Nature . deed they werenot primarily built for the living and not for thedead, and whether this will explain the finding oftraces of fires and of hollowed stones in them, as wellas some points in their structure. Mr. MacRitchie -has brought together several of these points, amongthem fireplaces and flues for carrying away smoke. At both solstices it would appear that a special fire-rite was practised. This consisted of tying straw ona wheel and rolling it when lighted down a is much evidence for the wheel at the summerbut less at the winter solstice; still, we learn from theold Runi
Nature . deed they werenot primarily built for the living and not for thedead, and whether this will explain the finding oftraces of fires and of hollowed stones in them, as wellas some points in their structure. Mr. MacRitchie -has brought together several of these points, amongthem fireplaces and flues for carrying away smoke. At both solstices it would appear that a special fire-rite was practised. This consisted of tying straw ona wheel and rolling it when lighted down a is much evidence for the wheel at the summerbut less at the winter solstice; still, we learn from theold Runic fasti that a wheel was used to denote thefestival of Christmas. With regard to the summersolstice I quote the following from Hazlitt (underJohn, St.):— Durandus, speaking of the rites of the Feast ofSt. John Baptist, informs us of this curious circum-stance, that in some places they roll a wheel aboutto signify that the sun, then occupying the highestplace in the Zodiac, is beginning to descend. Rotam. From Baring- gW of Tradition. quoque hoc die in quibusdam locis volvunt, ad sig-nificandum quod Sol altissimum tunc locum in Ccelooccupet, et descendere incipiat in Zodiaco. 2345 (on vellum), Art. 100, is an Account of therites of St. John Baptists Eve, in which the wheelis also mentioned. In the amplified account of theseceremonies given by Naogeorgus, we read that thiswheel was taken up to the top of a mountain androlled down thence; and that, as it had previouslybeen covered with straw twisted about it and set onfire, it appeared at a distance as if the sun had beenfalling from the sky. And he further observes, thatthe people imagine that all their ill-luck rolls awayfrom them together with this wheel. At Norwich, saysa writer in Current Notes for March, 1X54, the ritesof St. John the Baptist were anciently observed, when it was the custom to turn or roll a wheelabout, in signification of the suns annual course, orthe sun, then occupying the highest place in theZo
Size: 1202px × 2078px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectscience
