Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . r they arefound, they mean the same thing, can hardly be doubted,but what that meaning is remains yet a puzzle to anti-quarians. The guess may perhaps be hazarded thatthey are diagrams or plans of a megalithic central hollow represents the actual circles are the standing stones, fosses, and rampartswhich often surrounded it ; and the line or duct drawnfrom the centre outwards represents the subterraneanapproach to the sepulchre. The apparent avenueintention of the duct is clearly brought out in thevarieties given below, which
Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . r they arefound, they mean the same thing, can hardly be doubted,but what that meaning is remains yet a puzzle to anti-quarians. The guess may perhaps be hazarded thatthey are diagrams or plans of a megalithic central hollow represents the actual circles are the standing stones, fosses, and rampartswhich often surrounded it ; and the line or duct drawnfrom the centre outwards represents the subterraneanapproach to the sepulchre. The apparent avenueintention of the duct is clearly brought out in thevarieties given below, which I take from Simpson. As the sepulchre was also aholy place or shrine, theoccurrence of a represen-tation of it among othercarvings of a sacred charac-,, . ^ ^ , . ter is natural enough ; it Varieties of Cup-and-ring 11 , S. ,, Markings would Seem symbolically to indicate that the place was holy ground. How far this suggestion might apply to the Mexican example I am unable to say. * See Sir J, Simpsons Archaic Sculpturings. 1867,6S. THE TUMULUS AT NEW GRANGE The Tumulus at New Grange One of the most important and richly sculptured ofEuropean megalithic monuments is the great chamberedtumulus of New Grange, on the northern bank of theBoyne, in Ireland. This tumulus, and the others whichoccur in its neighbourhood, appear in ancient Irishmythical literature in two different characters, the unionof which is significant. They are regarded on the onehand as the dwelling-places of the Sidhe (pronouncedShee), or Fairy Folk, who represent, probably, the deitiesof the ancient Irish, and they are also, traditionally, theburial-places of the Celtic High Kings of pagan story of the burial of King Cormac, who wassupposed to have heard of the Christian faith longbefore it was actually preached in Ireland by St. Patrickand who ordered that he should not be buried at theroyal cemetery by the Boyne, on account of its paganassociations, points to the view that this place was thecentre
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcelticl, bookyear1910
