Pic: Notquiteamerican

Did the Ancient Celts visit this marvellous edifice in Ancient Mexico? Was it another European or Mediterranean culture asks Guest Blogger, William Russeth, author of the astounding Celtic novel, The Fires of Belenus. We were privileged right back in the early days of the show to be able to bring you a section of his novel in our Midsummer 2008 Holiday Special, SP02b. He writes:

Chichen Itza was a late classic and post classic city, ( no, it is not a fast food franchise) which means that it it flourished after most of the Mayan civilization, had started to crumble. The Toltec tribe moved down from Mexico in about the year 1000 AD and took it over. They may have been pushed out by Aztecs, but they gave the city a second life and a Toltec makeover.The ruins are as  impressive as any  I have ever seen in the world. The step pyramid, El Castillo, rivals the grandeur of the great pyramids in Egypt. The ball court is the size of an NFL football field. There is even a building archaeologists think was an astronomical observatory, not bad for a civilization that had not yet found its way out of the Stone Age. That is right, these Mayan/ Toltecs were just beginning to work with soft metals like gold and silver. They did not even have copper or bronze implements. Iron was lightyears away from discovery. One of the great enigmas is that they had written language, books, sophisticated calendars, advanced agriculture, and highly developed engineering skills, but they never thought about putting wheels on a cart to pull things around.

I will get back to Chichen Itza in future blogs but today I want to focus on one engraving that I had photographed a few years ago and recently rediscovered. On the wall inside one of the temples, an image was etched into the wall that our guide claimed was a Pre-Columbian drawing of a ocean going ship. Much has been made that when Cortez arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs took him to be Quetzalcoatl, the famed white god that helped create the world and gave these people, books, agriculture, calendars, etc. Since my visit, it has been shown that the idea of Native Americans thinking Cortez was a god came mainly from Cortez. After all Pocahontas and Squanto were not fooled a minute. Never the less, Quetzalcoatl was widely worshipped by Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs . The legend has it that after doing all these wondrous things, he made a raft of snakes and sailed off into the East promising to return. Our guide proudly pointed to the carving on the wall inside the dark temple and said, “See!” I flashed a quick picture out of pity, so he would not feel bad, but frankly I did not see it. I remember the guide’s name, Caesar. Caesar went on to say that it was an image of an ocean sailing vessel carved into the wall hundreds of years before Columbus, Cortez, or Montejo were in the Americas. Montejo was the conquistador who ravaged the area around Chichen Itza.

Pic: William Russeth

A few weeks a ago, I came across the photo. For some crazy reason I  took the photo and scanned it into Photoshop, bumping up the contrast and then connecting the dots and tracing over the lines. My mouth went agape when I viewed the result. To me, it looks like a European or Mediterranean sailing vessel. What do you think? The thing is that the style and look of the image was identical to all the other images in the temple that were know to be Pre-Columbian. Could it have been carved after Cortez arrived?

Perhaps. The site was still in use, though decaying, when the Spanish arrived in Mexico. In  1524 AD. Cortez stopped in Cozumel, but bypassed the Yucatán Peninsula where Chichen Itza is located. Toltecs fought their last civil war in about 1480 AD and had pretty much stamped out the last vestiges of Mayan/Toltec civilization by that time.. Still, Native Americans lived around the city when Montejo invaded in about 1697. He used the ruins for protection while the locals attacked him and initially drove him out.

Pic: William Russeth

I would like to think that the carving is an image of a vessel from Europe or some Mediterranean source and that the Americas were visited by many people from across the Atlantic, Vikings, Welshman, Irishmen, and Phoenicians to name a few. Columbus was just the first to do it up “right” and provide proper documentation. People have been sailing from the Mediterranean to Britain in very sophisticated sailing ships for over 3000 years. Is it so hard to believe that from time to time an adventurous soul did not sail off into the West or was blown off course to the new world long before Columbus?

You can find out more about William Russeth on his website and The Fire of Belenus at Wings Press.

