GLADMAN wrote:
After stumbling upon this intriguing monument near Oban, thanks to a local, has anyone any info regarding what the experts think about these unusual features?
There was some discussion a while back about Serpent Worship in the context of Ireland and Scotland. This extract is from James Bonwick's book "Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions" (first published 1894) where he makes reference to the Serpent Mound near Oban. Tiompan has pointed out it is a natural
esker
Scotland, as the author of its Scultured Stones shows, furnished a number of illustrations of the like of Dracolatria. Among the score of megalithic-serpent Scotch (Scottish) monuments some have crosses as well. There is, also, the well-known earthen serpent at Glen Feochan, Loch Nell, near Oban, in view of the triple cone of Ben Cruachan being 300 feet long and 20 high. Professor Blackie noted it thus :-
“Why lies the mighty serpent here,
Let him who knoweth tell;
With its head to the land, and its huge tail near
The shore of the fair Loch Nell?
Why lies it here? Not here alone –
But far to the East and West;
The wonder-working snake is known,
A mighty god, confessed.
And here the mighty god was known
In Europe’s early morn;
In view of Cruachan’s triple cone,
Before John Bull was born.
And worship knew, on Celtic ground
With trumpets, drums, and bugles;
Before a trace in Lorn was found
Of Campbells and Macdougalls.
And here the serpent lies in pride,
His hoary tale to tell;
And rears his mighty head beside
The shore of fair Loch Nell.”
Visitors to Argyllshire and to Ireland cannot fail to recognise this old-time symbol. The mound on the Clyde in Argyllshire is the head remains of a serpent earthwork. A lithic temple in serpentine form is seen west of Bute. Some connect the cup and disc superstition with this worship.
(end of extract)
Probably going off at a tangent, I was up on Uffington White Horse hillfort on Sunday - looking down at Dragon Hill. All sorts of legends attached to this; it is almost certainly a man-made mound with a flat top (where grass doesn't grow) - it is curious looking down from the 'eye' of the horse, it feels the mound was constructed for ceremonial reasons.
