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Interesting New Book on Avebury

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head-first H
head-first Jun 10, 2010 13:40:52
Replying to The Jersey Minx

This is really interesting, and I’d love it to be true (maybe that’s the problem!).

For what it’s worth though, here’s my objection. If the avenues represent the arms of the Goddess, and were used as ceremonial pathways, why would it be ritualistically significant to parade along the arms to the head? In prehistoric representations of the Goddess the arms and head are usually very small, reflecting their unimportance to the symbolism of the figure. The belly and hips are exaggerated. If Avebury is also an Earth Mother representation, wouldn’t these areas be the most prominent, with ritual processions centred around them, instead?

S Squid Tempest
Squid Tempest Jun 10, 2010 15:17:22
Replying to head-first

Your avatar looks remarkably like the proposed figure. Do you think it was designed with Avebury in mind? Or is Avebury a representation of a soft toy?

S Sanctuary
Sanctuary Jun 10, 2010 17:37:18
Replying to head-first

head-first wrote:
This is really interesting, and I’d love it to be true (maybe that’s the problem!).

For what it’s worth though, here’s my objection. If the avenues represent the arms of the Goddess, and were used as ceremonial pathways, why would it be ritualistically significant to parade along the arms to the head? In prehistoric representations of the Goddess the arms and head are usually very small, reflecting their unimportance to the symbolism of the figure. The belly and hips are exaggerated. If Avebury is also an Earth Mother representation, wouldn’t these areas be the most prominent, with ritual processions centred around them, instead?

At no time does the author describe his figure as a Goddess, just as a Female Eath Figure that in his opinion was built and used to lead the souls of the neolithic dead into their Afterlife. His belief is that the spirit of the departed travelled up the West Kennet Avenue from the Sanctuary possibly as part of a procession with family and a 'holy' person leading the group, or indeed the Spirit travelling alone and meeting up with the said family gathering inside the Great Circle at the mouth of the figure where it was 'consumed' before venturing into the Underworld. The spirit then travelled down the waters of the Winterborne stream and into the ditch surrounding Silbury Hill (via the purposely dug ditch adjoining the Winterborne). The water in Silbury's ditch is seen as the 'waters' surrounding the 'new life' (as in a baby) and the hill itself as the Uterus. The child (spirit) then passes through the Causeways of Silbury Hill (great drawing of a full-term child about to enter the birth canal (Swallowhead Springs) showing the Causeways as an extension to the Uterus as in a real birth and the spirit entering the Afterlife. Technically the theory is good and well presented showing our neolithic ancestors as incredibly intelligent and very mindfull of how a female body works. Whether any of it is true or not is another matter but a damn good attempt at explaining what it is all about. Lot's more to it of course as I have only rushed over it but plenty of explanations of all the major elements as the story unfolds.