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Page 51
To sun worshippers no season would be better calculated to excite
devotional feelings towards the great luminary than the period when he
attained the zenith of his strength. It is probable, therefore, that as
his movements must have been closely observed, and his various phases
regarded by the people, in the language of Scripture, "for signs and for
seasons, for days and for years," that the turning points in the sun's
yearly course, the solstices, would naturally become periods of worship.
That the Summer solstice was an important religious period is rendered
probable from the following curious observation concerning Stonehenge,
which appeared in the Notes and Queries portion of the _Scotsman_
newspaper for July 31, 1875. The _Scotsman's_ correspondent states that
"a party of Americans went on midsummer morning this year to see the sun
rise upon Stonehenge. They found crowds of people assembled.
Stonehenge," continues the writer, "may roughly be described as
comprising seven-eighths of a circle, from the open ends of which there
runs eastward an avenue having upright stones on either side. At some
distance beyond this avenue, but in a direct line with its centre,
stands one solitary stone in a sloping position; in front of which, but
at a considerable distance, is an eminence or hill. The point of
observation chosen by the excursion party was the stone table or altar
near the head of, and within the circle, directly looking down. The
morning was unfavourable, but, fortunately, just as the sun was
beginning to appear over the top of the hill, the mist disappeared, and
then, for a few moments, the onlookers stood amazed at the spectacle
presented to their view. While it lasted, the sun, like an immense ball,
appeared actually to rest on the isolated stone of which mention has
been made. Now, in this," says a writer in the _New Quarterly Magazine_
for January, 1876, commenting upon the statement of the _Scotsman's_
correspondent, "we find strong proof that Stonehenge was really a mighty
almanack in stone; doubtless also a temple of the sun, erected by a race
which has long perished without intelligible record."
I think it is not a very fanciful supposition to suppose, from the still
existing names of places in this country bearing reference to
sun-worship, that there were other places than Stonehenge which were
used as stone almanacks "for signs and for seasons," and also for
temples. _Grenach_ in Perthshire, meaning _Field of the Sun_, where
there is a large stone circle, may have been such a place; and
_Grian-chnox_, now Greenock, meaning _Knoll of the Sun_, may have
originally marked the place where the sun's rising became visible at a
certain period of the year, from a stone circle in the neighbourhood. As
far as I have been able to discover, there remains to us little trace of
the manner in which the midsummer feast was kept in this country in
prehistoric times, but so far as traces do remain, they appear to
indicate that it was celebrated much after the same manner as the
Scottish Celts are said to have celebrated Beltane. Indeed, the Celtic
Irish hold their _Beilteme_ feast on the 21st June, and their fires are
kindled on the tops of hills, and each member of a family is, in order
to secure good luck, obliged to pass through the fire. On this occasion
also, a feast is held. A similar practice was common in West Cornwall at
midsummer. Fires were kindled, and the people danced round them, and
leaped singly through the flames to ensure good luck and protection
against witchcraft. The following passage occurs in _Traditions and
Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall_, by William Bottreill, 1873:--"Many
years ago, on Midsummer eve, when it became dusk, very old people in the
west country would hobble away to some high ground whence they obtained
a view of the most prominent high hill, such as Bartinney-Chapel,
Cambrae, Sancras Bickan, Castle-au-dinas, Cam-Gulver, St. Agnes-Bickan,
and many other beacon hills far away to the north and east which vied
with each other in their midsummer night blaze. They counted the fires,
and drew a presage from the number of them. There are now but few
bonfires to be seen on the western heights; yet we have observed that
Tregonan, Godolphin, and Carnwath hills, with others far away towards
Redruth, still retain their Baal fires. We would gladly go many miles to
see the weird-looking, yet picturesque dancers around the flames, on a
cairn or high hill top, as we have seen them some forty years ago." The
ancient Egyptians had their midsummer feasts, as also had the Greeks and
Romans. During these festivals, we are told that the people, headed by
the priests, walked in procession, carrying flowers and other emblems of
the season in honour of their gods. Such processions were continued
during the early years of the Christian Church, and the Christian
priests in their vestments went into the fields to ask a blessing on the
agricultural produce of the year. Towards the beginning of the twelfth
century the Church introduced the _Feast of God_, and fixed the 19th
June for its celebration. The eucharistic elements were declared to be
the actual presence of God, and this, the consecrated Host or God
himself was carried through the open streets by a procession of priests,
the people turning out to do it honour, kneeling and worshipping as it
passed. This feast of God may have absorbed some of the ancient
midsummer practices, but the _Feast of St. John's Day_, which is held
upon the 24th June, has in its customs a greater similarity to the
ancient sun feast. On the eve of St. John's day, people went to the
woods and brought home branches of trees, which they fixed over their
doorways. Towards night of St. John's Day, bonfires were kindled, and
round them the people danced with frantic mirth, and men and boys leaped
through the flames. Leaping through the flames is a common practice at
these survivals of sun festivals, and although done now, partly for luck
and partly for sport, there can be little doubt but that originally
human sacrifices were then offered to the sun god.
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