
I tried to take some photos that were perhaps a little unexpected, as well as a 'classic' shot or two, though I am sure I didn't acheive anything that hasn't been photographed or indeed etched a hundred times before! While most are of the stones, some include the inevitable inexperience of fellow visitors as well.
the Merlinian connection
Our very own Geoffrey of Monmouth published his History of the Kings of Britain in 1136. In it, he wove a tale of how the wizard Merlin built Stonehenge as a memorial to a significant battle between the Saxons and the Britons. Merlin transported the stones from Ireland, where they had formed a stone circle built by giants; the stones themselves were originally brought from Africa, and had healing properties. It was also suggested that Uther Pendragon was buried within the Stonehenge circle, along with Ambrosius Aurelianus and Constantine III. Geoffrey's tales were then of course retold by other Arthurian authors.
In other legends, the building of Stonehenge was attributed to the invading Saxon king Hengist.
links and details
rating
While Geoffrey's linking of Merlin to Stonehenge is no more than fancy, how can one not give this site a full five pointy hats? It's truly awesome in its own right, and of course if there ever was a historical Arthur, then he would have found Stonehenge just as intriguing and inspiring as we do now.
the place itself
Stonehenge in Wiltshire is perhaps Britain's most recognisable monument; it is managed by English Heritage, and part of a World Heritage Site. The surrounding area contains a variety of other prehistoric monuments, including barrows, avenues, and other earth-and-timber henges (some of which are managed by the National Trust). Stonehenge itself was apparently intended and used as a temple, oriented to the Summer and Winter Solstices - though we are left with as many questions as answers about exactly who created it, and how and why. (And even the types of lichen growing on the stones present their own mysteries!)
Stonehenge was built in stages during the period 3000 BC to 1600 BC, beginning with a ditch and bank, surrounding a circle of timber posts. Pretty much all that now remains of the timber posts are the holes in which they stood. Cremated human bones were later buried in the then-empty holes, as well as in the ditch and bank; it is rare to find a monument of this kind used as a cemetery.
The stones we are so familiar with date back to about 2300 BC. They have been arranged and rearranged over time, and some of the fallen stones were re-erected during the 20th century, so it is difficult to now imagine how the site must have appeared in earlier times. The stones are of two different types. The largest stones with their horizontal lintels are known as sarsens, which is an extremely hard sandstone. The closest source of sarsens of this size is in the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, 30km (19 miles) to the north of Stonehenge. The smaller stones are known as bluestones, though the ones on site are actually a variety of different types of stone. All the bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in Wales, over 240km (150 miles) to the west of Stonehenge. Much of the likely route would have been via the sea and the Bristol Channel.
A great deal of craft went into building the site, quite apart from the sheer effort needed to move and place the stones. For a start, the main entrance to the circular area faces the midsummer sunrise, while directly opposing this is the midwinter sunset; the entire site (including the original earthworks and timber posts, and the later stones) is aligned to and organised around this line which runs north-east and south-west. While the creation of most standing stone sites involved leaving the stones in their natural state, and raising them upright, many of the large sarsens were obviously trimmed into rectangular forms. The uprights and lintels were fixed together by 'mortise and tenon' joints, with a peg being fashioned on top of the upright which fitted into a hollow on the bottom of the lintel. The lintels are also locked together using 'tongue and groove' joints. Both of these types of joints were more commonly used in carpentery. The lintels aren't straight rectangles, but each is curved to form part of a circle. It is not known whether this structure was ever fully complete, but if so it would have been a perfect ring of stone - and almost exactly level, despite Stonehenge being built on a sloping site. Also, a horseshoe shape of five freestanding trilithons stood in the centre of the site, increasing in height from the outer trilithons to the centre one.
So, you know… basically, Wow!
I tried to take some photos that were perhaps a little unexpected, as well as a 'classic' shot or two, though I am sure I didn't acheive anything that hasn't been photographed or indeed etched a hundred times before! While most are of the stones, some include the inevitable inexperience of fellow visitors as well.
the Merlinian connection
Our very own Geoffrey of Monmouth published his History of the Kings of Britain in 1136. In it, he wove a tale of how the wizard Merlin built Stonehenge as a memorial to a significant battle between the Saxons and the Britons. Merlin transported the stones from Ireland, where they had formed a stone circle built by giants; the stones themselves were originally brought from Africa, and had healing properties. It was also suggested that Uther Pendragon was buried within the Stonehenge circle, along with Ambrosius Aurelianus and Constantine III. Geoffrey's tales were then of course retold by other Arthurian authors.
In other legends, the building of Stonehenge was attributed to the invading Saxon king Hengist.
links and details
- the English Heritage page for Stonehenge
- the National Trust page for the Stonehenge area
- the Wikipedia entry for Stonehenge (though I see the content is currently under dispute)
- my photos on Flickr
- the location on Google Maps
rating
While Geoffrey's linking of Merlin to Stonehenge is no more than fancy, how can one not give this site a full five pointy hats? It's truly awesome in its own right, and of course if there ever was a historical Arthur, then he would have found Stonehenge just as intriguing and inspiring as we do now.