Having examined the potential means of construction of Newgrange, it is important to now take into account different myths and legends that are often associated with it. According to medieval tradition, “[the] Brú na Bróinne was the dwelling place of the Tuathat Dé Danann including the great god Dagda and his son Óengus. It was also appropriated by the early kings of Tara as the supposed burial place of their pagan ancestors.” This connection with the chief of the gods and his son could be one reason for the long-lasting worship of this monument and its centrality as an offering place during Roman times. It is also possible that there is a connection between Dagda as sun god and the midwinter solstice phenomenon.
Before exploring these possible connections, it is important to consider myths that surround the river Boyne itself. The river is said to have formed after Bóand, the wife of the God Nechtan, visited the forbidden well. She then proceed to circle around the well three times counter-clockwise and it was at this point that three great waves came out from the well and she was drowned at the mouth of the Boyne river which is formed by this event. “Two explanations are given for the name of the holy river, however; in one it is named after the river goddess Bóand herself and in another after the conjunction of the rivers Bó and Find.” This story coincides well with the construction of Newgrange as it emphasizes the importance of the water in transporting kerbstones to construct the monument and the centrality of the river in everyday prehistoric farming life. The river had an otherworld quality as well in that it seemed to act as a source of knowledge for the surrounding societies. “This wisdom was the basis of t...
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...e validity of the quartz wall. This reconstruction is a point of contestation that will likely continue to be examined, but the presence of quartz is nonetheless a testament to the complex religion of a prehistoric people. “The truly remarkable feature of these stones is that they were not locally available. The quartz which contains distinctive white mica flecks, is found only in the Wicklow Mountains away to the south.”
Having examined the structure, history and myths, archaeology, and reconstruction of Newgrange it is clear that questions still remain and it is possible might never be fully explained or answered. However, that is ultimately part of what makes Newgrange a unique structure and attracts thousands of visitors to the site each year. The monument has withstood the test of time and can be viewed as the central achievement of a Neolithic community.
Newgrange is an astounding example of a Neolithic passage tomb and is one of three such tombs found in the Brú na Bóinne region of County Meath, with the other two passage tombs being Knowth and Dowth. Research tends to focus most heavily on Newgrange due its preservation, highly debated reconstruction, rich history, and the varying myths and theories concerning its construction. In addition, this passage tomb is also aligned in such a manner that during the midwinter solstice, rays of light from
period relied on their survival because they depended on them for their food supply and clothes. There are many different theories, but almost all of them have been discredited. To this day, the meaning behind the art work on the cave walls remains a mystery. One may not know exactly why they made the images, but one does know how they created them in the dark caves. “To illuminate the cave walls and ceilings while working, Paleolithic painters lit fires on cave floors and used stone lamps filled with
Astrakhan Cloak The Astrakhan Cloak, published in 1992, is a collection of poems by Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. Several aspects of the book deserve notice from the reader, including structural and thematic elements that work to develop an overall sense of mystery, wonder, and loss. A significant theme of the poems in the collection is the dichotomy of the supernatural and civilized worlds, and the sense that there are forces in the world just beyond our perception and understanding. In general the poems presented