A few days ago, the BBC reported on details of the opening ceremony of the forthcoming Olympic Games in London, a spectacle that will be viewed by around one billion people worldwide. You can watch an engaging interview here with Danny Boyle, the artistic director of the ceremonies, while there are further details of the setting and the ceremony on this BBC link.
Furthermore, there’s a detailed feature on the opening ceremony on this BBC link, which also notably mentions the concept that Jesus spent some of or all his ‘missing years’ in Britain.
The opening ceremony has clearly been influenced to some degree by William Blake, as the first scene is entitled “Green and Pleasant”, a term taken from William Blake’s notable poem And Did Those Feet In Ancient Time? The words were later put to music, as detailed in the above BBC feature, and the resulting song ‘Jerusalem‘ has long ago become Britain’s most popular patriotic song.
As I noted on page 248 of my book The Missing Years of Jesus, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games concluded with a presentation by the British, which gave a flavour of what the world would witness in 2012. Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin played at this closing ceremony, but the ceremony opened with the haunting strain from Jerusalem, so it’s entirely fitting that Blake’s influence should once more be seen and heard at the Olympics in 2012.
Danny Boyle hasn’t disclosed all the details of what the world will witness on July 27th in London, but as you can see from the BBC picture at the top of this post, there will be a replica of Glastonbury Tor, the location perhaps most closely associated with the idea that Jesus once visited and stayed in Britain as a youth. In addition, this reflection of a ‘mythical’ British landscape contains an oak tree, which was sacred to the ancient Druids, as well as pagan Maypoles, all in a rural setting that even contains rivers.
The Times wrote that Danny Boyle had “rightly, interpreted his task as a celebration of what gives this country tang, a celebration that he aims to be idyllic, but not naive”. For what it’s worth, I couldn’t agree more, while I also think what we’ve seen so far does justice to the memory of the visionary genius William Blake, who has enriched all our lives with his paintings and poems, as well as providing us with a haunting, evocative poem that’s become the most memorable expression of one of the most fascinating and engaging mysteries known to Mankind.
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‘And did the Tor in Ancient Times have rock erratics from Cymru there??’
Brian John, the geomorphologist and glaciologist, would like to think it may well have done, only 30-odd miles due west of what was to become Stonehenge’s ancient pile.
His blogsite for the Stonehenge bluestone enigma is:-
http://brian-mountainman.blogspot.com/
Hi Tony,
Not sure about Glastonbury Tor, but I am intrigued by Gorsey Bigbury near Cheddar. There seems to have been a major Beaker settlement there – sherds from 100 to 120 Beakers, 4000 flints, a large number of bones from young pigs, as at Durrington Walls. Can the bluestones have come from somewhere near Cheddar? Brian John doesn’t mention the Cheddar area, but he does mention evidence for glacial deposits further north – Kenn and Court Hill near Clevedon, and Bathampton Down.
Robin,as yet Brian has no knowledge of any bluestones from the Cheddar area, though there has been some interesting debate occasionally regarding the Mendips on any possible glaciation. He has also expressed an interest in any geological analysis so far of the various megaliths and smaller rock pieces found at the Stanton Drew henges just south of Bristol (It is easy to track down previous topics like this using the Search facility on Brian’s blog.).
I’ve let him know of your comment on Cheddar and Gorsey Bigbury.
Thanks Tony. Do you have any thoughts on why Gorsey Bigbury seems to have so important to the Beaker people? It appears to be the largest Beaker settlement so far found in Wessex.
Recently (April, I think) Brian John said that his favorite landing spot for any glacial erratics from Prescelli would be Westbury, near the White Horse.
For what it is worth, MPP asserts that Bluestones were first used at Stonehenge hundreds of years before the Beaker folk arrived. Appreciate the link to Gorsey Bigbury nevertheless – Beaker people is another intriguing mystery.
Interesting about Westbury, Chris. The only thing I know about Westbury is that a Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age midden was discovered there recently, like the ones at All Cannings Cross, Potterne and East Chisenbury.
I have not visited myself, but I believe the theory is that a glacier might have pressed up against the very steep scarp at Westbury. It is only 12 miles from Stonehenge and Neolithic remains have been found – there is supposed to be a long barrow on the Bratton Castle site. Looking at the photos this might have been a suitable site for a causeway camp, although most attention is paid to its role as an Iron Age hill fort. Two other barrows of presumably later date than the long barrow were discovered by the Victorian diggers.
Presuming that there was a pile of interesting stones near this location in Neolithic times, it would just about have been in range for the megalith builders and definitely easier than transportation from West Wales. Not much investigation has been done by the archaeologists, perhaps because it is so close to the Army Ranges and perhaps because they have already made up their minds about possible glacial erratics. I hear a lottery funded project is starting into historic subjects around Westbury so maybe something interesting will turn up, although I understand they are not looking for Bluestone.
It is nice to hear that the Olympic ceremony will give attention to our ancient past. There are many exploration projects worthy of funding.
The problem with the glaciation theory is that not finding anything does not disprove it, so it will live for ever.
Robin, several of us connected to the Westbury Heritage Society are currently bringing together the research evidence revealed so far about the midden you mention fairly near the Westbury White Horse. Work was done a few years back when there was a road bypass proposal. It is just possible this current effort may lead to further investigations in the longer term.
That’s good news, Tony. At the moment, the only information available is from the Wiltshire and Swindon SMR site.