Originally posted 2010-02-13 07:23:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Tuesday, 20 May 2008 – Clare Museum and the Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) at University College Dublin have uncovered evidence of a 6000-year-old trade link between Ireland and Great Britain. This Looped and Socketed Axehead was found near Miltown Malbay in the townland of Knockliscrane in the civil parish of Kilmurry-Ibrickane in the barony of Ibrickane. It was found during field drainage operations and was brought to the surface by a mechanical digger employed in this task. The axe was found on the surface of the spoil heap and had not been more than three feet below the surface.

It is 6.5cm X 5.2cm wide. The axehead is in poor condition with the remains of only one loop still visible. It dates from the Bronze Age (2,400BC-600BC) and possibly had a more ritual than functional use. This axe was claimed for the state by Clare Museum under the National Monuments Act (1994) and the National Cultural Institutions Act (1997). Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-06-01 09:17:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Alan Garner Pic: Warwick Uni.

The University of Warwick has issued the following press release on the 21st January this year. It commemorates the astounding work that famed children’s author Alan Garner has done to promote the joys of mythology and literature to a younger generation (my opinion). The University of Warwick has awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters to acclaimed Cheshire author Alan Garner. He received his honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at a degree ceremony on Thursday, 20 January 2011. The degree has formed part of a year of celebrations for Alan Garner as October 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of his first published novel The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. The book has never been out of print and has been enjoyed by several generations of children.

One of his many books is the novel Red Shift (1973) which plays on the astronomical term Red Shift as well as being a play on words that can describe a form a of clothing – a red shift or red petticoat. During his acceptance speech he particularly thanked the University for providing him with the new Red Doctoral robes which he called “His very own Red Shift”. Just before receiving his degree he also gave a podcast interview on his work.

Alan Garner is a prize winning author whose novels are not only firmly established as classics of English literature but are also loved and treasured by both children and adults. His family roots are in Cheshire where he was born, and the area around Alderley Edge where he lives now, and that area has greatly influenced his writing. Many of his works, including The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath, and more recently Thursbitch draw on the legends and geography of Alderley Edge.

His inspiration has come from Alderley Edge’s history, mythology and archaeology and from his own local explorations. He is particularly interested in the language of the area (which he describes as ‘North-West Mercian Middle English’) and has tried to reproduce its cadences in modern English.

His first three books - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath and Elidor – were fantasy, and marketed for children. However he has also written acclaimed novels that are aimed at adults such as Thursbitch (2003).

His fourth book, The Owl Service (1968), was also aimed at children. It won both the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal and established him as one of the UK’s leading writers.

The Owl Service was also made into an 8 episode TV series. It was produced in 1969 and televised in the winter of 1969-1970 and  Alan Garner himself wrote the scripts. It was the first fully-scripted colour production by Granada Television and was filmed almost entirely on location in Wales. It remains one of the most haunting children’s TV series ever made. An audio dramatisation of The Owl Service was also produced and transmitted by BBC Radio 4 in 2000. Many of his other works have been adapted for television and in 1981 he himself made a film, Image and Landscape, which won first prize at the Chicago International Film Festival.

His other novels include Strandloper (1996) and Thursbitch (2003); he has also written collections of short stories – The Stone Book received the Phoenix Award from the Children’s Literature Association (USA) in 1996 – and The Voice That Thunders, a collection of essays and lectures published in 1997. In 2001, Alan Garner was awarded the OBE for services to children’s literature.

More useful links to interviews with Alan Garner etc:

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/may/17/whyiwrite.booksforchildrenandteenagers1
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/feb/26/alan-garner-weirdstone-brisingamen
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2010/oct/08/alan-garner
• http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=301266
• http://www.weirdstone.org.uk/

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Pic: Tulla Comhaltas

Tulla Traditional Music Festival 12 – 14th September 2008 The Tulla Traditional Music Festival 2008 promises to be even bigger and better that our 50 year celebration Festival last year. Our Guest of Honour for the weekend is legendary fiddle player Liz Carroll who will be travelling from the United States. The highlight of the weekend will be our ‘Masters in Town’ Concert which will take place on Saturday night 13th Sept in St. Peter and Paul’s Church Tulla at 8pm. This concert will feature Joe Burke, Ann Conroy Burke, Matt Molloy, Arty McGlynn and John Carty, Mary Bergin, Kathleen Loughnane, Geraldine Cotter, Tommy Hayes, Mick O’Brien, Vincent Griffin, the Tulla Ceili Band and of course Liz Carroll. Official website

