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tiompan wrote: tjj wrote: A very good read Tiompan, I didn't know about Keiller's interest in witchcraft but guess he was contemporaneous with Aleister Crowley when that brand of witchcraft was popular.
Steve will be chuffed to see you have used his book in this context as he meticulously photographed,paired and numbered the Avenue stones under his section 'Sexing the Stones'. In regard to 'male/female' stones he mentions Keiller and Piggott but goes on to say Although the idea was never more than conjecture, it persists to this day and is often regarded as fact.
Btw, Steve's new book on Standing Stones is now available, only £6 (ordered my copy today).
http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/standing-stones/9781841657530/
Keiller did meet Gerald Gardner , dunno about Crowley , the former was interested in archaeology so that could have explained the connection .
Lynda Murray's biography of Keiller , "A zest for Life " is worth a read .She points out how Keiller, writing on witchcraft ,showed that Margaret Murray's idea of covens was wrong and that the “witches “ were solitary individuals . Antonia White has a great story in her diary about a naked keiller , except for a mac , wicker work and an umbrella ...
Just been reading a rather long but very interesting article by Bob Trubshaw about Keiller's interest in the Scottish witchcraft trials and is association with Gerald Gardner - mentioning Aleister Crowley was inaccurate on my behalf. There doesn't seem to be anything to suggest they ever met.
http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/avebury/keiller01.htm
Bob Trubshaw's article does mention Keiller excavated several carved chalk phalluses on Windmill Hill - which is something I may have known but had forgotten about.
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