Megaliths

Home Tour News Directory Advertising Info About Us Writers' Guides

Ads by GoogleAds by Google Oceanside Camping Tourism in France Travel to Stonehenge Brittany Travel

Near the coastal city of Carnac in the northwest of France are nearly 3,000 standingstones erected approximately 4,500 years ago

Ancient Megaliths and Holy Wells of Brittanyby Robert Scheer

Паслугачнезнойдзены

Firefox не можа знайсці

CarnacKnow Before You Go. Read Reviews from RealTravelers.www.TripAdvisor.com

All campsites in FranceCamping-one: select your stay among 10 000campsites.www.camping-one.co.uk/

StonehengeDonвЂ™t miss out! Book Stonehenge tours before yougo.www.viator.com/stonehenge

Stonehenge EnglandTours of Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor, &Salisbury. Reserve Online & Save!www.alllondontours.com

Carnac in Brittany, like its namesake in Egypt, is rich with ancient mysteries. It was once a major focalpoint for Celtic power and influence. Like Tara in Ireland, Carnac was a spiritual center for religiouscelebrations, tribal gatherings and astronomical observations.

The Celtic pagan religion was so strong in Brittany that the full forces of Christianity were needed toconvert it to the "new" religion. That is why this area of France has so many saints, literally thousands ofthem, although only a few are officially recognized by the church of Rome. A surprisingly large number ofBreton saints are legendary for having slain dragons. Saint Sampson is said to have vanquished three ofthem. It is likely these mythical monsters were actually pagan cults which Sampson and his colleaguesput to the sword.

Pagan worship was not actually destroyed by Christianity, but rather was overshadowed by it. Althoughsome megaliths were knocked down or removed, others had crosses added to the top of them. Christianchapels were built over pagan holy wells and springs. Breton saints acquired the powers of the pagandeities they replaced. For example, in the chapel at Edern in Finistere, a depiction of Saint Edern riding astag bears a strong resemblance to Cernunnos, the pagan god with antlers. In the Chapelle desSept-Saints at Vieux-Marche', the south aisle is built upon a prehistoric dolmen. Even though the namesmay have changed, the same healing powers which ancient Bretons discovered in a few of their wells

Ancient Megaliths and Holy Wells of Brittany file:///media/538D-2C0F/DISK Z/040408/brittany....

1 з 4 23.12.2013 07:13

and springs can still be found.

Folk traditions in Brittany, as in Ireland and Cornwall, are rich with legends about magical fairies,mermaids and other spirits. There are as many mysteries surrounding the menhirs of Carnac as there areabout Stonehenge. Even King Arthur and Merlin appear in Breton folklore.

Near Pontivy in central Brittany is the picturesque town of Saint-Nicolas-des-Eaux, where you will find asacred fountain dedicated to Saint Nicodemus. It is said that if you dip a child in the water, or soak itsclothing, the child will be strong and safe from illnesses. Saint-Meriadec's fountain in Pontivy wasbelieved to be able to cure deafness.

Bretons say rituals are required for some healing waters to work. Women can enhance their fertility at aspring in Edern if they drop three pins into the water and then sprinkle it onto their stomach and breasts.To cure problems with breast-feeding, visit the well of Notre-Dame-des-Trois-Fountaines in Briec, drinksome water from the spring-fed basin, wash your breasts in it, and then empty the basin. As it is refilledfrom the spring, your breasts will fill up with milk!

As in Cornwall, Breton wishing wells are said to work best if you drop a pin into them. If the pin floats,your wish will come true. Pins have other functions at some sites. At the Northern tip of Brittany inPloumanac'h is the seaside oratory of Saint Guirec. If a girl puts a pin into the statue's nose and it doesn'tfall out, then she will soon be married.

The belief in the power of holy water was so strong that, in 658, the Council at Nantes condemned theworship of fountains. Thirteen-hundred years later, the mysteries of fountains, springs and wells continueto intrigue us.

