An Exploration of the Carnac Stones in France
Visualize an immense stretch of French countryside in which stand several thousand stones standing like soldiers stretching out for more than two miles. This is what one can experience when visiting Brittany, France, where the Carnac Stones stand.
This amazingly unique prehistoric site has several different types of stones, including stone tombs, burial mounds, and standing stones. These stones have not always been in one spot since their original placement, however. Over the years, people living nearby the Carnac Stones have moved the stones from their original placements for various uses including building houses and a lighthouse! (Bisous des Caribous, 2021) As an aside, there are actually 148 lighthouses in Brittany, France, where, the people of France claim, one can find the ‘end of the world’. (Zaraska, 2013)
The mystery of what the stones meant or stood for stayed a complete enigma for many years, until 2004, when a long-lost science called Geoglyphology was regained by society and was able to be used to unravel the meaning of the Carnac stones. (Pegu, 2020) It is now known that geoglyphs, such as Carnac, were used as boundary delineators for the people groups who constructed the geoglyphs. Interestingly, pyramids were also used for this purpose. (Faram, 2018) Carnac is a unique geoglyph site. To read more on how this site is unique from other geoglyph sites, check out this article! https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/carnac-stones-enigma-solved-ancient-science-0010311 As another interesting side note, this article also briefly discusses the contemporary nature of the Carnac Stones and Stonehenge, stating that “The cultures which created Stonehenge and Carnac were related.” (Faram, 2018)
After searching around for interesting facts about Carnac, I decided to try to find a virtual video tour of the Carnac stones, and stumbled across a wonderful video that shows the grandiose nature of Carnac Stones! I find it quite enjoyable to watch, albeit a tad lengthy. It is exciting to be able to see the amazing site from this unique perspective. Click the link to watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoQYMA3_kB8
The most interesting information that I read about the Carnac Stones, however, was one of the legends told about them. The legends states that the stones are actually soldiers who were transformed into stones. Some even say that it was Merlin (the wizard from the legends of King Arthur) who turned the soldiers to stone. I absolutely love when a place has a legend or story attached to it! To me it adds an aspect of mystery and awe. Legends and myths just seem to add a layer of depth and history to a spot.
I hope you enjoyed my short exploration of the Carnac Stones! In my next blog post, I will be writing a short fictional story about the Carnac Stones! I hope you join me on that adventure as well!
Until next time! <3
Em
References:
Bisous des Caribous, 2021. http://www.bisousdescaribous.com/2021/04/10-interesting-facts-about-carnac.html
Faram, 2018. https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/carnac-stones-enigma-solved-ancient-science-0010311
Pegu, 2020. https://www.villanovo.com/magazine/the-mysterious-carnac-stones-in-brittany
Zaraska, 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/in-brittany-lighthouses-oysters-ancient-stones–and-the-end-of-the-world/2013/10/31/325cd5dc-3cca-11e3-b7ba-503fb5822c3e_story.html
Pictures:
Carnac stone pictures:
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/carnac-stones
Lighthouse picture:
https://www.needpix.com/photo/1173194/brittany-lighthouse