#rollright

[bwthornton]

Jerusalem ["And did those feet in ancient time"] by William Blake

Preface to Milton a Poem

#WilliamBlake #Jerusalem #poetry #poetrycommunity #poems #WritingCommmunity #photography

Jerusalem ["And did those feet in ancient time"] by William Blake

Preface to Milton a Poem

#WilliamBlake #Jerusalem #poetry #poetrycommunity #poems #WritingCommmunity #photography

[hedgerowdevil]

Tom Baker at the Rollright Stones, on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border (with some added prop stones): the setting of the Doctor Who story, The Stones of Blood, 1978.

[captnbas]

happy solstice and merry midwinter from one of the uk’s many magical stone circles! ✶

[pers-books]

The Rollright Stones, also known collectively as The King’s Men, the King Stone, and The Whispering Knights, Oxfordshire. Photographer unknown. 

There’s a bit of fascinating mythology about The Rollright Stones, which relates to the alternative names given to them.

The Stones take their names from a legend about a king and his army who were marching over the Cotswolds when they met a witch who challenged the king saying, “Seven long strides shalt thou take and if Long Compton thou canst see, King of England thou shalt be”. On his seventh stride a mound rose up obscuring the view, and the witch turned them all to stone:  the king became the King Stone;  his army the King’s Men;  and his knights the Whispering Knights (plotting treachery). The witch became an elder tree, supposedly still in the hedge:  if it is cut the spell is broken the Stones will come back to life.

Legend has it that it is impossible to count the King’s Men. It is said that the man will never live who shall count the stones three times and find the number the same each time. It is also said that anyone who thrice counts the same number will have their heart’s desire fulfilled. (It is harder than you might expect!) A baker swore he could count them and, to prove it, he baked a number of loaves and placed one on each of the stones. But each time he tried to collect them up some of the loaves were missing, spirited away either by the Devil or by fairies.

At any rate, this collection of megalithic monuments lies on the boundary between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, on the edge of the Cotswold hills. They span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development and each site dates from a different period.

The oldest, the Whispering Knights dolmen, is early Neolithic, circa 3,800-3,500 BC, the King's Men stone circle is late Neolithic, circa 2,500 BC; and the King Stone is early to middle Bronze Age, circa 1,500 BC.

The Stones are made of natural boulders of Jurassic oolitic limestone which forms the bulk of the Cotswold hills. This stone has been used extensively in the region for building everything from churches and houses to stone walls. The boulders used to construct the Rollright Stones were probably collected from within 500m of the site.

[Source]

[therecordchanger62279]

The Rollright Stones

File under folklore and legends, these are The Rollright Stones, an historic landmark in Britain on the borders of Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. I first heard of them in a song from Traffic's 1973 album Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory (lyrics below). Tales of the British isles from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to Stonehenge to the Druids to ancient castles to the Rollright Stones have long fascinated me - an influence I came by from listening to British Folk and Progressive Rock when I was growing up. Music is not just for listening, but also for learning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollright_Stones

The Rollright Stones

'Til I found out Where will I go, where will I go I don't know, I don't know I don't know where

The space is between my eyes Open up the heavenly skies Death awaits with pearly gates Those who've been mesmerized Many years has come and gone

Went to see a standing stone Some in circles, some alone Ancient, worn and weather torn They chill me to the very bone

Many of these can be seen In quiet places, fields of green Of hedgerow lanes with countless names But the only thing that remains are the roll right stones

Space age before my eyes Opening up the skies Devil waits with pearly gates For those who have been mesmerized

Many a years have come and gone But progress marches slowly on In nature's paint, she hides the stain 'Cause everybody is going insane The only, the only thing that will sustain are the roll right stones

Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones

Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones

'Til I find out Where will I go, where will I go I don't know, I don't know I don't know where

The space is between my eyes Open up the heavenly skies Death awaits with pearly gates Those who've been mesmerized Many years has come and gone

Went to see an ancient mound People buried underground Long ago, will never know What it was like to hear their sounds

Black crow, I know you've been here You've seen the sights of yesteryear You steal the grain of the conquered plain But the only thing that remains are the roll right stones

Space age before my eyes Opening up the skies Devil waits with pearly gates For those who have been mesmerized

Many a years have come and gone But progress marches slowly on In nature's paint, she hides the stain 'Cause everybody is going insane The only, the only thing that will sustain are the roll right stones

Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones

Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones

Space age before my eyes Opening up the skies And death awaits with pearly gates For those who have been mesmerized, yeah

Many a years have come and gone But progress marches slowly on In nature's paint, she hides the stain 'Cause everybody is going insane The only, the only thing that will sustain are the roll right stones

Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones Roll right stones ...

