Every now and then, I take students down to the Stonehenge on a day trip.
Transformative and enigmatic, the Stonehenge has stood for over 5,000 years reminding us of the technological achievements of a civilisation long gone. Woven into the megalithic architecture are astronomical alignments, long distance lines and powerful Earth energies that were collected and dispersed by this ionic stone circle.
The Background
Before we dive into my favourite theories, let’s cover some background so you have a better understanding if this is your first time hearing about the iconic landmark.
You may already know that it is located in the United Kingdom, specifically in Wiltshire, England. Many people travel to England just to catch a view of the amazing landmark.
Each of the standing stones is around 13 feet high (that’s 4 meters) and 7 feet wide (2.1m). Each stone can weigh up to 25 tons (22679.6)!
The Stonehenge is one of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, even regarded as a British cultural icon. In 1986, both the site and its surroundings were added unto UNESCO‘s list of World Heritage Sites.
It is owned by the Crown of Commonwealth realms and dominions and managed by English Heritage. The surrounding land is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty.
Its unusual design begs the question of “how did this happen?” followed by “who built this?”. The implied placement of the stones has been theorised by countless of people. Many think it was placed by humans, many believe it was by other forms in the universe. There are heaps of theories and I will tell you about my three favourites.
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1. John Aubrey: The Druids
John Aubrey proposed that Stonehenge was a temple built by the Druids, the priests of the pagan Celts, who came to England in the centuries immediately prior to the Christian era.
Celts believed that demons and spirits were everywhere, along with omens and portents. They counted on their priests, the Druids, to keep them safe from trouble. The Druids were responsible for all religious rituals because they were the only person who could talk to God.
The Stone Age Celts were creative and imaginative people. It was the Celts who invented fairies and elves (I love that idea very much). They might have believed that Stonehenge was a special entrance to the Otherworld or a place of special healing (I love that idea even better).
The Celtic people went to the Druids for everything. If your child was sick, you went to your Druid who might cure the child with medicine they made from a plant. The Druids were the soothsayers, the seers, the teachers, the doctors, the philosophers and the lawyers in the Celtic society.
To become a Druid you had to study with the Druids for at least 20 years. The Druids had their own universities. There was a lot to learn, but now it gets really interesting:
The Romans were enemies of the Druids (Celts) and hid a lot of information about them – easily done as the Druids didn’t write down their history.
The Druids were the priestly caste of the Celtic people who were the original inhabitants of Ireland, Spain and parts of Germany, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. The Druids would oversee the execution of criminals, who were given as sacrifices to the gods, but they also were healers with a vast knowledge of natural medicine, they were astronomers who studied the movements of the stars and they knew that the Earth was a sphere and had a highly accurate calculation of its circumference.
2. Rupert Till: For the Love of Music
Rupert Till, a university professor with an expertise in sound (and who also happens to be a part-time DJ) said that he believed Stonehenge was created as a dance arena for listening to “trance-style” music.
Rupert Till said that the standing stones had the ideal acoustics to amplify a “repetitive trance rhythm”.
He used a computer model to conduct experiments in sound, which he said showed that the 5,000-year-old monument may have been used for ancient raves.
Hah. I love it. Absolutely love this theory as I am a raver myself.
3. Erich von Daäniken: By Aliens
Erich von Daäniken (Swiss author) claimed in 1968 in his book, Chariots of the Gods, that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilisations were given to them by extraterrestrials.
He claimed that the Stonehenge was either built by the aliens or by humans who learnt the necessary workmanship to create it.
I am very much in love with this theory and it influences the building of Stonehenge as well as the Egyptian pyramids and the Moai of Easter Island.
More recently, UFO believers came up with the idea about it being a place for ancient aliens to land their spacecraft. Daäniken describes the Nazca lines in Peru to be a work of humans as a crude replica of previous alien structures, like the Stonehenge, as a way to call the extraterrestrials back to Earth.
Every year, more than 20,000 people visit the ancient monument to greet the sunrise at the start of the longest day of the year. I can’t wait to be a part of it, very soon.
So what do you think? What’s the meaning of Stonehenge? And who built it? Share with us your theories on our Facebook page!
Interested to check out the Stonehenge tours London yourself?
