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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » "Sacred" as a prehistoric adjective... |
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Pilgrim 597 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:04
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Hi, Everyone, An old saw, blunt of blade and rusty with it........ Anyone else find the use of the adjective a bit woolly when describing or talking about prehistoric sites? Trying to evoke a connection with the Neolithic builders, I find myself flummoxed by the word. Perhaps it's because I like the idea of a bloody huge moated pigpen (sorry, Littlestone!), or more likely because of its quasi-religious overtones, but are we not in danger of colouring the prehistoric picture with our own pallete by using this particular word? Interested in your thoughts/alternatives, I'd be...... and not meaning to offend anyone! Peace Pilgrim X
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Littlestone 5386 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:30
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Couldn't agree with you more Pilgrim - there's often an over emphasis on the 'sacred' aspect. Tuesday summed it up when he said, "The nave of old St Paul's cathedral was used as a market place with records of people weeing in dark corners and cows running amok." Precisely. Every time I hear people banging on about lay lines, centres of spiritual energy, etc etc I too want to go and pee in the corner. On the other hand... there's room enough for all. Perhaps the word 'harmony' does it better than sacred. There's a certain harmony with the land and the megalithic structures you so often find within it. Thom said it best - Turn and look back. You'll see horizons Much like the ones they saw, The tomb-builders, millennium ago; The channel scratched by rain, the same old Sediment of dusk, winter returning. More at - http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/forum/?thread=23046&offset=50
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Rune 288 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:34
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Hi Pilgrim, I've always understood the Sacred bit of the description to refer to the definition of a place outside of the ordinary, an area which defines the difference of the space, often an area which is 'between' in many senses of the word. Numinous is my favourite word for it. I don't necessarily think of Sacred Space being religious as in pertaining to any particular deities, more that it's delineated for its difference. Sacred Space, which flows off the tounge a lot easier than Numinous Space, for me, isn't just about what you see, it's about what you feel and is therefore perhaps at least equally if not more subjective then objective. However, I shy away from any terms which suggest there is a particular religious significance at any site and I guess the word Sacred could well suggest that, depending upon your outlook/upbringing etc. The term I absolutely detest is Neolithic Cathedral, <spit!> it grates on every nerve I have. Rune
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The Eternal 924 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:40
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Pilgrim, The usage (and abusage) of words is a problem that most, I think, encounter. We all wish to appear to be well-read, educated, and knowledgable. Some members of this site are deft wordsmiths, others have to content themselves with the basics. Myself, I find it so frustrating to try to put my feelings into words, but reading others contributions, feel I fall well short (I'm not looking for compliments by the way). It's one of life's rich rich experiences, reading words we appreciate, then trying to mimic the style with our own writings. Cheers, TE.
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Pilgrim 597 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:44
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Hi, Littlestone, "And wonder whether it was this shrunk place The guide-book meant, or whether Over the next ridge the real chamber...." Blimey! Evidence indeed that the great Megalithic Ruler himself has been to Dartmoor! Lovely poem, by the by - very evocative. Found a publisher yet? Pilgrim X
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Littlestone 5386 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 22:59
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>Blimey! Evidence indeed that the great Megalithic Ruler himself has been to Dartmoor!< Yeah, a lovely poem indeed. The Megalithic Ruler certainly surprised a few when they read that one. Still collating poems - it'll take a couple of years yet.
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Pilgrim 597 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 23:04
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Hi, Rune, "Numinous" - a nice "woody" word! Know what you mean though: a "numinous landscape" - I thinketh not! Evocative? Resonant? Pilgrim X
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Pilgrim 597 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 23:13
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Hi, TE, Thanks for your response. Personally, I tend to write on the "wordy" side of things, myself, but that's just me.... If you had been in the car today when we were almost wiped out by a mid-life crisis in his sporty Subaru (sp?) you would know that a vengeful Anglo-Saxon lies just beneath the surface! >It's one of life's rich rich experiences, reading words we appreciate, then trying to mimic the style with our own writings.< I know: for years, I tried to write like J.G. Ballard, but have long given up the ghost! Peace Pilgrim X
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 23:17
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I think "sacred" isn't just woolly it's also speculative, which is worse. Were the sites themselves or the references that inspired them considered "sacred" by the people who built them? We don't know. Are they "sacred" to modern people? No, not by reference to a knowledge of the past, only by modern individual choice. I think they are areas of "reverence", then and now. This actually puts tombs in the same bracket of old and modern appreciation as stone circles, which is nice. To "revere" you don't need to get involved with complicated speculations about deities and worship, so neolithic people and modern atheists, pagans and Christians can all be on the same wavelength and appreciate them equally as human beings, which again is nice...
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The Eternal 924 posts |
Aug 07, 2005, 23:21
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Pilgrim, >when we were almost wiped out by a mid-life crisis in his sporty Subaru (sp?) you would know that a vengeful Anglo-Saxon lies just beneath the surface! I know the feeling. People these days (prats mainly) judge everyone by the car they drive. The higher the kudos of the car the higher the "prat" value in my opinion. Any dickwipe can place downward pressure on an accelerator, even an eight-year-old. Death to speed, rather than death through speed. Jeremy Clarkson really is an arse. Regards, TE.
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