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Stonehenge
Chris Seager
28 Feb 2017, 01:54 AM
Chapters 4 › Chapter 4 Journal Activity:
Chapter 4 Journal Activity
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Chapter 4 Journal Activity
Chapter 4 - Cultural influence of Stonehenge
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Stonehenge has influenced the British culture in a multitude of ways over the centuries. It has such an aura of mystery surrounding it which inspires the creatives amongst us to sing, dance, paint, write and imagine. This has become more prevalent in recent times as communication technologies have evolved. These days it provides an avenue of escape from the "rat-race". Regardless of the increasing wealth of scientific data uncovered by archaeologists, Stonehenge's myths still prevail - why should facts get in the way of a good story.
Spend time watching the crowds viewing Stonehenge and I can guarantee you will hear tourists claiming the stones were built by druids, are on ley-lines, were positioned by levitation - and those are the ones who don't think the Martians built Stonehenge!
However there's perhaps a more problematic issue in respect of failure of the "official" story to keep up with facts. There's far too little about the Mesolithic back-story. There's endless repeat of what was probably once a casual comment, that Woodhenge is the place of the living and Stonehenge the place of the dead. This is itself based on an informal comment by a man from Madagascar who observed that in Madagascar wood tends to be associated with the living and stone with the dead. On investigation there seems to be no particular antiquity to this tradition in Madagascar; indeed it may well be a European theme introduced by missionaries.
Graeme
As I mentioned above "why should facts get in the way of a good story" ^^
I am willing to admit that I have dabbled & danced around the outer edges of "New Age" culture. However, each time I've delved deeper into this area I've withdrawn because of the "over the top" load of codswollop. ^^
On a more serious note in regards to the Madagascar wood for the living/stones for the dead school of thought. You may be right in saying it may well be a European theme introduced, however... I do find it very curious that here in Australia, the indigenous peoples of this huge island continent, who have maintained a continuing culture since the last ice age (between 40,000 & 60,000 years) in isolation until relatively recently (200-300years for "coastal" tribes & within living memory for the more remote communities- a generation or three) appear to also have similar parallel beliefs. It's just a thought.
As a footnote on this - My Great Uncle Harry Leslie Perriman was one of these pioneer missionaries in Arnhem Land in Northern Territory, Australia, in the early 1920's - http://webjournals.ac.edu.au/ojs/index.php/ADEB/article/view/904/901
Chris ^_^