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The link between stone… And fear… Is an ancient one… In Greek mythology… The Medusa’s stare was said to turn a young man’s heart to stone… Medusa was one of three Female Ogresses known as the Gorgons… Ogresses in fairy and folk tales are often personifications of the earth… Because the earth ‘swallows’ our bodies… Whole… When our bodies are buried at death… Fear is cold… Stone is cold… And death… Is cold too… Yet, the stones of Wayland’s Smithy… A Neolithic ‘Chambered Tomb’… Have a heat-haze rising from them… Even in the middle of a snowy March…
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The traditional view… For these ancient architects of stone… Is that wood represented life… And stone… Represented death… But we know that in many, if not all, cases a wooden circle of uprights preceded the later stone one… In this respect the ancient circles… Resembled our ancient ‘kirks’… We also know that many of the stone structures still utilise petrified wood… This is alluded to in the folk record… By pointing out… That the deep channels in some of the stones… ‘Was for the blood of sacrificed victims to run down to the earth’… Blood… And wood… And earth… They all signify life.
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Which might suggest that… Being swallowed by an Ogress… Is not so bad after all… But maybe not… This digression has already gone on far too long… Yet, it has dredged up a stray memory about our New Year’s Eve party… Fee fell down the stairs!… Quite spectacularly… By all accounts… Head over heels… From the top of the stairs… To the bottom… Could have done herself a very nasty injury… Perhaps, all the drink saved her… She looked really pale… And admitted to being a bit shook up… But insisted she was alright… And also on coming outside… To sing Auld Lang Syne... So, that’s that, then.
France & Vincent 