Newgrange

The Illuminated Spiral

Vicki Rourke MacPherson

^ e w g r a n g e , a tumulus dating back to 3200 B.C., is

* ^ place of mystery and beauty. This monument has
been the object of speculation since premedieval times
Recent excavations have both furthered our knowledge of the site and deepened its enigma.
Before excavation and reconstruction, Newgrange
looked like any other "fairy mound" on the Irish landscape. Local legend made many claims about the site.
Tales of strange midwinter illuminations in which the
sun itself entered the tomb's inner chamber were common among the population. Archaeologists set out to
solve the riddle once and for all.

The site, about fifty miles north of Dublin on the

banks of the River Boyne, was excavated and reconstructed by Michael J. OKelly. The tomb itself is a
megalithic passage grave and is composed of large
stone slabs. Architectural features of the tomb include a cruciform passage and center chamber, a
roof box, and kerbstones surrounding the tumulus.
Large standing stones, orthostats encircle the entire
structure.1
Many of the component stones of this structure
contain carvings; predominately single, double, and
triple spirals, and lozenges. The quality of workmanship on these decorations varies from poor to excellent. Some designs are visible from the outside of the
structure, and even the kerbstones are decorated.
Still other carvings are inside the tomb, situated in
such a way that no human eye can readily see
them.2 These decorations are the object of great
speculation.
Fragmentary remains of several individuals have
been unearthed within the tomb. Grave goods typical
of the period (i.e., stone basins, beads of flint and
bone, and flint tools such as scrapers and polished
axes, and so on) have also been discovered. Two
ANIMA ELEVEN/2

118

rings, two torques, and a chain - all of gold - give

evidence of a Romano-British occupation during
more recent times.3
During the process of excavation, the "illumination
rumours" proved to be true. The following is a description of the first documented observations of this
beautiful event, which occurred on December 21,
1969. (It has since been discovered that this solar'
penetration occurs over a two-week period with December 21, the midwinter solstice, being the most
dramatic moment.
At exactly 8.54 hours GMT the top edge of the ball of the
sun appeared above the local horizon, and at 8.58 hours the
first pencil of direct sunlight shone through the roof-box and
along the passage to reach across the tomb chamber as far as
the front edge of the basin stone in the end recess. As the thin
line of light widened (it) swung across the chamber floor the
tomb was dramatically illuminated and various details of the
side and end recesses could be clearly seen.4

Among those details illuminated was a triple spiral.

The illuminated spiral at Newgrange suggests the

idea of balance. A balance that unified creation earth and spirit, light and dark, male and female, life
and death. It contained all of existence.
A study of mythology can clarify this concept and
strengthen our conviction that balance is the ultimate
meaning of Newgrange. Newgrange's Irish name,
"Briu na Boinne,' holds one clue. Briu means "mansion," suggesting that it was someone's abode. The
word Boinne reveals this occupant's identity. According to legend,
only the King and his cupbearers could drink. One woman,
Boann, was not pleased with this and drank from the pool
herself. The waters rose up and a rushing torrent carried her
out to sea and drowned her.

An immortal, Boann subsequently appears as the

Dagda's wife, and lives with him at the Briu na
Boinne.5 The close linguistic relationship between the
words Boann and Boinne infer that Boann gave her
name to both the mansion and the river. The

Above. A spiral and lozenge carved kerbstone after excavation. (Notice the same stone half buried in the facing photo.)
Following pages.
The sun penetrates the roof box and enters Newgrange's vaginalike passage on the midwinter solstice.
All photographs were obtained from the Office of Public Works,
Dublin, Ireland. Go raibh maith agat, Ron!

Vicki Rourke Macpherson is completing a

Master's Thesis concerning woman's history at Penn State Capitol Campus, and
hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in anthropology.
She lives happily in a cottage with two
cats, her guinea pig (Arthur Guinness),
and her husband, Ian. She is a Eucharistie
Minister with a deep concern for the Earth.
ANIMA ELEVEN/2

119

l*f*%*

<*

megalith, river, earth and goddess were one.

Boann's husband, Dagda, is the possessor of a
vvonderous phallic club. It has been described as
"such that one end killed the living and the other revived the dead.'The sun may be considered an aspect of this pallus because of the Dagda's affiliation
with this star. Legend states that when the Dagda begot his son, the MacOc, in a scandalous tryst, he held
the sun in the sky for nine months to hide the clandestine liaison. Later, the Dagda and the MacOc divided day and night between themselves. Hence,
some carvings at Newgrange face the darkness and
some face the light.
The illumination at Newgrange is the Dagda's solar
penetration of Boann's megalithic "vagina/womb."
Through this lovemaking, the balance inherent in all
things was enforced and the land of Ireland prospered. The king-making ceremonies at Tara also involved a ritual coitus necessary for the fruition of
Ireland.
What implications does this ancient concept of balANIMA ELEVEN/2

122

An elaborately carved kerbstone.

ance have today? Simply put, we live in a world ecologically, technologically, militarily and socially out of
balance. We must create our own restorative
megaliths out of love, knowledge and a concern for
the wellbeing of the planet and its inhabitants.
NOTES
OTCelly, 1982, pp. 15.
bid., pp. 146.
Ibid., pp. 145.
/bid., pp. 123.
Hicks, personal correspondence, 1980.
MacCana, 1973, pp. 85.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Joyce, Patrie Weston. A Social History of Ancient Ireland New York
New York: Arno Press, 1980.
MacCana, Proinsias. Celtic Mythology. New York, New York The
Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1973.
O'Kelly, Michael J. Newgrange, Art and Legend. London Thames
and Hudson, 1982.
Rees, Alwyn and Brinley. Celtic Heritage. London: Thames and
Hudson, 1961.

Newgrange after restoration.

+JT

cry * w "

ft

^5

UH |Rv3

PTaBw:

*M
Newgrange appeared to be a large "fairy mound" before excavation.
ANIMA ELEVEN/2

123

The solar penetration of Newgrange's inner chamber/womb

during the solstice illuminates a triple spiral.

^,
Copyright and Use:
As an ATLAS user, you may print, download, or send articles for individual use
according to fair use as defined by U.S. and international copyright law and as
otherwise authorized under your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement.
No content may be copied or emailed to multiple sites or publicly posted without the
copyright holder(s)' express written permission. Any use, decompiling,
reproduction, or distribution of this journal in excess of fair use provisions may be a
violation of copyright law.
This journal is made available to you through the ATLAS collection with permission
from the copyright holder(s). The copyright holder for an entire issue of a journal
typically is the journal owner, who also may own the copyright in each article. However,
for certain articles, the author of the article may maintain the copyright in the article.
Please contact the copyright holder(s) to request permission to use an article or specific
work for any use not covered by the fair use provisions of the copyright laws or covered
by your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. For information regarding the
copyright holder(s), please refer to the copyright information in the journal, if available,
or contact ATLA to request contact information for the copyright holder(s).
About ATLAS:
The ATLA Serials (ATLAS) collection contains electronic versions of previously
published religion and theology journals reproduced with permission. The ATLAS
collection is owned and managed by the American Theological Library Association
(ATLA) and received initial funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
The design and final form of this electronic document is the property of the American
Theological Library Association.