Nearly 3,000 Standing Stones

The eminent scholar Dr. Walter Y. Evans-Wentz, in his 1911 book The Fairy Faith In Celtic Countries(reprinted in 1966 by University Books), says that Carnac is one of the greatest places in Europe wherethe magnetic and "even more subtle forces" of psychic energies are powerful and tangible to sensitiveindividuals. A short boat trip from Carnac, on the island of Gavrinis, is a cairn and tomb said to be thefinest prehistoric monument in the world. Evans-Wentz saw many similarities between the GavrinisTumulus and the Newgrange passage-tomb in Ireland's Tara-Boyne area. He believed they were built bythe same race of people. Gavrinis and Newgrange were both used for religious ceremonies and both areoriented toward the rising sun. Ornate carving on a threshold stone in Garvinis is remarkably similar tothat on the lintel stone above the entrance to Newgrange. Evans-Wentz felt it was reasonable to supposethese ancient sites, along with the Great Pyramid in Egypt, were royal spirit-temples used in an ancientcult of ancestor worship which included funerals and rites of initiation.

CarnacA 15 mile stretch along the south coast of Brittany is known as theCote des Megalithes. A staggering number of ancient stones canbe found scattered across these moors and fields, with the resortcity of Carnac in the centre. There are actually three sets of rows ofstanding stones, known as alignments, north of the city. Two ofthese, Menec and Kermario, have been fenced off. You can stillwander among the 579 menhirs in the easternmost, Kerlescanalignment. Menec has 1,099 menhirs in 12 rows, each over aquarter of a mile long. There is a cromlech at each end of thealignment. At Kermario, with 999 stones, there is a viewingplatform at the west end, as well as a shop with a good selection of books in English. The entire area,known as Les Alignements de Kerzerho, covers an area about 300 feet wide and two miles long.

There are 30 prehistoric sites near Carnac, all mapped out in the official guide book available from thelocal tourist office. Besides the alignments, three of the most interesting sites are the Saint-MichelTumulus, an excavated tomb 360 feet long by 36 feet high; Tumulus de Kercado, a tomb with a menhir ontop; and the Dolmen de Crucuno, alongside which a farm-house has been built.

Before you see the ancient sites, you may want to visit the Musee de Prehistoire in Carnac-Ville, whereEnglish guidebooks are available to describe the exhibits. The museum was founded in 1882 by JamesMiln, a Scotsman who was fascinated by the mysterious stones of Carnac.

LocmariaquerThirteen kilometers east of Carnac, at the tip of a peninsula, is another resort town that makes a goodbase for touring the Cote des Megalithes.

Locmariaquer has four significant megalithic sites including the GreatMenhir or Grand Menhir Brise, also known as Mener-Hroec. When itwas intact, this 340-ton granite stone stood 98 feet tall. It was brokenby lightning and now lies in five pieces, the largest of which is almost


2 з 4 23.12.2013 07:13

40 feet long.

Nearby is a very well-preserved dolmen known as the Table des Marchands or Merchants Table, with a100-ton capstone covering a large chamber. The supporting stones are carved with stylized suns andears of corn. The drama of these enormous stones is enhanced by their desolate moorland setting.

Also near Locmariaquer, on the sand dunes, is the Dolmen des Pierres Plates (dolmen of the flat stones),a tomb filled with decorated stones with its entrance facing the sea. Dolmen Mane-Rethual has beenpartially restored with concrete supports, and is located in a private back yard, concealed by hedges.

Four Site Pass AvailableAnyone planning on visiting all four major megalithic sites can buy a pass that includes admission to theTable des Marchands, Great Menhir, Saint-Michel Tumulus and Carnac Museum of Prehistory.

GavrinisIt is said that, if you can only visit one prehistoric site in Brittany, the megalithic tomb at Gavrinis is theone to choose. On an island in the Gulf of Morbihan, it is accessible by a 15-minute boat ride fromLarmor-Baden. Gavrinis Tumulus is massive: 20-feet high and 165-feet in circumference. 29 uprightstones lead through a passageway and into a large chamber, capped with a huge slab measuring 13-feetsquare. There are lavish carvings of serpents, shepherds' crooks, trees, suns and chevron patterns.Three strange holes, almost like a pre-historic wine-rack, are cut into the rock of one of the chambers.

