Writing Realm.com

Much research is now being done linking the archaelogy of various sites with the myths and legends of the regional people and this site tells the reader about the possible origins of the culture of Zeus in Arcadia.

 oo -- oOOo -- oo

This photo's mine - Castlerigg in Cumbria.  Just a pleasant amble from the village of Keswick and very close to Derwent Water.

This photo (below) is not mine. It's the Callanish Stone Circle on the Western Isles of the Outer Hebrides off Scotland.  

I've discovered that my family has a long history in Wiltshire, site of many famous ancient monuments, including Stonehenge. Here are two all-time favourite archaeological sites from the area - complete with attached legends!

Avebury is within the Wiltshire/Oxfordshire conjunction of ancient sites and is the largest stone circle in the world - with a sizeable portion of the village actually within the confines of the site.  Very atmospheric it is too!

Wayland's Smithy, a chambered long barrow also within the Wiltshire/Oxfordshire conjunction of ancient sites.  Built between 3700 BC and 3400 BC, the site got its name from the Saxons who settled in England in the 4th - 6th centuries AD.  They imagined it to be the home of one of their deities, the duly named Wayland.  Legend says that, if a travellers leaves his horse and a silver penny beside the tomb overnight, the animal will have been re-shod (by Wayland) when he returns to collect it.

OK, so I lied about the legends bit with Avebury, but there are at least half a dozen different legends associated with that site.  A good place to start your search for Mythic information is www.pantheon.org. Another excellent resource is a book called Albion: A Guide to Legendary Britain by the seminal academic in the field - Jennifer Westwood. Unfortunately, Ms Westwood passed away in May of 2008; aged 68 years. 'Albion' is an unparalleled resource for anyone interested in the legends and folklore of Gt Britain.