UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 4, 2020 9:48:01 GMT
The Rollright Stones: an introduction
The complex of megalithic monuments known as The Rollright Stones lies on the boundary between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, on the edge of the Cotswold hills. They span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development and each site dates from a different period. The complex consists of three main elements, The King’s Men stone circle, the King Stone and the Whispering Knights. The oldest, the Whispering Knights dolmen, is early Neolithic, circa 3,800-3,500 BC, the King's Men stone circle is late Neolithic, circa 2,500 BC; and the King Stone is early to middle Bronze Age, circa 1,500 BC. The official site is here: www.rollrightstones.co.uk/ The King Stone and the King’s Men:  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 5, 2020 9:21:13 GMT
No counting the walking stones
Just as some celebrities attract similar rumours, so do some collections of monoliths attract similar legends. The celebrities are alleged to be older than they say they are, to have been married more times than they say they have and to have had unacknowledged babies along the way. The standing stones are said to be impossible to count, and to sometimes go on a walkabout! The Rollright Stones are an example of this. From the official website: “Legend has it that it is impossible to count the King's Men. It is said that the man will never live who shall count the stones three times and find the number the same each time. It is also said that anyone who thrice counts the same number will have their heart's desire fulfilled.” There is a legend about a baker who placed a loaf of bread on every Rollright stone in order to count them correctly, but no matter how he laid them out, he always found one stone without a loaf in the end. Even today, the number of stones is given as 75, 77 or ‘around 70’. It is not just stones that attract this legend: sometimes trees to do. I remembered this from The House at Pooh Corner: “So Christopher Robin and Pooh carry on walking, and they walk up to an enchanted place on top of the Forest called Galleons Leap, where there are 60-something trees all in a circle. Christopher Robin knows that it is enchanted because nobody has ever been able to work out whether there are 63 trees in all or 64, not even when they tied a piece of string around each tree as they counted it “ The Rollright Stones are also said to go down to the river to have a drink! A dramatic art print of the Rollright Stones: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 7, 2020 8:06:21 GMT
The Rollright Stones and the witch
Another legend that some standing stones, those that look vaguely human in particular, attract is that they are people who were turned into stone. An old legend says that the Rollright Stones were created by the helpful intervention of a local witch who turned a would-be conquering Danish king and his men into stone. They were literally petrified: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 8, 2020 18:24:27 GMT
Wiccans, Pagans and Druids
Another common feature of stone circles and certain rock formations is that they used for ceremonies and rituals, some sinister. The Cotswold Order of Druids seems harmless enough:  "22nd June 2014. Members of the Cotwold Order of Druids celebrate the summer solstice at the ancient Rollright Stones at Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire"
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 9, 2020 15:15:31 GMT
The Rollright Ritual
Occultist, ceremonial magician and writer William G. Gray performed rituals and nocturnal meditations at the Rollright Stones. He came up with The Rollright Ritual, a a self-initiatory journey through the four stations of consciousness. His book on the subject was published in 1975: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 11, 2020 20:36:16 GMT
The Rollright Witch wooden sculpture
The Rollright Witch was a temporary art installation at the Rollright Stones. It was created by the environmental artist David Gosling, who was inspired by the legend of the local witch who turned the invading king to stone. It lasted for one year before the forces of nature destroyed it.  
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