Votive offerings

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FourWinds F
FourWinds Sep 1, 2009 07:50:34
Replying to Littlestone

Where it can be shown that the process started in the last 20 years it should be banned.

Many wells in Irland have rag trees. They're great. When they're traditional. People now tie things to trees at stone circles. That's litter to me.

The Irish tradition is to leave something that's close to the affected part of the body: a sock if you have a bad foot; a strip torn off your shirt for a chest problem etc. I once saw a tampon (unused) hanging from a tree at a holy well. Who knows what that lady was going through. More recently the offerings are getting 'commercial': little plastic Jesuses and suchlike. To me that's litter, even at traditional sites.

I can't remember where it is, but there's one well that was known for cures to leg injuries. There was a stack of walking sticks and crutches beside it once, but they were all cleared away. This pile had been there for hundreds of years and probably went back much further.

Leaving bits of plants with berries is highly irresponsible. It runs the risk of introducing foreign flora to a site, which could be invasive.

I once found an open pot of honey in a tree at Castleruddery.

N nigelswift
nigelswift Sep 1, 2009 09:12:27
Replying to FourWinds

"Where it can be shown that the process started in the last 20 years it should be banned."

Hmmm, harsh but harsh Mr FW!

I must say I get a bit peeved at the amount of academic and official leaning over backwards to "honour people's right to express their spirituality". What about those whose beliefs are transgressed and offended by the exercising of such rights? i.e. people that like to see sites without stuff left at them? I reckon that's a just as sincere and deeply held belief system as the other one and probably held by more people.

Last week I went to Swallowhead Springs. It was garlanded in late summer flowers, perfect. Except there was lots of crap there, marring the perfection. Plus.... the 4 nearby huge sarsens which form stepping stones (and quite probably were a stone circle ploughed out of the adjacent field) were totally covered in chalk symbolism.

L Littlestone
Littlestone Sep 2, 2009 19:56:00
Replying to FourWinds

I can't remember where it is, but there's one well that was known for cures to leg injuries. There was a stack of walking sticks and crutches beside it once, but they were all cleared away. This pile had been there for hundreds of years and probably went back much further.
In many churches in Cyprus you'll see ears, eyes, noses and other body parts made of wax hanging up in a corner - presumably in the hope that real parts would be cured. I've see pilgrims at Japanese temples pass their hands through incense smoke and then rub their hands on a sick part of their body. Wells, waterfalls, springs and rivers in Japan are still regularly visited by people seeking cures for one thing or another.

Seems like there's a deep-seated and common human connection in the seeking out of places with (allegedly) healing properties - sources of water perhaps being the most important.