Trade Secrets

[Mick Harper]

The Lizard of course is the most southerly point of Britain. As we have seen elsewhere, eg Lihou Island, La Corbiere. cormorant pools (if that is what they are) are posted at the most extreme point of any land mass or group of islands. This is of limited use to human mariners but presumably it is rather more obvious to a bird flying in where he's supposed to make for.

[Boreades]

Crows Nest

According to a popular naval legend, the term derives from the practice of Viking sailors, who carried crows or ravens in a cage secured to the top of the mast. In cases of poor visibility, a crow was released, and the navigator plotted a course corresponding to the bird's flight path because the crow invariably headed towards the nearest land.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow%27s_nest

In one sense, that is bollocks. Like "starboard" is supposed to derived from the Viking "steer board". So what's the Viking for crows? And why isn't it called that?

In another sense, it makes perfect sense, except it wasn't Vikings.

[TisILeclerc]

It would appear to be krake with an accent over the a making the pronunciation krokeh

http://en.bab.la/dictionary/norwegian-e ... kr%C3%A5ke

Which is what they tend to do.

The Norwegians seem to be very fond of their crows. Here's an old song all about a thirty six pound crow and a man.

http://freya.theladyofthelabyrinth.com/?page_id=512

It's got a very catchy tune and could be a winner at the annual solstice gatherings of the Meg Empire management team.

[hvered]

The Norwegians seem to be very fond of their crows. Here's an old song all about a thirty six pound crow and a man.

http://freya.theladyofthelabyrinth.com/?page_id=512

Very remarkable parallels with crow/raven mythology in north America...

This is a very, very old Norwegian folk song about a man and a very big Crow. It has some magical elements and symbolism in it, and shows a blend of old pagan and new Christian ideas. The man, among other things, suddenly flies up the smoke hole in the roof at the sound of the crow cawing above, and so on.

... including raven's bringing fire to earth and being able to lift and carry large stones.

[Boreades]

Haplogroup Q

http://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_Q_Y-DNA.shtml

[TisILeclerc]

Independent reporting today that archaeologists in Dorset have discovered graves of mixed up animal bones which apparently show a similarity in beliefs held in ancient Greece.

'Until now, however, ancient Britons were not credited with such imagination. That is all about to change following the discovery of a series of animal skeletons near Winterborne Kingston in Dorset, which raises the possibility that Britain’s ancient Celtic population had hybrid-animal monster myths similar to those of the ancient Greeks, Mesopotamians and Egyptians.'

'“The sacrifice of so many animals and the unusual treatment of their bones is likely to shed totally new light on Iron Age belief systems – and may suggest that the Ancient Britons had beliefs or mythologies which involved hybredized animals, just as the ancient Greeks had”.'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 81965.html

They are having an open day for the public tomorrow, 12/7/15 for anyone interested.

'The public will get a rare chance to see the excavation this Sunday 12 July, when the 32,000 sq m archaeological site, at North West Farm near Winterborne Kingston, Dorset – is opened from 10 am to 4pm.'

[Boreades]

In my day, messing around with dead bodies was called Necrophilia. Still, each to their own. I'm not familiar with Winterborne Kingston, has it featured in our TME ramblings?

[hvered]

... including raven's bringing fire to earth

Just learned from a 'conversation' on the Megalithic Empire's Facebook page about 'tinder fungus' which I'm told was traditionally carried in a pocket since "You can actually store embers in it and carry it around." So I'm wondering if this is the origin of raven as fire-bringer, corvids being partial to 'shrooms.

[hvered]

A while back 'over there' we touched on muscaria-munching among crows as a potential catalyst to kick-start their extraordinary intelligence.

Our Facebook follower has personal experience of corvid partiality to mushrooms.

....I was looking for these Parrot Mushrooms on a grass bank where I had seen them the year before. I couldn't find them, but while I was looking for them a crow up in a tree was kicking off a bit as I was walking up and down. I moved further up the bank and crow came down from the disused chairlift that it was on and showed me where the mushrooms where (it had been eating them and was waiting for me to leave before going back to eating them). Corvid and Human in mushroom collecting harmony. I took the photo and left, so it could have its tea in peace. Ok it's not a great story but it put me in touch with my 'inner megalithic Corvid familiar'

[Parrots are another intelligent, 'Megalithic' bird but I don't suppose there's an actual parrot-connection here...is there?]

[Boreades]

[Parrots are another intelligent, 'Megalithic' bird but I don't suppose there's an actual parrot-connection here...is there?]

Possibly, and they are heading our way.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoy ... dparakeet/

Pieces of megalith! Pieces of megalith!