Originally posted 2008-09-10 09:14:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

St. Patrick watching over the endangered Tara-Skyrne valley Pic: bbusschots

We are proud to announce that we have been listed amongst the top 50 archaeological blogs by a website specialising in finding your the best online Engineering degrees.

Engineering Degree Online splits the news sites into several groups: Top Archaeologist News Bloggers, Top Foreign Archaeologist, Top Cultural Archaeological Bloggers Bloggers, Top Archaeologist Individual Bloggers, Top Archaeological Group Bloggers and Top Related Archaeological Bloggers.

Top Cultural Archaeological Bloggers

We fall into this category as we specialise in bringing you information about the Celts, the pre-Cets and their modern descendants. From an archaeological viewpoint, this means we specialise on the Bronze and Iron Ages, with quite a lo9t of attention  being shown to the Neolithic and other stone ages. The dating of these periods is undergoing some radical changes, which is extremely fascinating (the first settlement in Ireland is now dated as being approx. 8,000 BCE!).

The Blogs that E.D.O. have chosen as their top blogs in this category are:

See how archaeology and culture combine by reading these blogs.
16. Culture in Peril
Nicholas has a master’s degree in Cultural Heritage Studies from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He devotes his blog to the discussion, interpretation, and analysis of ongoing cultural heritage issues. Archaeology and preservation are often the topics of choice.
17. Illicit Cultural Property
This blog is about art, antiquities, and the law. Derek Fincham is a law professor studying art and how the two combine. A recent entry was on rules at the MoMA.
18. Searching for Authenticity
Get Field Notes from a globalized and tribalized world here. Neil studied archaeology at Wesleyan University and at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He now devotes his blog to certifying the authenticity of many artifacts, along with their cultural impact.
19. Looting Matters
Stop here for discussion on archaeological ethics. The collecting of antiquities is often discussed. You can even get a related news feed in addition to the blog.
20. Cultural Heritage in Danger
This is the blog of the non-profit organization SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone. Their focus is the merge concerning looting and the illicit antiquities trade. The law, thoughts, and more are all included.
21. Culturing Science
Hannah Waters discusses science related thoughts and links on the blog. Her specialty is biology as relevant to earthly beings. The purpose of scientific research was the topic of a recent entry.
22. ARCA
The Association for Research into Crimes against Art is a group dedicated to contemporary issues in art and crime. With many issues surrounding archaeology, they are well worth a look. You can also find loads more on the main site.
23. The Cultural Property and Archaeology Law Blog
Kimberly Alderman is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She has a background in and passion for archaeology and enjoys traveling. Recent posts are on artifacts at Yale, heritage studies, and a recovered Native American knife.
24. Celtic Myth Podshow
Why dig up ancient Celtic treasures when you can just hear about them? This blog and podshow devote themselves to sharing many ancient myths. Visit for the latest, or check out the archives.

So, thank you to those good folks who included us in the list. We feel that we are more popularists than archaeologists and see it as our job to try and raise the levels of involvement and enjoyment within the field of Celtic studies. I wonder whether there is a term for the Archaeology of Mythology? I guess that would be where out love and main interest lies – lol

Thank you again -0 it is a great honour!

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Reconstruction of Celtic Pots Pic: treehouse1977

The history of us humans is often categorized by the materials we use. You have the Stone Age, the Bronze age and the Iron Age. But in between the Stone Age the Bronze Age, we need to insert another age, the Pottery Age. Turning clay into pottery was the first time we took a material found in nature, clay and turned it into something different and useful, pottery. Without pottery and the techniques that we learned to create it the Bronze and Iron Age could not have happened.

