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| The Hexham Heads! |
Not sure that teddies or soft toys had anything to do with Albanian dictators but it was an interesting talk. Albanians seem to tie to the frontage of their houses such soft toys as a good luck symbol which wards off evil. One fact I did not know is that at some stage in our 20th century history, toy koala bears were made from real koala fur!
But there was also a small exhibition at the Folklore centre of the Hexham Heads. Two boys in the 1970s had found two small heads in the garden. Now you can understand the interest these heads garnered. Were they Celtic or belonging to some prehistoric era. No is the answer to that, a person who had previously lived in the house had made three heads from what I think is concrete, because that is where he worked at the time in 1956.
Of course a folkloric myth took centre stage over the heads and I can't find a sensible picture of them now, with all the woo-woo around them.
As I have always been fascinated about Celtic culture and the head being an important part of the rituals. The Gauls were a warring lot, and liked nothing better than to hang from their horses the heads of their deposed enemies.
There are two temples in Gaulish* France you can see the head cult at Roquerpertuse temple with another temple with the same cult not far away. Here there are pillars with niches which would have held skulls inside and of course the recording Romans and Greeks also wrote of them.
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| The bottom two are janiform heads in London |
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Three heads at Roquepertuse 600 -140 bc The two headless figures (why?) are warriors seated in Buddha style. Going back to the tale of the Hexham Heads, it seems they went to Anne Ross the writer of that most erudite book - Pagan Celtic Britain for an explanation of the heads, but whilst the heads were in her house strange things happened. Like a man/wolf ran out of the house. Do I believe this? Can't say that I do, she probably made up the story to get some publicity for her work. If I remember right she wrote a book with an ex policeman about a bog man, the books title - Life and Death of a Druid Prince, perhaps explains she was going for the more lurid punchline. It was a definite rabbit hole this morning I have been down 'wishing trees' (I have always talked to the trees;) and coins pushed into trees (and stones) for luck. |
* American dictionary translates Gaulish to Goulash. Struck me as funny.
And just to end the Japanese Torii gate which 'floats' on water, or seems to, also had coins thrust into its wood which meant it had to be repaired.
I am not surprised koala toys were made from koala fur. Koala were plentiful, until they weren't.
ReplyDeleteI know Hexham well enough, having stayed there for a fortnight. I know how it votes, against the north eastern grain, and its most horrible underground dungeon. It's market is pretty good.
I am never quite sure whether you are English or Australian Andrew, you seem to know such a lot about this country. It is cruel to kill animals for their fur, I wonder if such practise led to koalas disappearing. They are such a sad sight with their burnt feet when the fires rage in Australia.
DeleteI've never heard of the Hexham Heads before -- interesting!
ReplyDeleteOn such heads stories and myths are constructed ;)
DeleteMy son took me to an exhibit about Japanese art entitled: "Hokusai and Ukiyo-e: The Floating World" and it was so interesting. There were many scrolls that made me think about your Paul and the restoration work you have showed us that he did. It was a really nice exhibit.
ReplyDeleteTheir religious beliefs are very interesting and much more respected than our churches Ellen.
DeleteI wonder if the seated figures are headless because someone thought it would be appropriate or fun to knock the heads off. It's the sort of thing little boys and some grown men would do.
ReplyDeleteContinuing the practise I suppose Ruta. In the time of the Civil War when the Roundheads and Royalists were at loggerheads with each other the Roundheads defaced the stone knights on the tombs by knocking off their noses.
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