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Steve Winwood / Jim Capaldi

Roll Right Stones lyrics © Freedom Songs Ltd., F.s. Music Ltd

[magicaldays25]

[xgremlinshavepicturesx]

[houseofcatwic]

The Whispering Knights Stone Circle, Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire, England. Good name for a band !!! Rollright Stones lol

[jenqoe]

So yes, in other news, I've played about with the shop feature on Ko-fi and now have a bunch of my Patreon stories up there for prices so low you should be calling me CMOT Jen.

Ko-fi Shop link baybeee!

And also! There'll be a mini-collection of my four linked Wayland's Smithy/Rollright Stones stories going up on the Ko-fi shop next week. Woo and hoo!

[cover by me, using images by La La La & Chloe Choa from canva.com. No AI plagiarist bot things were used.]

[bicrowav-e]

new form of entertainment: zoom into some random place in england and look at the place names

i mean just look at this. Bourton-on-the-water. Moreton-in-marsh. Stow-on-the-wold. Guiting Power. Little Rollright. LOWER SLAUGHTER. I could do this all day

[gacougnol]

Simon Marsden

The rollright stones

Oxfordshire, England

[bad-moodboard]

Rollright Stones, Vintage Postcard

[archivist-crow]

On this day:

EARTH ENERGY ODDITIES

On September 7, 1930, there was a nine-car pileup on a highway between Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany. The highway was one year old. Since its opening, over one hundred vehicles had crashed at the same location, the site of a stone marker for kilometer 239. The marker was located along a straight stretch.

Some of the survivors told police that just before their accidents they were overwhelmed by "a tremendous thrill.” Other people had experienced a gripping power catch hold of their vehicle and send it off the road. Perplexed police and investigators were at a loss to explain the abundant amount of accidents. A local dowser, Carl Wehrs, thought that there might be a subterranean stream producing an intense magnetic force.

Wehrs investigated his theory with a steel divining rod, which was ripped out of his hands four yards away from the marker. To counteract the current, he buried a copper box filled with copper stars at the bottom of the stone. No accidents happened. A week later the box was removed, and then three cars smashed up. The box was reburied, and the collisions have stopped.

Earth-energy research groups study a variety of forces such as magnetism, radioactivity, radiation, sound waves, and the electrical characteristics associated with certain stones. Evidence has shown that the granite stones known as Long Meg and her Daughters, in Cumbria, Britain, contain concentrated centers of energy.

A road by the Rollright, a stone circle by Oxford, generates an above-average radiation count, and an above-average number reports of hallucinatory experiences are associated with the area. People have told of a number of visions, including visions of a car disappearing as it neared the circle, a large wolf-type animal appearing and disappearing, and a gypsy caravan showing up and then vanishing.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violins, published by Weiser Books, 2009

[open-hearth-rpg]

Welcome to the Open Hearth Gaming video roundup!

These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the games we play every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play in games like these, join our Playabl community and click on the "Calendar" tab to sign up for upcoming games. To browse our entire library of session videos, please visit our YouTube Playlists page.

Open Hearth Gaming Calendar

Monster of the Week: The Rockies (Session 6) Blake Ryan runs for David Montgomery, Dom, and Grey Cult comes calling

Trail of Cthulhu: Fearful Symmetries: Arc Two (Session 1) Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, Sherri, and Will H A year has passed and our investigators have dealt with the trauma and cost of dispatching the Dragon in different ways. But when an old debt is called in, Richard must re-assemble the group to look into the mysterious death of a member of the Rollright Coven.