Before we could do that, we needed fire. We began to use fire sometime during the Stone Age. First it was probably as we found it when caused by lightning but eventually we learned to create fire on demand. I’m sure our first use was for cooking meat. As the first source of energy that we controlled, it was necessary for all that followed.

The Stone age is a period of time when humans only used natural materials as they found them. Wood, animal skins, and stone are some of the materials that humans adapted to their use in that time period.. An example would be a spear with a wooden shaft and a stone arrow shaped tip. Some animal product like gut string might be used to tie the spear tip to the shaft. A wooden club can be improved by attaching a stone head and properly shaped it becomes an ax. Bows and arrows can also be made using stone wood and animal products. You can make sharpened stone tools for many uses. They can shape wood into many other useful objects.

One of the most important and unrecognized advances of civilization was when we learned to make pottery. It’s the first time we learned to take a natural material that was relatively useless and transform it into something useful. Now we were out of the Stone Age. From now on the advance of civilization was marked by how we learned to transform natural materials into different and more useful forms. Clay is found abundantly in nature. As a boy I found clay in and around a brook, where I used to play. This clay was wet enough so that it could be worked into shapes just as I found it. When you dry the clay, it becomes solid. However, it is not very strong and if it gets wet again it falls apart. But fire it at a high enough temperature and it changes it’s properties. It becomes strong, waterproof and very useful. It becomes pottery.

The temperatures need to fire pottery are higher than you would normally find in a cooking fire. Maybe the first discoveries of making fired ceramics was made by clay objects falling into very hot cooking fires. We learned over time to make hotter fires and to contain these fires in kilns to make them even hotter. The first kilns were just dug into the earth but as we learned to make brick, also a fired clay object, more elaborate kilns were built. The age of metals was not only made possible with the use of fired ceramic pots and bricks but also by the kilns and furnaces we developed to fire these ceramic objects.

Most of my career in science was working in the field of material science, so I am aware of the importance of ceramics to the advance of civilization and it’s continuing contributions. This article is written to make people aware of the importance of ceramics to civilizations beginnings. I will be writing other articles on technical ceramics and it’s importance to us today. I will be putting them together to create a new knowledge section on my knowledge website tonyknows

http://tonyknows.com

Author: Anthony Moschetti
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Kissing the Blarney Stone Pic: William Russeth

We are always very priviliged and proud to have a guest blog by famous author, William Russeth about he and his wife’s visit to Blarney Castle and their encounter with the famous Blarney Stone. William is the author of the Fires of Belenus, which has been featured in our show, Midsummer Special 2008 SP02b. He has now written a follow on to this exciting also set in the Celtic world, called the Cult of Camulos. William writes:

The line started in front of the tower door and wound up uncountable turns to the top of the spire. Looking down into the ring of stairs made me dizzy. I had to keep my eyes on my feet and a hand on the rail. Slowly we proceeded, step by step, round and round, emerging at the top of the ramparts of Blarney Castle. We gawked at the panorama of lush green fields endlessly hedged with low stonewalls, a post card view of the Emerald Isle.

The line edged forward. Ever determined, Jan moved eagerly with each advance. Finally, we were there. Jan stepped forward. Two strong young men grabbed her forcefully to sling her backwards over the wall. She would hang in space, nearly upside-down, fifty or sixty feet above the ground. They assured me there was no danger. A ragged chicken wire net dangled ten feet below the famed Blarney Stone. It would catch her fall.

Blarney Castle Pic: William Russeth

A gentle blush of excitement filled her cheeks. Her hazel eyes dazzled with expectation. Over she went, lips pursed, ready to grace the legendary stone. I gasped as her lovely head and supple form disappeared under the ramparts. She strained and stretched for her reward. Her body quivered, taut with exertion–then suddenly relaxed. Beaming and bright, she emerged from under the wall having kissed the Stone at Blarney Castle. I whispered in her ear,

“Oh, what great beauty do thou possess?
To grace this world with your sweet breath
To grace this hand with your gentle touch
To grace this soul with your discerning glance
To pierce this heart with love’s sharp lance”

Her silky voice, soft as morning dew, caught my ear, “Cut the blarney you old fool.”