Dr. Evans-Wentz noticed that the outside edges of these holes have been worn smooth, as if they hadbeen used for hundreds of years, proof that this chamber was used for on-going ceremonial purposes,and not simply sealed up as a tomb.

As you enter the narrow passage going into the inner chamber, you must step over two very prominentstone sills on the floor. Evans-Wentz believed that these are literally stumbling blocks used in initiationceremonies, in which neophytes travel a symbolic journey across obstacles, to the inner chamber orSanctum Sanctorum. Designs on the threshold of the inner chamber are remarkably similar to the spiraland chevron patterns carved on the lintel stone above the entrance to the Irish passage-tomb atNewgrange.

VannesNineteen miles inland from Carnac, the very old, walled town of Vannes may be the prettiest and mostinteresting town in Brittany, with many wooden medieval buildings. Its archeological museum has a finecollection of prehistoric jewelry, weapons, tools and pottery found in Stone Age excavations nearby.

La Roche-aux-FeesNear the centre of the eastern edge of Brittany, approximately 120 km. northeast of Carnac, is the largestmegalithic monument in the region, and the second biggest one in France. La Roche-aux-Fees can befound about halfway between Rennes and Chateaubriant. It is a tumulus which was once covered withearth, but its 42 huge stones, the heaviest of which weighs 45 tons, are now above ground level, giving itthe appearance of a great, multi-sectioned dolmen. Centuries ago, engaged couples would walk aroundthe stones during a new moon while counting the stones. If they agreed upon the number of stones in themonument, their marriage would do well, but if their numbers were more than two stones apart, therelationship was doomed.

Other Breton SitesIn western Brittany, on the peninsula south of Brest, near the town of Crozon, is Lagatjar, with nearly 150menhirs aligned like a miniature version of Carnac.

If you're near the resort of Brignogan-Plages, you might want to try and discover why a menhir there iscalled the Miracle Stone. The answer could lie 8 miles inland in le Folgoet, a village rich with folk legends,with a folk museum in a 500 year-old manor house.

Finally, about 35 km. east of Vannes, near Rochefort-en-Terre, is the Parc de Prehistoire at Malansac.More of a theme park than an actual prehistoric site, this tourist attraction offers a recreation of Breton lifebetween 25,000 and 2,000 BC. Children and adults may enjoy seeing how early Stone Age people madetools and shelters, and how later, Cro-Magnons hunted mammoths. There is also a demonstration of howlarge menhirs may have been moved great distances.

Legends Of Breton MenhirsThe ancient megaliths of Brittany are mysterious for two reasons. We do not know how prehistoricBretons were able to move and place these massive stones weighing as much as 350 tons each, nor dowe even know why. Centuries ago it was said that the Carnac alignments were stone tent pegs leftbehind by Roman soldiers. It is now believed they were built approximately 3,000 to 4,500 years ago. TheFrench writer, Flaubert, was probably correct when he remarked that "Carnac has more rubbish writtenabout it than it has standing stones."

Further Information


3 з 4 23.12.2013 07:13

For more information about the megaliths, menhirs and dolmens of Carnac and the Crozon Peninsula,contact the Morbihan Tourist Office:

Comite Departemental du Tourism Morbihan,Hotel du Department, BP 400,56009 Vannes Cedex, FRANCETel: (011.33.2) 97.54.06.56

Or visit the Brittany Tourism website.

Photos courtesy of French Tourist Office.

Robert Scheer is a travel writer and editor of New Age Travel. Read Robert Scheer's blog.

Паслугачнезнойдзены

Firefox не можа знайсці

Real estate in FranceLooking for an apartment or a house in France? 550.000 adsavailablewww.logic-immo.com

Barging in FranceBarge renting on French canals (Canal du midi, Burgundy, Brittany)www.alpha-croisiere.com

Helicopter ToursSee southern UK from the air - Stonehenge, Avebury, crop circleswww.fasthelicopters.com

France shore excursionsNormandy, French Riviera, Brittany Bordeaux, marseille, private tourswww.frenchadventures.com

Copyright (c) 2004-2006 Cedar Cottage Media Inc. All rights reserved.


4 з 4 23.12.2013 07:13

Documents

Megaliths