Location; The Rollright Stones
The Rollright Stones is made up from 3 main Neolithic sites The King’s Stone, The Whispering Knight’s and The King’s Men Stone Circle. The King’s Men Stone Circle is the most easterly stone circle in Britain it’s thought that there were originally 105 stones in the circle leaving no gaps save for a narrow entrance. The only other stone circles of similar in design occur in the lake district, Ireland and possible Wales but none have been found anywhere else in the UK. This portfolio will be exploring some of the myths of the area.
The Great Witch of Rollright
The most well-known myth in the area is about the Great witch of Rollright, the King of England and his army the myth goes…
‘The great witch of Rollright said to the King “seven long strides shalt thou take and if long Compton thou canst see, King of England shalt not be” Off went to King shouting – “stick, stock, stone as the king of England I shall be known” On his seventh stride the ground rose up before him in a long mound the witch laughed and cackled: “as long as long Compton thou canst not see, King of England thou shalt not be. Rise up stick and stand still stone, for the King of England thou shalt none; thou and thy men hoar stones shall be and I myself an eldern tree”’ (Legend of the King, The Rollright Trust 2004)
The Kings Stone
Thought to be the king from the myth, many people believed that good luck would be brought upon them if they could take piece of the king’s stone to carry with them however those that did found that they could not leave the kings stone with the stone in their possession.
The Kings men Stone circle
The King’s Men Stone Circle believed to have been the kings army from the myth is sometimes thought to come alive on certain nights of the year, join hands and dance in a circle. However, this could have been muddled in myths throughout history because of the type of communal ceremonies that could have been held here.
The Kings men Stone circle; Myths
Another myth surrounding the stone circle is that the stones are thought to be uncountable it’s believed that if you can count the stones in the circle three times and get the same number each time you would be granted your greatest desire. It’s currently thought there are between 70 and 80 stones in the circle however the exact number is still unknown. In the past people would try to count them by leaving objects on each of the rocks in order to help count them.
Saxon Cemetery
In the ever-changing landscape of forest surround the stones, the Neolithic echo’s project takes place above the remains of an old Saxon cemetery. It’s also thought that the whispering knights would walk through these woods on New Year’s Day to drink from the brook in the valley.
paying respect to the whispering Knights
The local people still come to The Whispering Knights to pay their respect and safe passage for when The Whispering Knights go down to the valley to drink. However, another whispering claims that human disturbance awakens the stones much like the locals believe happened when a farmer used a score of horses to take the cap stone down the hill to use as a bridge over the brook. However, each morning would wake to find the cap stone up turned on the bank. So, on the third day he took the cap stone back up the hill with the use of only one horse!
the whispering Knights
The Whispering Knights are thought to have been a group of five traitorous knights who moved away from the king and his army while plotting to over-throw the king at the same time as the myth claims to have turned the king to stone. Which is why these lonely silhouettes remain distanced from the rest of the stones.
