Search A Light In The Darkness

Friday, 5 October 2007

The sacred island of the Moon

Loch Maree was a sacred loch, with the island, “Isle Maree”, dedicated to the moon goddess. Possibly, Slioch, the dominating mountain along the lake was once held to be sacred; its name means “Spear” and provides a veritable spectacle of stone rising towards the skies.

One of the reasons why the island, Isle Maree or Eilean Ma’ Ruibhe, might have been deemed sacred is something frequent visitors notice: there are few birds on the isle, even though many live on neighbouring islands. It is forbidden to dig on the island and folklore still says that nothing can be removed from the island, as it will bring bad luck. The idea that nothing is allowed to be taken from the island extends in public consciousness and is observed by the ghillies. When wood is cut, so that trees do not fall inside the circle, the wood is never removed from the island.

Isle Maree has been remarkable in its length of worship – from Celtic, to Viking, to Christian. But where did it come from? The origin of the cult can definitely be dated to the erection of the stone circle, in ca. 100 BC. No doubt, the sacredness of the island goes back earlier in time, but it is difficult to pinpoint specific dates. More important is the question why the place was deemed sacred.

The island definitely seems connected to the moon goddess – the island’s later reputation as curing lunacy (the illness of the moon) attests to this possibility.

Others have highlighted that “Maree” is a corruption of “Mourie”, a Celtic deity, known as “the High King”. As with all early deities, there were certain animals associated with him, specifically the bull and other animals with curved horns (a moon-symbol). After Christianization, Mourie became linked with St. Maol Rubha, and they occupied the same holy ground. The names are very similar, and no doubt this is intentional: both the pagan name and the Christian name were corrupted, so that the balance of the old belief and the new religion were equal.

Nigel Pennick in “Celtic Sacred Landscapes” (p. 161) states: “In the region of Gairloch [in Scotland], the ‘old rites’ of the divinity Mhor-Ri, ‘The Great King’ (also known as St. Maree, Mourie or Maelrubha), were observed until the nineteenth century.” The “Great King” was the earthly representative of the sun, said to marry the Earth – a ritual which obviously occurred at a site that was sacred to the Earth goddess – represented by the moon.

The reference also shows that in the 17th century, the cult was far from local: “The cultus was important far beyond the Gairloch region, for strangers and ‘thease that comes from forren countreyes’ were reported as participants in the ‘old rites’. But the presbytery was unable to suppress this popular deity. Writing in 1860, Sir Alexander Mitchell tells us that the ‘people of the place often speak of the god Mourie’. Another writer of the same period tells of the god’s holy hill, called Claodh Maree, which was the Scottish parallel of Iceland’s Helgafell, whose benevolent power was active wherever it could be seen. ‘It is believed...that no-one can commit suicide or otherwise injure himself within view of this spot.’ […] On the island of Maelrubha in Loch Maree, the sacred oak tree of Mhor-Ri was studded with nails to which ribbons were tied. Buttons and buckles were also nailed to it.”

This suggests that the location of the island in the shadow of a sacred hill is indeed important. The direct link between the Great King and a sacred hill is reminiscent of the Irish residence of the “High King” on the sacred hill of Tara, in central Ireland. The remaining question about Loch Maree is which hill it is… Which one is “Claodh Maree”? Claodh signifies “burial place”, so literally, the hill is the “burial place of the god Maree”.

In Iceland, Helgafell is the holy mountain that figures prominently in Icelandic history and literature. Its ascent and descent are linked with the success of wishes also. First, you must climb the southwest slope to the temple ruins without speaking or glancing backwards. Second, the wishes must be for good and made with a guileless heart. Third, you must descend the eastern slope and never reveal your wishes to anyone. The sacred number three exists both in Nordic Iceland and Scottish Loch Maree.

The sacred nature of Helgafell is apparent: it is a conical hill, and hence linked with the sacred centre. The only problem is that in the vicinity of Loch Maree, there are no conical hills. The only candidate for a sacred hill – a hill which is out of the ordinary – remains Slioch.

Loch Maree most likely attained its sacred status because of its setting: an island deemed special by early settlers (perhaps because of an oak growing next to a well), in the shadow of a sacred peak. But it is most remarkable for its history: how it continued as a place of worship… and continues to retain its sacred, protected status into the 21st century. (Read More ...)