Littlestone
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Edited Feb 03, 2017, 18:06
Well-being
Feb 03, 2017, 11:43
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goff’s recent posts on well’s ‘n springs and things got me thinking about the first spring I ever visited. Must have been back in 1958 or 59 when I lived in the Wiltshire village of Purton. I was about 13 at the time, and a friend said he knew of a spring in a field just outside the village. So, one summer’s day we took off to find it. Sure enough the spring was there. A hole in the grass no bigger than a washing-up bowl but the water gently bubbling from it was crystal clear. We watched spellbound as it flowed away in a little stream across the meadow. Neither my friend nor I hesitated to cup our hands and drink from it. Fresh, sparkling and cold. One of those magical childhood moments you never forget.
Some ten years later I was living a stone’s throw away from a 9th century Buddhist temple in the eastern foothills of Kyoto called Sennyu-ji. The ‘ji’ of the word means ‘temple’ while the ‘Sennyu’ means ‘flowing fountain’ – ie an active spring. The spring still flows in the temple grounds today and is still visited and revered by pilgrims. Though Sennyu-ji is now predominately a Buddhist temple there’s also a strong Shinto presence in the form of smaller Shinto shrines dedicated to native Japanese deities.
In the little North Yorkshire village where moss and I now live the church next-door is also just a stone’s throw from a spring that was once used by the villagers. In our travels round the country moss and I have often been struck by the number of little churches that have been built close to a drinkable water source (wells, streams or springs). The church here is Norman but was probably built on an Anglo-Saxon forerunner (it has bits of Anglo-Saxon remains in its walls). And before the Anglo-Saxon church? Well... that’s anyone’s guess, but well’s ‘n springs and things do suggest that those things were perhaps the underlying reason why there so often seems to be a connection between water and religious sites :-)
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spencer
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Edited Feb 04, 2017, 11:15
Re: Well-being
Feb 04, 2017, 11:13
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I totally agree with your hypothesis. But cannot prove it. One of my favourite spots as a little kid was the walk twixt Stevington church and the neighbouring River Ouse. The church sits on a rocky outcrop. Water issues from a spring - it's called a holy well, but is a spring, just to confuse - at the base of the outcrop. Although the surrounding wall to which this spring is 'let into' has been repaired a time or two, the thing still has the 'very old, pre - Christian' vibe to me. It is, I think, up on TMP. I'd like it to be on TMA. Personal affection, yup...maybe deserves TMA nonetheless. Good topic, in its own right and as a Change? subtopic. Totally with you - and others - on this one, Sir.
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moss
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 08:57
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Well my favourite well is St.keyne's in Cornwall. The well has all that beautiful mossy greenness, ferns clinging vertically, lichen lined stones that speaks of that dampness of water. It is not too far from Duloe stone circle, (about a mile?) quartz crystal stones like a crown upon the land. St.Keyne's is also on TMP, and has it saint's story which of course could have trickled down from much earlier times, considering her time of 5th century date.
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spencer
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 10:23
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Lucky TMP
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tjj
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Edited Feb 05, 2017, 11:03
Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 10:49
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moss wrote: Well my favourite well is St.keyne's in Cornwall. The well has all that beautiful mossy greenness, ferns clinging vertically, lichen lined stones that speaks of that dampness of water. It is not too far from Duloe stone circle, (about a mile?) quartz crystal stones like a crown upon the land. St.Keyne's is also on TMP, and has it saint's story which of course could have trickled down from much earlier times, considering her time of 5th century date.
Was reading about St Tredwell's on Papay, Orkney, recently which has some fairly horrific, misogynistic folklore attached to it but which went on to become a 'healing' well for people with poor sight.
http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/sacredwater/tredwell.htm
Personally, my favourites are the famous ones - Swallowhead Spring near WKLB, which should start flowing about now. And the Red (iron ore) and White Springs at Glastonbury.
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thesweetcheat
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 11:47
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TMP has a different remit and scope to TMA, including early medieval/Dark Ages sites and even modern stuff.
It does get a bit wearing when we get these "oh if only TMA was just like TMP" sort of posts on here, what is it that some people find unacceptably limiting about a website being dedicated to prehistoric sites alone?
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moss
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 12:27
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"my favourites are the famous ones - Swallowhead Spring near WKLB, which should start flowing about now. And the Red (iron ore) and White Springs at Glastonbury."
I find the modern 'offerings' at Swallowhead slightly disturbing, though I love the old willow. It probably has first dibs as being from the Neolithic age that you can almost justify ;)
When springs become red, either through minerals, or other reasons, I suspect they may have a 'sacred' element in them. Believe the River Chew by Stanton Drew stone circle turns red and there is another well, outside Keynsham which turns red as well, probably through the story of the blood of the saint who was killed there...
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spencer
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 13:52
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Tbh I've only had a negligible understanding of TMP. Not embarrased..just prefer here, feel almost disloyal for tiptoeing away, and only google 'there' on rare occasion for specific prehistoric sites. I've never clicked on an 'about' button or homepage, hence oblivious. Straight up. Ta for illuminating. Hope that explains what may appear bollocks or annoying, OK? : )
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thesweetcheat
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 14:10
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No worries and sorry for sounding prickly.
TMP sometimes gets held up as a "grass is greener over there" site and I tend to be a bit defensive as I spend probably too much time on TMA.
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carol27
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Re: Well-being
Feb 05, 2017, 15:40
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moss wrote: "my favourites are the famous ones - Swallowhead Spring near WKLB, which should start flowing about now. And the Red (iron ore) and White Springs at Glastonbury."
I find the modern 'offerings' at Swallowhead slightly disturbing, though I love the old willow. It probably has first dibs as being from the Neolithic age that you can almost justify ;)
When springs become red, either through minerals, or other reasons, I suspect they may have a 'sacred' element in them. Believe the River Chew by Stanton Drew stone circle turns red and there is another well, outside Keynsham which turns red as well, probably through the story of the blood of the saint who was killed there...
There's also the luminous phosphorescent moss in the well at Sancreed.
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