You too can leave your Tat inside Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill 180

Image by Squid Tempest

Pete G Mar 3, 2007 14:21:33

"English Heritage are finally starting work on Silbury Hill, and have asked if Pagans would like to make ritual at the opening or closing of the hill, and whether they wanted any artefacts placed within the hill before it is sealed.

Terry Dobney appears to be sorting something out (the fellow known as the archDruid of Avebury, though I'm not convinced he takes the title very seriously), However, if you would like to send the information out through the various Pagan networks, I am sure this would be useful.

If you come across any folk who don't want to work through Terry, please contact Carole Owen, a local EH officer. She can be reached on 01179750714 or carole.owen@ english-heritage .org.uk. All requests must be made by the end of March."
-----------------
This was sent to me by various pagans.
sigh, I feel another long Rant coming on........
PeteG

dee Mar 3, 2007 14:36:21

Replying to Pete G

Personally, I dont think ANYONE should be placing ANYTHING inside Silbury......

Cursuswalker Mar 3, 2007 14:56:15

Replying to Pete G

This is my comnent on this from the Druid Network forum:

"Okay, I've been thinking about this one and I must say that I have one suggestion as to what should go into that hill, in order to honour it:

CHALK

A few decades ago Druids used to be permitted to leave small burials of the ashes of fellow druids in and around Stonehenge (I will find a reference for this if required). That idea would now be abhorrent, I hope, to all Pagans.

How is this different?

We didn't build it.

We honour it by attempting to return it to as near as possible to the state in which it was built OR leaving it alone.

Yes our attmept to do the former can be misguided. See Newgrange and Waylands Smithy for sites that have had this argument advanced about them, though personally I think WS is pretty damn close to its original form.

This however is BLATANT anachronism. We know of no objects being placed within Silbury, so who the hell are we to leave anything in it other than the same materials it is knows to have been built with?

This is a can of worms that EH should NOT be opening. The idea of a ritual is lovely, but anything added to the hill is going to cause real problems for a lot of people.

Why not simply ask those present to add the final cahlk to the hill or to pour in water from a chalice etc? That would be moving and fitting."

That last idea of mine would be a beautiful thing to happen in my view.

Is Heritage Action onto this, in case this notion goes any further?

slumpystones Mar 3, 2007 15:32:55

Replying to Pete G

Disgraceful idea.

But here are a few suggestions...

A pay-and-display machine from Avebury.
Jade Goody.
A video of Atkinson's bloopers.

moss Mar 3, 2007 15:47:04

Replying to Pete G

Well for the great marjority of us who love Silbury Hill and who are not Pagans, this is a somewhat undemocratic decision by EH!! can we add our view to a decision made by the guardians of our monuments, who do not own them but are only the caretakers of them. Agree with Cursuswalker, should anything be placed inside let it be natural, chalk or flint. Religious beliefs are difficult enough without having government bodies interfering with them - famous last words...
I actually followed the Druid procession around Avebury on Imbolc, not many there, and the stopping places were by the trees, and this seemed fitting and proper. The reason why not many are there is because of a certain amount of strife between them all, so therefore if they factionalise how do you encompass all their needs?
Silbury really doesnt need any "time capsules" from our age, it should be restored back as near as can be to its original state, it belongs to the people who built it... my rant over Pete..

VenerableBottyBurp Mar 4, 2007 13:23:33

Replying to Pete G

I did know there was a suggestion that the hill was opened with a bit of a do, the idea was it would concentrate the media attention so that education of the wider public about Silbury accompanies the dig. It would also give those that have some connection whether acrchaeological or spiritual, to pay their respects and set the project off on a good footing.

I have no idea about where this idea of putting something inside came from, perhaps it was in response to a request ?

Sadly there is a precedent of course with John Merewhether the Dean of Hereford leaving a time capsule in 1849, a pot containing Christian meeting posters an almanack, a poem, and newspaper cuttings. As it was their tunnel and the fact they proudly removed as much timber propping as they did to save cash that undermined what was this week rightly described as is 'the oldest building in Britain', I am with Cursuswalker I think it should be filled with chalk pure and simple.

VBB

Cursuswalker Mar 4, 2007 17:39:21

Replying to Pete G

I am inreceipt of information indicating that what is going to be deposited in Silbury is a stone that was removed during the digging of the original tunnels.

So long as that is ALL that is going in this may already be resolved. But an open eye would probably still be a good idea.

rocknicker Mar 5, 2007 10:28:11

Replying to Pete G

tut! anyone thought about asking the geocachers? eh?

only joking..... or am I....

slumpystones Mar 5, 2007 18:21:49

Replying to Pete G

Dear All

To put your minds at rest, there are certainly no plans to deposit anything inside Silbury Hill.

English Heritage thought it would be appropriate to ask the various pagan groups and Druid Orders if they wished to be involved with the repairs to the Hill. We asked for suggestions on ceremonies or rituals to be performed when the tunnel was opened and/or when the tunnel was finally closed. All sensible and appropriate suggestions were to be considered even if certain groups wished to deposit items in the Hill. Obviously, certain groups would consider this totally inappropriate and English Heritage would not knowingly offend anybody.

The group I spoke to obviously caught on to this aspect of the discussion rather than any formal ceremony and has spiralled it way out of context. Please be assured that English Heritage has no intention of offending any individual or group.

Best wishes

Carole