Savages and howling barbarians​…

close
more_vert
VBB V
VBB Jan 13, 2011 13:30:23
Replying to Littlestone

Littlestone wrote:
In her 1849 poem, Suggested by the opening made in Silbury Hill Emmeline Fisher describes the builders of Silbury as, “our wild forefathers” and that, “When in his toil the jealous Savage paused, Drew deep his chest, pushed back his yellow hair...” we should now ask forgiveness (for digging into Silbury). Well, Emmeline was only 24 when she wrote that (and it was over 160 years ago) so we might forgive her for the use of expressions such as ‘our wild forefathers’ and ‘jealous savages’.
I don't think it alters your point but versions of Emmie's poem circulating via the web are misleading, she wrote 'zealous savage' not jealous' [also 'warrior' not warriors, and being a student of such things you may want to note she did not terminate line 6 with a comma]. Hope that helps.

S Sanctuary
Sanctuary Jan 13, 2011 14:06:05
Replying to VBB

VBB wrote:
Littlestone wrote:
In her 1849 poem, Suggested by the opening made in Silbury Hill Emmeline Fisher describes the builders of Silbury as, “our wild forefathers” and that, “When in his toil the jealous Savage paused, Drew deep his chest, pushed back his yellow hair...” we should now ask forgiveness (for digging into Silbury). Well, Emmeline was only 24 when she wrote that (and it was over 160 years ago) so we might forgive her for the use of expressions such as ‘our wild forefathers’ and ‘jealous savages’.
I don't think it alters your point but versions of Emmie's poem circulating via the web are misleading, she wrote 'zealous savage' not jealous' [also 'warrior' not warriors, and being a student of such things you may want to note she did not terminate line 6 with a comma]. Hope that helps.
Just moving on from there, in BBC4's The Heart of the hill, Professor Atkinson says on film taken during the 1969/70 dig that:-

"I have a clear picture of the people who built Silbury. They sweated at it, they stank...no deodorants in those days...and they did a jolly good job".

But no mention of savages!

L Littlestone
Littlestone Jan 13, 2011 14:30:41
Replying to VBB

According to Mike Pitts in the British Archaeology Magazine (Jan-Feb 2008) the poem left inside Silbury on 25 September 1849 has a comma at the end of line six. In line fourteen, jealous Savage is used. Ditto both points in the version printed in the Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine of 1854. Volume 1, pp 302 (although ‘savage’ is spelt with a lower case ‘s’ there).

I needed to get my magnifying glass out to look at the photo of Emmie’s poem in the BritArch Mag but I think you’re right – there seems to be no comma at the end of line six. The ‘j’ or ‘z’ of jeaous or zelous is too indistinct in the photo to say which it is (though zealous perhaps would make more sense).