Twilight of the Celtic Gods
So I've been in Yorkshire for a good two months and written barely nothing - maybe because I know nobody reads this LJ. But anyway, I've seen a few awesome things.
A few days after I got into Yorkshire to Marsden, I went to the Village of Uppermill, which is right on the border of Yorkshire to Lancashire or Greater Manchester right near Saddleworth. In fact, I think it USED to be in Yorkshire, but now is in Saddleworth. Stan, Caitlin's husband, told me about a stone face in the bridge, and he wanted to show me.
We first drove up Manchester road out of Marsden past a few pubs on the top of the Moors. There were two pub near each other - One of them - the Great Western - was pointed out to me for a reason. Back at the Uncon, Andy Roberts son Kai was there - I never got introduced but Caitlin knew him as she had taken photos of the Huddersfield area for his book - which, I believe, is a book about local folklore and stuff - like what his father writes. Caitlin mentioned that in Kai's book (yet to be published) mentions sightings of a couple of boggarts - and one of them was at the Great Western! Found that rather interesting.
At Uppermill, we saw not only the stone head in the bridge, but a few other stones that had some mystery to them.
The stone head on the bridge
A carved stone said the bridge was re-built(?) in 1986 - not sure of age of head
The 'Ravenstone' in the park next to the library has even more mystery to it...
The day before New Years Eve, I went with my Uncle Gareth to Ilkley to do the Cup and Ring tour. I had brought with me my book 'Twilight of the Celtic Gods' (by Andy Roberts and David Clarke) again to the UK - to read, and perhaps even to tour the area. I had brought the book with me to my aunt and uncles place for Xmas, because I knew Gareth would have liked to read it - I even left it with him to finish reading. We happened to look in it at local stones and found in Ilkley that there was a Goddess on a stone in the Ilkley Parish Church. The Goddess 'Verbeia' (according to Andy and David's book) was apparently an altar stone that was Roman in the church (???) What would make more sense was that the stone was found in the river.
'She of the Cattle' - was the Goddess of the River Wharfe in North Yorkshire (one of two Roman altars found in the north-west corner of the church - probably Demeter, Goddess of the fields or her daughter Libera (Persephone) or a local Celtic deity similar to Demeter.
So in we went to the Parish Church. What was more of a touristy thing were the Churchs three Celtic Crosses that have been in the churchyard for years and eventually moved inside for protection and saved from pollution.
It does not amaze me that some of the literature that you can get on these kinds of historical relics are very Christian in the way of thinking - there is never any cited dates of possible creation or who made them. An academic would cite everything if they wrote the brochures on these things. It was the same with the Shoreditch church brochure - uncited Christian tripe made the writings completey dull and disbelievable. No dates or years were ever cited on the Shoreditch brochure. It felt the same here - the Christians who write this stuff that tell you nothing about an objects true history, tells me that it might not have been even a Christian creation - many brochures written up do not seem to want to acknowledge the ancient pre-Christian past. I'll bet any money that there was a Celtic of even Roman religious site in the same spot, thus trampled on.
If Christian worship began there in 627 AD then clearly NOTHING else would have been worshipped there before then at all (note sarcasm). There was probably 'no such thing.'
Anyway, we then drove up to the Panorama Rocks that were put in a park next to another Ilkley church
I am not sure where the original placement of these rocks were on the moors (?) - maybe I should have read this information board... But as it was a wet day...
We got even wetter going up a long gthe edge of the moor walking to the swastika stone - Which was carved on a rock overlooked the valley towards Addingham as well. The carving is worn away and on a stone next to it is a Victorian reproduction that is clearer to look at.
the original Swastika Stone
The Victorian era reproduction.
Gareth and I got quite wet today - and were only going to get wetter. We were on a mission to get to the Badger Stone. He also wanted to go to the Twelve Apostles stone circle but there was no way we were going to make it - we would have been too wet by then, and it was getting dark.
The Badger Stone on Ilkley Moor
Fantasic example of cup and ring carvings.
Me with the Badger Stone - I was drenched! And beginning to get cold. It was best we headed back home and not further into misty Ilkley Moor as it was getting dark and we were not well equipt...
We are saving the Twelve Apostles stone circle for a Spring day....