Re: You too can leave your Tat inside Silbury Hill | Forum

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You too can leave your Tat inside Silbury Hill

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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?

Pete G Mar 3, 2007 15:05:12

Replying to Cursuswalker

thats a good solution CW.
I know some people want Tim Sebastions ashes deposited inside but I don't see why Silbury should be turned into anyone's memorial.
Having known Tim for many years I don't think he would have supported the idea.
If pagans/druids want to do a ritual over pieces of chalk which are then placed inside I have no problem with that.
PeteG

nigelswift Mar 3, 2007 15:13:18

Replying to Cursuswalker

Cursuswalker your attitude, as a Druid, is brilliant.

I am perfectly sympathetic to all Pagan traditions but this makes me feel sharply anti them - and its not their fault, its EH's. It's a touch of "let's suck up to certain groups" that they have exhibited before. As you have recognised, it's totally misplaced, a form of badly thought out political correctness that will actually rebound and cause resentment towards the very groups they're trying to ingratiate themselves with. What bloody planet are they on to get this so wrong? Apart from anything else they have a statutory duty to educate - and here they are implying the old chestnut that Druids built the place (as well as Stonehenge!) i think we should campaign for a Women's Institute knitting pattern to be put in there as the connection is equal. Prats.

Yes, we should campaign for leaving nothing in there but at the same time try to make it crystal clear this is in no way anti-Druid despite EH's fatuous attempt to cause them hassle. £30K a year to make prattish decisions. Nice work if you can get it.

slumpystones Mar 3, 2007 15:36:22

Replying to Cursuswalker

I applaud your stand, a sensible idea in the face of such absurdity.

Littlestone Mar 3, 2007 15:57:34

Replying to Cursuswalker

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

Well said CW - anything else would be in contravention of accepted conservation practices.