Trail of Cthulhu: Fearful Symmetries: Arc Two (Session 2) Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, Sherri, and Will H The circle continues their investigation of the happenings at Convivial House. Talking to locals they begin to put together a picture of events happening in the two Quintons. Richard remains at the house overnight and has a vision of the hungry darkness lying to the north. Eventually they begin to piece together a picture of the sinister events surrounding Bradbury House and the grove which lies upon its grounds.

Tomorrow City (Session 1 of 2) Lowell Francis runs for Bryan, Cale P, Jo Lene, and Robyn Choi The first half of a two-part series of Tomorrow City, a new dieselpunk TTRPG from Osprey. We set up characters, jump into the action, and afterwards give the crew their new assignment.

Tomorrow City (Session 2 of 2) Lowell Francis runs for Bryan, Cale P, Jo Lene, and Robyn Choi The second half of a two-part series of Tomorrow City, a new dieselpunk TTRPG from Osprey. Our heroes develop, reject, and settle on what could loosely be called a plan. We spend some time with the characters before they execute their dangerous mission-- where nothing goes exactly as hoped.

Godbound: Sundered Cycles (Session 27) Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack In the aftermath of their defeat of the Angels, the pantheon considers what to do with Neeharik and the nation of Geznya as a whole. Ransom and Ivesro work to calm and organize the citizenry, and then look to the wild sorcery schools. Darius begins to find their place in all of this. Threadless constructs on several levels. Tasos tries to organize his found family and begins to extends the dreamscape.

Against the Monster Andrea Rick runs for Madelancholy, Robbie Boerth, and Sabine V. A story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters (currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter). We hunt a ghost in a desert and muse about loss, rage, and memory.

Godbound: Sundered Cycles (Session 28) Lowell Francis runs for Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack The pantheon looks to decide on next steps, as we see each god interact with NPCs and more. Ransom meets with representatives of the allied pantheon and extends his dominion. Tasos speaks with a scholar of souls and anoints his feline followers. Darius decides to build a shrine and looks to get interns. Threadless decides to build a dragon, or an angel, or both.

Star Wars Saturday

Fellowship: A Fellowship in Rebellion Rich Rogers runs for Cody Eastlick, Greg G., Kae, Steven Watkins, and Tyler Lominack

Off-Calendar Highlights

Trophy Dark: The Forbidden Archives (Session 1 of 2) Madelancholy runs for David S., Gabriel Robinson, Robyn Choi, and Tentacle Duck (Sandra) Knowledge hunters seek to enter the lost Azure Archives, doing terrible things to find out where it is, and most likely delving deeper in their own darkness to capture the secrets within.

Trophy Dark: The Forbidden Archives (Session 2 of 2) Madelancholy runs for David S., Gabriel Robinson, Robyn Choi, and Tentacle Duck (Sandra) Interconnected, secrets revealed by the Azure Archives making more demands of the intruders than they can steal away. Who will survive but be forever changed, and who will be lost, never to leave the Archives?

[cinemaocd]

This week in Rylanceland: hot murderer edition

Yeah so I haven't done this in a while and the main reason is me being triggered by the gore in the mark rylance tag rn because of Bones and All...which is a movie about a guy who murders people and is hot. I guess. I don't know. Mark is in his underwear which is good, but covered in blood which is bad....

But shout out to the Timothee Chalumet bloggers out there who have preserved so many pics of Mark. I thank you.

like this one of Mark and Claire at the Bones and All premiere

Top story: Hilary Mantel's funeral was yesterday and Mark did a reading. Interestingly so did rival Cromwell, Ben Miles (fun fact: I think Hilary preferred Ben Miles and I love him but I will always choose Mark...). Apparently Miles consulted with her for the script for the stage version of Mirror and the Light which is awesome. I hope to be able to see the stage version or the tv version soon (I mean before Mark and Ben become too old to play Cromwell...)

Mark was passed over for an Oscar nom this year, which he doesn't seem too fussed about.

Before the pandemic Mark was set to write a series of plays for the Guthrie theater (shout out to the time I was seated near Mark at a restaurant and managed to not say anything to him so my son had to talk to him for me) but it looks like that project might have morphed into a "TV thing" with Steven Speilberg.

Mark is reviving his role as Dr. Semmelweiss in the Pinter play in the West End this summer. Last summer he revived his epic role as Rooster in Jerusalem.

Mark is a founding patron of the Purbeck Film Festival and launched a fundraising campaign for a statue of Brian Haw. Rylance is an annual participant in Haw-related peace campaign activities, which include hugs from Sting.

It's an older pic, but I really like this quirky tie...

High Rez image of the week: Mark in a field performing The Tempest at at the Rollright standing stones, circa 1991.

[zerogate]

In the early 1970s, a zoologist out hunting for the haunts of Britain’s last small colonies of horseshoe bats, happened to pass one such group of standing stones on his way home in a spring dawn, and noticed something peculiar. He was equipped with an ultrasonic detector to monitor the high frequency sounds of bat navigation, and was startled to find a strong signal coming from the ancient site. It was a rapid and regular pulse unlike anything he had ever recorded before. He searched the area for signs of life, but found nothing and left just as the sun came up, with the slightly uncomfortable feeling that he had been eavesdropping on some megalithic conversation amongst the stones themselves.

The zoologist mentioned his odd experience later to the writer Paul Devereaux, who in turn passed it on to the Institute of Archaeology at Oxford where it reached the ears of a research chemist. Don Robins is one of a small group of scientists – physicists, geologists and electronic engineers – who call themselves the Dragon Project, after the active energy currents which are said to illuminate a landscape in Chinese geomancy. The group are interested in the factors which led those who built stone circles to such tremendous efforts, which clearly stretched the “macro-chip” technology of their day to its limits. The Project members wondered, when they first got together, whether there was anything special about the sites, some physical factor which could be measured. An anomaly, perhaps, in Earth’s electromagnetic field which produced unusual interactions with cosmic and solar radiation.

The problem they faced was which end of the spectrum to begin their explorations, and the zoologist’s story was just the hint they needed. A sensitive wide-band ultrasonic detector was constructed and field-tested for the first time in 1978 on the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire.

Rollright is not a major megalithic site like Stonehenge or Avebury, but it is little visited and much revered. It has a circle of approximately seventy-three stones called the King’s Men – rumour has it that they keep moving and can’t be accurately counted; traces of several other circles; the Kingstone – an isolated menhir; and a collapsed dolmen known as the Whispering Knights, whose capstone was once dragged down the hill to be used as a bridge across the stream, until, it is said, it too kept moving and had to be returned.

Robins arrived at Rollright before dawn on a foggy morning in late October that year. “I walked around the site,” he said, “clutching the detector rather self-consciously, fully prepared to pretend that it was a transistor radio should I encounter a stray visitor. The detector showed a flickering, minimal background, but in the vicinity of the Kingstone I observed a rapid regular pulsing. This ultrasound effect was noticeable for some yards around the Kingstone … and faded soon after dawn.”

Encouraged by this finding, the group built an even more sensitive detector designed to exclude all possibility of radio interference and stray signals from local energy sources or geological faults. And they put it into action all year round. On streets and bridges, in gardens and woods nearby, there was never anything more than weak and random background noise. But at Rollright there was a consistent pulsing which could be measured near dawn on any day, regardless of weather conditions, and which rose to an ultrasonic screech lasting for several hours on those mornings in March and October which coincide with the feasts of equinox. And there are records of equinoctial rites being held at Rollright even in historic times.

[...]

At other times, the stones seemed almost to be creating an ultrasonic barrier. “This was the weirdest thing,” says Robins:

You always have a background of ultrasound in the country – the movement of grasses, leaves rustling, even your own clothing. It all registers. But one morning, as we moved in and out of the circle monitoring the levels, suddenly we found that there was complete ultrasonic silence inside the circle. Our first thoughts were that it was an instrument malfunction. Then we walked through a gap in the stones and there was sound. Inside, silence – outside, normal background levels.

-- Lyall Watson, Beyond Supernature