Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . ce faces exactly south-east. Thepassage is formed of upright slabs of unhewn stoneroofed with similar slabs, and varies from nearly 5 feetto 7 feet 10 inches in height ; it is about 3 feet wide, andruns for 62 feet straight into the heart of the it ends in a cruciform chamber, 20 feet high, theroof, a kind of dome, being formed of large flat stones,overlapping inwards till they almost meet at the top, wherea large flat stone covers all. In each of the three re-cesses of the cruciform chamber there stands a largestone basin, or rude sarcophagus,
Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . ce faces exactly south-east. Thepassage is formed of upright slabs of unhewn stoneroofed with similar slabs, and varies from nearly 5 feetto 7 feet 10 inches in height ; it is about 3 feet wide, andruns for 62 feet straight into the heart of the it ends in a cruciform chamber, 20 feet high, theroof, a kind of dome, being formed of large flat stones,overlapping inwards till they almost meet at the top, wherea large flat stone covers all. In each of the three re-cesses of the cruciform chamber there stands a largestone basin, or rude sarcophagus, but no traces of anyburial now remain. Symbolic Carvings at New Grange The stones are all raw and undressed, and wereselected for their purpose from the river-bed and else-where close by. On their flat surfaces, obtained bysplitting slabs from the original quarries, are found thecarvings which form the unique interest of this strangemonument. Except for the large stone with spiralcarvings and one other at the entrance to the mound,70. o 0) hiO C a u O « CO <^ ^ a! o « 2 rJcJ +j u rt « V) ^ ^ 3 li^ 3 H p. o C3 •4^ ?CO o o o 1^ -u G w THE SHIP SYMBOL AT NEW GRANGE the intention of these sculptures does not appear to havebeen decorative, except in a very rude and primitivesense. There is no attempt to cover a given surfacewith a system of ornament appropriate to its size andshape. The designs are, as it were, scribbled upon thewalls anyhow and anywhere.^ Among them everywherethe spiral is prominent. The resemblance of some ofthese carvings to the supposed finger-markings of thestones at Gavrinis is very remarkable. Triple anddouble spiral are also found, as well as lozenges andzigzags. A singular carving representing what lookslike a palm-branch or fern-leaf is found in the westrecess. The drawing of this object is naturalistic, andit is hard to interpret it, as Mr. Coffey is inclined to do,as merely a piece of so-called herring-bone * pattern.^A similar palm-leaf design,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcelticl, bookyear1910