Thank you William, for that heart-warming story!

Cult of Camulos: A Gripping Novel Cast in a Forgotten Era of History

Cult of Camulos Pic: William Russeth

Newly released by Wings-Press(Sept 2010) Cult of Camulos is the second novel penned by William Russeth. It is a gripping tale that will sweep you across the ancient Celtic world, from the battlefields of Telemon (Italy) to the salt mines of Halstatt (Austria) and ancient fortress Lugdunum (France). It is and epic story of personal conflict with converging plotlines of love, jealousy, and ambition that culminate in a stunning climax.

“Finding he has no heart for rape and murder, a warrior decides to return home, but it is too late. Roman Legions crush his invading host. The warrior is enslaved and sent to die slowly digging salt. His daring escape and journey home take away everything he loves and threaten to steal the last vestige of his humanity. Will his journey that transform him into the most revered chieftain in all of Celtica or the most murderous monster?”

William Russeth’s tale is a blend of fictional and historical settings in Europe prior to the Roman occupation, an era not exploited by many authors.

“This is the forgotten era of European history, before Rome conquered Gaul and Celtic tribes controlled Europe, “

says Mr. Russeth.

“It is great period for an author write about because it is not really in an era of recorded history. This gives the author wide latitude to create a good story. But it is sad that so much of our Celtic heritage has been lost. Most people do not know that many European cities, like Lyons were originated by Celtic Tribes.”

You can get hold of William’s fascinating book from Wings Press and we hope to perhaps bring you an excerpt in the future.

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Pic: Wiki

That is the question asked by Laura Harrison McBride, travel writer, on the Examiner.com site. Little is written in the Christian gospels about Joseph of Arimathea, a rich Jewish merchant who provided the prepared tomb for Jesus. But the apocrypha (gospels and other writings not included in the Bible as Christians know it today, but written at the same time as that which is included) and tradition suggest he was far more important to Jesus in both life and death than most people imagine. In addition, tradition also suggests that Joseph of Arimathea was instrumental in establishing the followers of Christ in England, and may, indeed, have introduced the young Jesus to druidic mystical writings on a visit to Cornwall when Jesus was a boy. (Druidic magical beliefs are usually attributed to Ireland, but England had them as well.)

If it seems difficult to credit, consider this: Although tradition says Jesus was a lowly carpenter’s son, Joseph (father of Jesus) was of the royal House of David, which was not impoverished and did raise its sons to be as well educated as possible. While moderns think of each area of the ancient world as cut off from the others, that is not true. Trade was vigorous all around the Mediterranean, and along the Atlantic cost of Europe as far as Britain, at least. The Milesians, who settled in Ireland, sailed from the coast of Spain, having settled there after leaving central Turkey. So, commerce and doubtless intellectual discourse was certainly a feature of ancient life moderns forget about. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2009-04-19 08:57:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The video above shows the Bedford Morris Men performing  The Branston Plough Play on Plough Monday 10th January 2011 at The Cricketers public house Bedford. They finish with the very old blessing whose lyrics I have reproduced below:

Good master and good mistress,
As you sit round the fire,
Just think of us poor plough lads
That plough through mud and mire.

The mire is so very deep,
We travel far and near.
We thank you for a Christmas box
And a pitcher of your best beer!

You see our tale is ended,
You see our fool is gone.
We’ll make it our business
To follow him along.

And we thank you for civility
And for what you gave us here:
And we wish you all good night
And another Happy New Year.

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded the village population as 350, a figure which stayed relatively stable until the beginning of the 20th century when the population began to quickly increase to the current total. The character of the village has changed much over the post-war period but the village has retained much of its historic centre – where the majority of buildings are constructed from the attractive local limestone.

Unusually for a relatively large village, Branston now has only one public house, the Waggon and Horses a modern building which stands on the High Street, close to the historic centre of the village. Two other public houses were once located in the village. The Plough which stood on the High Street and was demolished in the 1970s in order to straighten a dangerous bend at the centre of the village, and the Bertie Arms, a small public house located on Rectory Lane and long ago converted into a private dwelling. Pottergate Golf Club is on Moor Lane. [wiki]

Speed the Plow

Speed-the-Plow (1988) is a play by David Mamet which is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000).

