Neolithic Cultures
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I will be looking at magic in prehistoric Europe and the part it played in pre-Neolithic/Neolithic cultures. From this, I hope to reach an understanding of the part magic played in this time and how it progressed into later cultures. As there is no literary evidence for this time frame we must rely on the archaeological finds, in particular various phallic imagery, statuettes, cave art and monuments. These elements all point in one way or another towards an involvement with the religious beliefs of the time. It is hard to draw Ðdefinite conclusions about the people of this era as the relevant evidence does not exist in sufficient quantities to validate any claim to Ðdefinite fact. However, with the evidence mentioned above I intend to provide a possible religious background to prehistoric magic.
The contributions of the Anglo-Saxons and Roman-Britons to the development of magic are important. However, with the introduction of Christianity in the seventh century much of these traditions have been lost to obscurity. For the sake of thoroughness however, the Ðwyrd of the Anglo-Saxon culture and its tributaries will be discussed as will its surviving qualities in Roman Britain.
The modern Wicca religion in all its forms shows the current stage of magic in its continuing development. With this area of the study it is possible to look at the effect magic has had on the public after being thrust into the media in the 1950s. Looking at modern Ðpop culture as well as the reactions it has had on the public, I will be able to look at the effect magic has had on our culture as well as its current role in our society compared with its previous functions throughout British history.
By its conclusion, I hope to have shown how magic has developed over the centuries and how its continual evolution has effected not only our culture, but society and attitudes towards Paganism.
The British Isles has a long history of magic, affiliated with religion or otherwise. The evidence for this topic of history goes all the way back to the people that first inhabited this island.
Different forms of burial practice have always existed, whether by an innate human spiritual nature or pure practicality. A rough dating of a grave in the Gower peninsula places it before the last period of glaciation, so approximately 25,000 BCE.
After the Ice Age that follows the date above dissipates more grave sites from the Palaeolithic era have been found. One burial in Goughs Cave had the flesh stripped from its bones; although this immediately gives the idea of cannibalism within the history of the British Isles, the likelihood that this was a burial rite is also, if not more so, quite probable. Without the aid of any form of literary evidence, we are left with very little data to clarify the archaeological remains. Due to this lack of diversity with the evidence we have, the many theories behind the burials and ceremonies are backed only by this sphere of evidence and are thus quite numerous.
Surprisingly, there is a significant quantity of evidence for this time frame in Europe; unfortunately, this evidence is scattered in the north of the continent, excluding Britain. This lack of evidence in itself gives us something to make conclusions from, as it would be quite difficult for any civilization to have inhabited a place such as the British Isles and leave no trace for archaeologists to find. The easiest and most sensible conclusion is to say that as of yet, England was yet to become a permanent settlement. With an Ice Age having just come to an end, England was still covered in Ice sheets, meaning that England was still too hostile an environment for permanent settlers
This evidence in the north of Europe mentioned above includes small statuettes along with other forms of cave art. These finds allude to practices later on present in the British Isles.
The figures mentioned which have been dubbed Venuses appear all over Europe roughly dated between 25,000 and 23,000. Cave art does not appear until about 1000 years after the appearance of the Venus figurines.
The appearance of these figures is quite common in this timeframe, with the distance between finds not providing enough differences in style to protest coincidence. These figures generally sported enlarged breasts, bottom and/or abdomen, they have no faces and some were fat or pregnant. These ÐVenuses, found from Pyrenees to Siberia, push the idea of some form of Old Stone Age religion. They give the idea of a religion that pushed for a divine personification of a woman or maybe even women. Whether as deities or spirits one can only guess at their function. With the harsh demands of such civilisations they could have been called upon for many purposes, help in childbirth or protection. Although this is the most common idea for the appearance of the statuettes, there is a little more information that can be gathered from where they were found and what the exact differences between the sites where they were found.
In the west of modern day Europe, around Russia, the Venuses were often found in groups. In Kostienki, along the river Don, three of these figures were hidden in a niche in a hut wall. This in itself suggests a number of other possible ideas. They could have been part of a family shrine, prayed to for easy weather, health, and other things that would have been instinctively necessary for a Palaeolithic people. However, they could have also been discarded, left to rot after they had been broken when a playing child got a little too rough with their toys. The niche the statuettes were found in would be unusual for such discarded items however. Many finds from this period believed to be thrown away or ritual rubbish lie in ditches away from the settlement. The fact that these items occupy a niche is more in keeping with them being the centre of attention. There is also the link with later phenomenology, such as the alcoves in Catholicism and the Roman lararia . Although these are links covering thousands of years, the similarities and common psychology behind religions is worthy of consideration. A suggestion that they were being hidden would not be uncalled for , however, with no evidence existing for a rival religion there would have been little reason for such an act of secrecy. Until the spread of Christianity, Pagan religions were mainly open-minded about each other. While this is not possible to prove in this time period due to the availability of evidence, we can site other periods in which the adoption of Gods from different pantheons was a practice engaged in by many civilisations . It is more likely that the statuettes were put aside for a religious purpose, respect or power perhaps.
At Yeliseevici, again near a river