Labyrinths in Ireland

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Classic or Cretan labyrinth

Historical labyrinths in Ireland are known only in a few copies, most of which are associated with churches and monasteries.

Hollywood Stone

An early example of a labyrinth in Ireland appears to be the Hollywood Stone, a large boulder with a classic labyrinth 73 cm in diameter. It was discovered by a group of hunters in 1908 in Lockstown Upper, about 4 km southeast of Hollywood in County Wicklow . It was classified as probably Bronze Age by archaeologists of the time and was stored in the National Museum in Dublin in 1925 . Helmut Birkhan dated the pattern to the Early Bronze Age .

The stone probably originally stood next to St. Kevins Road, a pilgrimage route that leads from Hollywood through the Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough Monastery , which is said to have been founded by St. Kevin in the middle of the 6th century AD . The labyrinth on the rock can hardly be dated. However, the sharp edges of the carving and the former location suggest that it marked the beginning of the pilgrimage route. As such, it probably comes from the early Christian or medieval period (550–1400 AD), according to Peter Harbison (Harbison, 1991) rather from the earlier section.

St. Michael Cross

The labyrinth on the north side of the base of the St. Michael Cross of the monastery complex on the Rock of Cashel is mentioned for the first time in 1998 . Today it has been moved to the Hall of the Vicar's Choral for protection. The carving with a diameter of 73 cm, which is particularly heavily weathered on the lower half, was originally interpreted as concentric circles. With precise illumination, however, the remains of a complex medieval labyrinth, with probably originally 15 passages, can be seen with the entrance on the left. A figure in the middle is perhaps the representation of the Minotaur . It is believed to date from the 12th century, and Harbison connects it with the Cashel Synod .

If the carving was made together with the 12th century cross, it is older than the labyrinths in the Gothic cathedrals of France, but at the same time as those in Italian churches and cathedrals and many manuscripts. The shape of the labyrinth is reminiscent of a contemporary copy in the Liber Floridus (Book of Flowers) created by canonist Lambert de Saint-Omer (around 1060–1125).

St. Lawrence Church in Rathmore

Another eleven walkway carved stone maze, of a design common in churches and cathedrals throughout Europe during the Middle Ages , was found among the ruins of St. Lawrence Church at Rathmore in County Meath in 1931 . It has been inserted into the inner wall near the church door. The labyrinth has a diameter of 36 cm and is finely carved. Its purpose and location within the Church are unknown. It dates from the mid-15th century when the church was built by Sir Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket (1407–1471), who is buried here with his wife.

Bridgetown House, Castletownroche

Another maze comes from Bridgetown House, a large farm in the south of Castletownroche , County Cork . It was laid in the floor of the farmhouse kitchen with pebble paving. The markings of the 1.68 × 1.37 m large labyrinth were formed by inserting larger, flattened stones that are laid at an angle to the smaller stones in the background. The design is the most common of the classic type, with seven concentric whorls. A wedding took place in the farmhouse built in 1782 in the 1790s. At the height of the festival, the wooden floor collapsed as people danced in the kitchen and everyone fell into the basement. Apparently no one was seriously injured, but the basement was backfilled and Joe Knott laid a paved floor on it. Over the years the floor became irregular and during the 1960s the owner had a screed poured over the pavement. The value of the floor was recognized and one had the foresight to photograph the labyrinth and cover it with plastic sheeting and sand before the screed was poured. This should make it possible to expose the labyrinth again in the future.

Ballynavortha

Round Church at Burt in Donegal

Around 1957, a lawn maze was documented in a hand sketch on a field in the municipality of Ballynavortha . It was known locally as the "Walls of Troy" ( Troy Town known) and is plowed today. It was roughly square (according to the dimensions on the sketch, converted 24.4 × 26.4 m). The sketch of the overgrown walkways is difficult to interpret. It seems to have had six or seven whorls. It's undated. Manning assumes that it was probably part of an 18th or 19th century garden. According to Pennick, there are said to have been two other lawn mazes in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland .

St. Aengus Church

A recent example of maze use is the Church of St. Aengus in Burt, County Donegal . In the 1960s this round church was built according to the plan of the Iron Age hill fort Grianan of Aileach . Inside the church there are several labyrinths, as bronze handles on the copper-clad doors and on a plaque in a wall in front of the church. The meaning of the motif is unknown.

literature

  • Richard Cavendish: Prehistoric England . Guild Publishing London 1983, p. 127.
  • Robert Field: Mazes, ancient and modern. Stradbroke 1999, Chapter 2, pp. 10-21.
  • Jeff Saward: Labyrinths and mazes. The definitive guide to ancient and modern traditions. London, Gaia 2003, pp. 118-136. ISBN 1-85675-183-X .
  • HG Orpen, The Hollywood Stone and the Labyrinth at Knossos. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 13/2, 1923, 177-189.
  • Joergen Thordrup: All tiders labyrinter. Silkeborg 2002, pp. 67-71.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ After Conleth Manning, A former Sod or Turf Maze at Ballynavortha, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 134 (2004), 168 located in the visitor center in Glendalough .
  2. ↑ Helmut Birkhan, 1976, Laborintus - labor intus. On the symbolic value of the labyrinth in the Middle Ages. In Mitscha-Marheim, H., Friesinger, H., Kerchler, H. (eds), Festschrift for Richard Pittioni for his seventieth birthday II, 423-54. Vienna / Horn
  3. ^ Peter Harbison, A Labyrinth on the 12th Century High Cross base at Cashel, County Tipperary. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 128, 1998, 107-111
  4. ^ Peter Harbison, A Labyrinth on the Twelfth-Century High Cross Base on the Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 128 (1998), 111
  5. ^ After Conleth Manning, A former Sod or Turf Maze at Ballynavortha, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 134 (2004), 168, it dates from the 15th or 16th century in the style of stone carving
  6. ^ Liam Price, Placenames of County Wicklow; Volume VI, The Barony of Shillelag. Dublin 1958, 375, quoted in Manning 2004, 168
  7. ^ Conleth Manning, A former Sod or Turf Maze at Ballynavortha, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 134 (2004), 166 f.
  8. ^ Conleth Manning, A former Sod or Turf Maze at Ballynavortha, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 134 (2004), fig. 1
  9. ^ Conleth Manning, A former Sod or Turf Maze at Ballynavortha, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 134 (2004), 168
  10. ↑ Mazes and Labyrinths, London 1990, 100, quoted in Manning 2004, 168

Web links