The Secret Middle Ages by Malcolm Jones discusses the origin of the phrase “God Speed the Plow” in a celebration known as Plow Monday and a 14th century poem:

“God spede the plow/And send us all corne enow/Our purpose for to mak/At crow of cok/Of the plwlete of Sygate/Be mery and glade/Wat Goodale this work mad”.

There is an 18th century English play by Thomas Morton called Speed-the-Plough, which gave the world the character of that arch-prude Mrs. Grundy.
In George Meredith’s novel The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, the young protagonist, running away from home, encounters two peasants discussing their experiences, the Tinker and Speed-the-Plow. Describing them to a relative, he says,

“Next, there’s a tinker and a ploughman, who think that God is always fighting with the Devil which shall command the kingdoms of the earth. The tinker’s for God, and the ploughman–”

In an interview in The Chicago Tribune, Mamet explained the title as follows:

I remembered the saying that you see on a lot of old plates and mugs: ‘Industry produces wealth, God speed the plow.’ This, I knew, was a play about work and about the end of the world, so ‘Speed-the-Plow’ was perfect because not only did it mean work, it meant having to plow under and start over again. [wiki]

In the oldest traditions, it is thought that Plough Plays were a magical ceremony to ensure a plentiful harvest.

Plough Plays were performed in January, and most of the ones recorded in England were meant for entertainment, but the oldest ones, like the Goathland Plow Stots are thought to go back to a Pagan tradition in which Charming the Plough was a necessary condition for a good harvest. For the Anglo-Saxon Charming the Plough ceremony, a loaf of bread was baked made from milk and holy water and some of all the seeds that are to be planted. [source]

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You can also now download a Celtic Myth Podshow App from the iTunes store. This is the most convenient and reliable way to access the Celtic Myth Podshow on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’re always connected to the latest episode, and our App users have access to exclusive bonus content, just touch and play! To find out more visit the iTunes Store or our Descripition Page.
You can now also find an Android version of the App which works identically to the iPhone version. You can find it on Appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/app/celtic-myth-show/tv.wizzard.android.celticmythpodshow841 or by using the QR code opposite.
If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

Pic: cenz

Six months ago, the BBC reported that the A344, the road running alongside the stones of Stonehenge, could be closed down. The decision should be made at the end of this year. Has anyone heard what is going to happen yet?

The original BBC article said:

A road which runs alongside Stonehenge could be closed under proposals drawn up to protect the site’s future. Shutting the A344 where it runs next to the stones, in Wiltshire, is one of the plans being considered to protect the landmark’s World Heritage Site status.

It comes after a £540m tunnel scheme for a 1.3mile (2.1km) section of the A303 was scrapped due to high costs. A decision on the proposed closure will be made by the end of the year following a three-month consultation.

People are also being asked to have their say on whether the Stonehenge visitor centre should be redeveloped or moved. Four possible new sites have been suggested.

Government and English Heritage

The Government and English Heritage, which have drawn up the proposals, believe closing the A344 at its junction with the A303 would allow the site to return to grassland, improving the environment around Stonehenge.

Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of English Heritage, said:

Stonehenge is the greatest achievement of prehistoric culture anywhere in Europe.

It is inconceivable that the inadequacies of the site should be allowed to continue any longer.

With political will and financial commitment I believe the Government can achieve a breakthrough this time.

Margaret Hodge, culture minister, said:

Stonehenge is one of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks and it’s important that we preserve it so that future generations can enjoy its mystery.

Ms Hodge added that the consultation would give

everyone the opportunity to have their say about the future of one of the world’s most important sites.

It is also hoped that an improved visitor centre will be in place by 2012.

Exhibitions of the plans will be on show throughout July at sites in Wiltshire and London.

The original article can be found on the BBC website.

Originally posted 2009-12-15 08:33:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter