It's not out of the question; after all Mercury = Hermes and standing stones are the equivalent of herms i.e. waymarkers.

The reference to water at the base of the stones is interesting, it could be a folk memory of the hermit in situ providing water en route -- or of water-basins placed there for the benefit of animals as payment to the said hermit.

Ancient mineworking, healing and majick seem to go hand-in-hand. Wherever metals were being extracted by water power, there would be a highly mineral-rich run-off of water. With the addition of herbs and spices chosen by local Wise Women, just right for a nice healing tonic bath after a hard day's mine working. See Bath Salts. But not these Bath Salts.

Oops! Nearly started on a rant. "Roman" Baths in Bath.

hvered wrote:It's not clear how far the Romans' engineering projects were a continuation of their predecessors' work, but more likely they took over existing mines rather than set up new ones. Cornwall and west Devon had been inhabited by Basques, Iberians and Judeans as well as Celts [Judeans would appear to have been the production managers, since the remains of their blowing houses (smelting chambers) are still marked on maps as Jews' houses]. Interesting though about the saints' heads which seems to have flowed from the more common legends of holy wells and springs being established by saints founding monasteries and churches i.e. taking over the local water resources.

It might be the same in Dorset. It has many old mine workings, the oldest "Christian" Church in S.England, next door to what's described by some as a Synagog.

Ref: John Hooker (see http://www.writer2001.com/cihoards2.htm)
He mentions the Durotriges site, at [url=Hengistbury Head]Hengistbury Head[/url] ...
"metalworking, including cupellation hearths believed to have been used for extracting silver from argentiferous copper mined in the west-country, ingots of bullion of higher silver content than the Coriosolite coins, and ingots of copper alone .. (and ) ...the metal at Hengistbury was refined to a much higher standard than was required by the Coriosolites... (and) ... the evidence of Caesar himself, who wrote that the Britons used gold and bronze coins, and iron ingots of fixed weight as currency."

Oh! Look at the names of the places around there!
Ironstone Doggers
Stanpit Marsh

This page
http://www.hengistbury-head.co.uk/hengi ... eology.php
should get Mick excited about megalithic terraforming again.

hvered wrote:When found years after the Romans had left, in the Dark Ages, it gave rise to the legend of the five saints, who left the impression of their heads in the stone after being found asleep by the devil.

This is niggling at me, there's some lost memories & connections that haven't quite reconnected yet.
It's something to do with "heads", with multiple meanings.
1) A Head of water - would be used to power machinery.
2) Making a hollow shape that resembles a head
3) The head or a hollow in a rock, as a symbol of the technology used
4) The Turks Head - a very Celtic-shaped knot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turk%27s_head_knot
5) The Turks Head - a pub - http://www.turksheadpenzance.co.uk/

Boreades wrote:It might be the same in Dorset. It has many old mine workings, the oldest "Christian" Church in S.England, next door to what's described by some as a Synagog.

So is it or is it not a synagogue?! Whereabouts in Dorset is it located?

The oldest church in England is officially St Martin's, Canterbury. The oldest church in Dorset is St Martin's, Wareham. Which makes one wonder if the churches were built for followers of Christ or Mithras.

Royston wrote: Which makes one wonder if the churches were built for followers of Christ or Mithras.

Christianity incorporated Mithraism along with other -isms, unsurprisingly since Constantine, the first Roman emperor to officially adopt Christianity, was a follower of Mithras.

Popes and bishops wear mitres, said to be based on Phrygian or Mithraic caps. Huge pointy things that resemble a fish according to some.

Why is the mitre two-sided? Perhaps the sides represent a fish's fins though to my mind they resemble wings. Hermes is sometimes depicted wearing a winged cap.

The pope as Hermes is entirely appropriate since all roads lead to Rome!

Salmon, like Solomon, are symbols of wisdom. The papal fish-hat is probably harking back to this widely held belief.

Interestingly, the Margaritifera magaritifera or pearl mussel which is a remarkably long-lived mollusc would die out were it not for salmon. The larvae attach themselves for their first nine months to a salmon's gills so the salmon are quite literally producing pearls of wisdom. May you live for 120 years!

The association of sea creatures with religious figures seems quite widespread. St Margaret is said, rather unusually, to have actually swallowed the Devil. Perhaps margaret = 'sea-grit'.

Margaret as the 'Pearl of Scotland' is referred to in The Megalithic Empire as both queen and (Megalithic) saint. The pearl or grit is a product of the sea (mar) representing wisdom/ wealth.

In Belgium there is a tradition of harvesting shellfish by riding small draught horses in the sea which seems to be quite antique. It made me wonder if horses were used for farming the sea before they were used for ploughing on land.