Stonehenge is about fertility worship, apparently...

[Bose]

link...

Tue July 8, 2003 03:37 PM ET

By Amran Abocar
TORONTO (Reuters)

Stonehenge is a massive fertility symbol, according to Canadian researchers who believe they have finally cracked the mystery of the ancient monument in southern England.

In the arrangement of the stones, the researchers say they have spotted the original design: female genitalia.

The theory is laid out in a paper entitled "Stonehenge: a view from medicine" in the July issue of Britain's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

"To the builders of the henge, the most critical events in life were birth and death," Anthony Perks, a retired professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia, wrote in the paper.

He noted there was no evidence of tombs built by the original builders.

"Of birth, we could expect little evidence. However, evidence may be there but so large as to be overlooked."

Viewed from above, Perks suggests Stonehenge's inner bluestone circle represents the labia minora and the giant outer sarsen stone circle is the labia majora. The altar stone is the clitoris and the open center is the birth canal.

"Could the outer avenue of Stonehenge...represent the way by which new life entered?" the article wondered, adding that when comparing "the layout of the henge with the anatomy of the human vulva. There is a distinct similarity."

Perks, who is traveling in England, could not be reached for comment.

The mysterious ancient monument on Salisbury Plain is recognized around the world for its circle of standing stones.

Perks said the ancient sacrificed child found at nearby Woodhenge bolsters his theory and said an excavation at Stonehenge could produce a similar find.

"In ancient societies, ideas of a dominant creator, a Mother or Earth Goddess, were widespread," Perks wrote. "If ideas of Earth Mother originated with, or were shared by, the people of the henge, Stonehenge could represent, symbolically, the opening by which Earth Mother gave birth to the plants and animals on which the ancient people so depended.

"The henge would honor her for giving them both life and livelihood."

Scholars say Stonehenge, a World Heritage site, was built between 3000 and 1600 BC. Theories for why it was built range from a temple, an astronomy site, and a variety of spiritual and temporal purposes.

For a time during the Bronze Age, 2000 BC to 800 BC, Stonehenge was used for ceremonial burials of local chieftains.

This is the best news of ancient fertility since the Venus of Willendorf!

 

[Immortal]

oh goodie, what great studies my tax dollars have been put into....

screw cancer, ive got fertility symbols to study!

edit: for a minute I thought it be moved to humour and jokes

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Moved to History...

Fertility worship is a prevalent theme in many ancient societies.

 

[Greadius]

A public display of potentially lecherous material!! It must be covered immediately lest it corrupt the youth with the perverse fascinations of the ancients.

 

[Bose]

Earning your money today XIII...

I don't see how it can represent female genitalia, but I did notice that the researcher's name is "PERKS".

The researchers probably just haven't been laid in so long that everything started looking like a vagina...

 

[Pongui]

These are respected anthropologists and archaeologists, Immortal! And yes we pay for them.

I love these people. When Marija Gimbutas (The Language of the Goddess - she's the mama of this movement), when she sees a crescent or even just a line of any curvature, it's a Mother Goddess symbol. When she sees two parallel lines, it refers to the Goddess. Birds are Goddess symbols. The "V", the zigzag, the "M" shape are all Goddess symbols too. Our ancestors were just crazy about The Goddess. When Gimbutas sees a bull's head, it's no-no not a masculine symbol, because the head and horns' parallel the form of a woman's uterus and fallopian tubes. You can plainly see, in any good modern anatomical works, just what the ancients were inspired by. "This does confirm some basic knowledge of anatomy," she points out, "Whether this occurred in the Early Neolithic or even earlier will be difficult to prove..."

Oh yes, and if it looks anything like a stubby snake, that's the Snake Goddess.

 

[Mojotronica]

Stonehenge rocks!

 

[samildanach]

I can't wait to find out what this guy makes of Big Ben

 

[cgannon64]

Weird, there was an identical thread a while back.

I'll repost what I posted then!

Originally posted by cgannon64

Well, I guess man's head was in the same place then as now...

Or something like that.

 

[Kafka2]

So what do all the outliers and wooden posts represent? Pubic lice with wanderlust?

What a load of rubbish. This theory has been arrived at through a cursory glance at what's immediately visible today, not any archaeological research.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Too bad we can't post a real picture of a woman's genitalia next to one of Stonehenge. Just to make a better analogy :wink:

 

[puglover]

Oh brother! What next? The Pyramids built by aliens? (oh yeah, that's been done too. )

 

[Xen]

This Marija Gimbutas chick sounds way to uber-feminists to have ANY credibility....

 

[SanPellegrino]

that is the 1millionst theory about Stonehenge

but seriously, the only thing it shows is that we still know nothing about ancient history

 

[lord42]

Actually it does and i found out about it a full month ago....
Get discover magazine it has all of this stuff...

 

[gael]

Explains why it draws so many d*cks to it during the summer solstice.

 

[Richard III]

Stonehenge about fertility worship.

What isn't?

 

[samildanach]

What isn't?

I would like to point out that samildanach is not to be worshipped as a fertility symbol. Any Canadians who rub my avatar ( I know that many Canadians have adopted this practice -God love those simple souls ) hoping to be blessed with a bumper harvest will be dissappointed.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

Marija Gimbuta was actually a very respected (and respectable) scientist before she went nuts. I believe most of what we hold true about the spread of Indo-European people from their homeland today stems from her ideas and findings.

It's pretty sad that we lost her.

 

[Mrogreturns]

I`ve got a similar theory about the Channel Tunnel.