climbing of sacred hills

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Howburn Digger H
Howburn Digger Jul 10, 2013 12:17:48
Replying to Rhiannon

I suppose it depends on what people nowadays on TMA classify as a "sacred hill". Some of these "sacred hills" are truly wondrous...

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/img_fullsize/94756.jpg

Something "disrespectful" about climbing that? I think it is beautiful, but I think a lot of West Highland mountains are beautiful... but what exactly makes this mountain "sacred"? Having a cairn? Fill us in! Better let The Scottish Mountaineering Association know about it too! And the Skye Tourist Office...

Or Dumbuck? Sacred? Really?

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/2810/dumbuck_hill.html

Someone had better let the people of Dumbarton, Cardross and Bowling know that they should start filling the big hole in...

http://binged.it/13ASdhs

As for the horsefeathers in the paragraphs of the 8 Feb 2002 "folklore" entry which deem this a "sacred hill" ... words fail me...

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1663/hills_of_dunipace.html

Someone had better let the good people of Larbert and Denny know. I'd love to read those roman literary sources too. I've read pretty much all the known Roman literary sources which apply to Scotland and Septimius Severus... none of them mention Dunipace or a treaty signed or broken there. And Roman involvement doesn't make somewhere "sacred"... does it? Or a proximity to Bonnybridge and their "UFOs"....

My neighbour down the road is Burnswark. A Caledonian Hillfort yes! Two big Roman camps straddling either side of it with ballista emplacements - yes! First major Caledonian defensive fort North of Birrens (Blatobulgium) - yes! Sacred Hill? Why - because someone found a story about a fairy. What made Cottingley famous... made a "sacred hill" outta Burnswark!

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6412/burnswark.html

As for this next "sacred hill" all I know is that every archaeological find and survey associated with it is for settlement (kitchen middens, house platforms, wee agricultural terraces...

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6020/berwick_law.html

Maybe its the whalebone arch maybe erected for Bonnie "Mince" Chairlie?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishfenton/4161660352/

Or another fairy mibbe... who knows...

These are examples of "sacred hills" on TMA. Only "sacred" in the eyes of TMA-ers. The Hill of the Old Woman ("Must be sacred!") or some legend that William Wallace hid there ("Must be sacred!") or worse... it stands out clearly in the landscape ("It really must have been sacred!"). "I've found a fairy story!" - then that hill must really be sacred! No evidence - just fanciful dreaming - harmless - until it is believed by someone important enough and the fences and "Keep Off this Sacred Hill" signs go up.

I'd say "Walk up any old hill you like! Take your litter home with you. If any fairies complain, apologise and explain that you'll leave after you've reached the top and eaten your sandwiches. If any fairies are cheeky or disrespectful to any TMA-ers please let me know and I'll go and sort them out."

HD

T thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 10, 2013 12:51:29
Replying to Howburn Digger

I agree with all of that. Your first example I would probably have added as "cairn" if I'd added it as a site myself.

As I said above, I think the inclusion on TMA is partly a legacy of the paper TMA (e.g. Blakey Topping in the book).

R Rhiannon
Rhiannon Jul 10, 2013 13:09:33
Replying to Howburn Digger

I think that traditionally there are hills and mountains in this country that have been considered more special than others, surely that's the case (even if not 'sacred' in more than a handful of cases). It may indeed be subjective, that's true. It's unlikely to be objective, because 'sacredness' is something us evolved monkeys have invented (along with all religious stuff. Naturally this comes with the usual 'more things Horatio' and anti-science disclaimers). Don't knock all those stories, however daft they are, because they're your culture aren't they, part of what makes your local area distinctive and interesting. But I think in this country in the 21st century it goes without saying that if you want to walk up a mountain no-one takes it quite seriously enough to stop you. But in 21st century central australia, the locals do still take it (very) seriously, so people ought to respect that. If you're advocating taking your litter home with you, you've got respect for something connected with the hill / mountain have you not? What is that thing?