The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Pupers Hill

Cairn(s)

Fieldnotes

https://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/9679#post-174565

Arriving from the sublime 'Heap of Sinners', that monumental stone pile gracing Huntington Warren across the valley to the west, the traveller is required to experience rapid height loss, followed by immediate - and just as accelerated - gain... as if those immeasurable natural forces of yore had simply taken an axe to the interim landscape upon the shrill exclamation of the cosmic factory whistle at clocking-out time, perhaps? Whatever, I find the going 'difficult' for such modest hills, particularly since, owing to the steep topography, the summit of Pupers Hill recedes from view until one is almost upon it. The rocky tor outcrop of 'Outer Pupers' appears to my left but, since obviously not at the highest point, I do not deviate until finally... there it is.

Ah...right.. ermm. I cannot suppress a sense of anti-climax, a pang of (relative) disappointment. Since, far from encountering the gargantuan twin of 'Heap of Sinners' supposedly viewed from the latter earlier in the day, the monument surmounting Pupers Hill is a far different affair. Thankfully, however, the disillusionment is but temporary, the result of my ignorance rather than any lack of intrinsic worth pervading what can be found upon this windswept hilltop. I set about educating myself, soon discovering that, far from consisting of a possibly modern marker cairn upon the summit rock formations, what we have here is the remains of a large 'tor cairn', arguably that most enigmatic of Dartmoor's ancient monuments: the veneration of the very living rock itself by the act of its incorporation within the ritualistic plan?

As I go 'walkabout', the tell-tale signs manifest themselves in due course: traces of what would appear to be formerly loose stone long since subsumed within an earthy mantle filling in the gaps between crags; cairn material visible elsewhere upon the periphery, likewise just under the surface. Yeah, clearly a traveller must 'tune in' to the vibe here - tweaking the antiquarian 'antennae' to obtain a robust signal, in contrast to being fully immersed in that generated by the overpoweringly intense spectacle experienced early doors today. And what a fine vibe it is, naturally not dis-similar to that to be enjoyed in the company of the 'sinners' to the west, albeit subject to subtle differences in timbre, in topographical outlook. There is, of course, a unique aspect of this summit, one alluded to by the name accorded it by our former perplexed puritans. As I understand it 'Pupers' is a linguistic mutation/variation of 'Pipers', the eponymous musicians... you can see where this is going... said in local lore (of indeterminate age and providence) to have been turned to stone for dancing upon the sabbath. Sure enough, two admittedly rather 'truncated' orthostats still stand in situ upon the south-western arc. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a proper TMA welcome to.. 'The Height Challenged Pipers of Pupers Hill'! Or rather 'Piper's Hill'?

Two points (more come to mind, but these will do for now) strike me as pertinent here: assuming our 'men of the cloth' wished to cow the illiterate peasant into submission, best not pick upon musicians, eh?... yeah, as any artist from Elvis, through Jim Morrison to the Frankie scallies could have made clear, the bad boy has a certain 'allure' that endures; secondly, the very inference that our heroes had to climb this hilltop in order to have some fun - so, by definition knew the consequences of what they were doing - has inherent within it the seeds of the eventual downfall of such an intolerant ruling class. A precedent for resistance. Consider: it is the 'sinners' who are immortalised upon this hilltop... not the long-forgotten priests. The human spirit has always and shall always prevail until we shuffle off this mortal coil, so take heed ye suicide bombing lunatics. You cannot win. Once music - leading to the joyous rebellious expression of rock 'n' roll - was thus let out of Pandora's Box, there is always hope.

Of course, it's not just the religious fundamentalist that is, in my opinion, the scourge of humankind... but any dogmatic, myopic bigot: the redneck storming Capitol Hill upon the (apparent) urging of a ludicrously coiffured madman in the name of 'democracy'; the far-left 'comrade', somehow unaware of the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact and oblivious to the brutal Soviet suppression of Dubcek's '68, let alone that people were prepared to die to cross that accursed former Berlin Wall; the far-right inadequate railing against immigrants 'taking' jobs he/she could no more imagine than fulfil; the racist community leader/rapper making a very 'good' living espousing division, not integration. Yeah, it would appear there is no limit to self-delusion in the face of contrary evidence. Indeed, perhaps the greatest self-delusion is to believe oneself to be untainted by self-delusion? A-ha! Alan Partridge writ-large. Needless to say, I do not absolve myself from this, finding the opportunity to clear one's head, to put things in perspective by seeking out enigmatic open-air locations - such as sojourns upon Pupers Hill and Huntington Warren - to be cathartic to essential self-criticism.

You know, over the years I've sometimes wondered if, upon screaming that punk maxim "Question everything you're told!" into the microphone in '79, SLF's Jake Burns considered what - if any - future impact his actions might have? OK, The Clash and Pistols may have made a joyous noise, but their cartoon 'politics' were straight out of a Ladybird book. SLF, for me, were different, the stance arguably the Belfast youth's equivalent of that heroic lone figure facing down the infamous line of Communist tanks in Tiananmen Square? It was subsequently gratifying, when knocking upon a farmhouse door in County Tyrone during 2006, to be directed to a (fabulous) stone circle by a young man who held the entrenched religious sectarian positions of both Irish Nationalist and Unionist in utter contempt, citing the need for new thinking. Perhaps it was the 'ancient vibes', perhaps not? Nevertheless, more green shoots...

As I sit and gaze out across the wild, windswept expanse of western Dartmoor I contemplate a visit to nearby Snowdon. Mmm, more cairns. Another tick in the box, perhaps? However, the 'magnetic attraction' of Pupers Hill is overriding, too intense to break until the fading light makes leaving an imperative. Suddenly a lone woman appears to break the spell, clad in what would appear 'jogging gear'. It transpires she is armed with one of those little OS guide books - but no map, no compass, no jacket... and is completely lost, contemplating walking further into the hinterland early evening. You what?!? Directing her on her way from a distance - damn you COVID-19! - I'm simultaneously aghast at her apparent self disregard, yet slightly in awe of her - admittedly reckless - spirit of adventure. As it happens, I reckon the 'pipers' would've approved. Ha, maybe they do, looking on from some as yet unidentified 'further dimension(s)'. But that still wouldn't make the priests right, would it? Far from it.

In conclusion, as I make my way back to the car, this 'connection' with the past, of whatever form and however obtained, seems to me an essential prerequisite enabling us to move forward as a species. To evolve. 'Facts' after all, are only any use with context applied to give them meaning. To me 'blind faith' signposts the dead-end road to nowhere. I'd therefore like to thank the 'sinners' and 'pipers' of legend for representing the irrepressibility of the human spirit. And, in a strange way, thank the religious bigots for making them anonymous beacons of hope, residing upon their hill and mountain tops, hidden in plain sight to engage the curious traveller. Hey, go and see them if you can, I urge you. As Christopher Hitchens noted: "If someone says I’m doing this out of faith, I say, Why don’t you do it out of conviction?"

Why not, indeed?
GLADMAN Posted by GLADMAN
24th April 2021ce
Edited 26th April 2021ce

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