The Winter Solstice 2006 at Glastonbury Tor
22nd December 2006 - the weather is cold and very foggy as we begin
our climb up the Glastonbury Tor, ready to welcome the Winter solstice
sunrise.
You could not make out the silhouette of the tower until we reached the very
top of the Tor. The fog swirled around us and the usual magnificent view over
Glastonbury was nowhere to be seen. Our gathering grew as dawn approached.
There was singing, drumming, trumpeting, a circle celebration and drinking
of celebratory mead as we all celebrated the return of the sun and longer days
from now on - but the sun remained hidden in the fog!
Happy solstice to all!
The solstice circle join hands and welcome the sun. It's a foggy winter
solstice on the Tor this year. The Glastonbury tower is dated around
the 14th Century, and the cave beneath the Tor was believed to be used
by hermits since the 7th Century. The Glastonbury Tor can be seen from
miles around, and there is usually a magnificent view - not this morning!
Singing, dancing and drumming to celebrate the arrival of the winter
solstice - it helps to keep warm too - it's freezing!
 Silbury Hill
Archaeologists made a surprise
discovery at the foot of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, part of the Avebury
World Heritage Site - remains of a Roman settlement. The hill is the
largest prehistoric structure in Europe, 37 metres high with a flat
top 30m in diameter and nearly 5,000 years old. The Roman road, that
is now the A4, changed its usual straight route to go around Silbury
Hill, proving that the Romans recognised the prehistoric man-made mound.
English Heritage scientists were carrying out a geo-physical survey before restoration
work to stabilise the hill begins. The new data shows a village-sized settlement,
consisting of streets and houses, the size of around 24 football pitches. The
scientific team used caesium magnetometers which pick up magnetic disturbances
in the soil, up to 1.5 metres deep. It has been suggested by experts that Silbury Hill might have been
a stop-over point for Roman travellers on their way to Bath to take
the waters. It is also likely that the Romans would have been drawn
to the sacred setting of a prehistoric site near to water - Winterbourne
River and the Swallowhead
Spring are close by. Silbury Hill Myths and Legends
Long, long ago in the town of Devizes, people began to speak ill of
the devil, so hearing of this he went to the town intending to dump
a huge bag of earth on them all. The people luckily heard about this
and so sent their bravest man to meet Lucifer. He carried with him
a big bag full of worn old shoes, and he tried to convince the devil
that he had worn out all these shoes walking from Devizes (when in
truth it was only 5 miles away!) The devil, already tired of walking,
couldn't face the prospect of walking much further, so dumped his
huge pile of earth where he stood. This is why Silbury hill is where
it
is today! There are many different versions of this tale, such as
: the devil was angry with Devizes because they had turned to Christianity,
and that the brave man who went to meet the devil, told him that
when
he had started his journey from Devizes he was a young boy.
The purpose of Silbury Hill remains a mystery. Was
it perhaps a viewing or signalling platform? No burials
have ever been found inside the hill. The mound was
used
as a fortification during 11th and 12th Centuries, which is when the terrace
was made.
 
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