Evidence of Stone Age Rituals

[Anomalocaris]

'Witchcraft' Island Reveals Evidence of Stone Age Rituals

A Stone Age site where cave rituals may have been performed some 9,000 years ago has been discovered on Blå Jungfrun, an island off the east coast of Sweden. The island has long been associated with tales of witchcraft, curses and supernatural powers.

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[bubblykiss]

Not gonna lie, that name alone sold me.

And I come from a state with such places as

Milkwater, Arizona

Tombstone

Bumblebee

Snowflake

Grasshopper Junction

Why, Arizona

Burnt Water, Arizona

Boneyard, AZ.

Bootlegger Crossing, AZ.

Turkey Flat, AZ. (which is awesome, it is like 4 buildings, on one side of the road, with only moderately overpriced food)

Fort Misery, AZ.

Skull Valley, AZ.

Sleepy Hollow, AZ.

[bubblykiss]

and now that I know about Fort Misery, AZ. I might just day trip it down there.

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/fortmisery.html

[Anomalocaris]

What are these places? ghost towns with a whole story behind?

[freetoroam]

9,000 years ago....noting that the yearly "easter" meetings have nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus.

this is fascinating stuff and just shows that beliefs, rituals and sacrifices have been an important part of the human "learning" progress when nature was less understood.

There is also here an insight on their survival while there, feasting on animals, building shelters, building fires.

They say there is no water on the island, I am only assuming they mean drinkable water, but maybe the fire burning was of one area for boiling water??

[bubblykiss]

What are these places? ghost towns with a whole story behind?

No they are a few examples of creepy places that got cool names all throughout AZ.

[Robin_Shadowes]

Visitors who has brought rocks with them back home has been forced to return them due to have being followed by bad luck. Adding to the legend of the island being cursed for some ancient unknown reason. The name means Blue Maiden in english.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Robin_Shadowes

[highdesert50]

Association is a powerful yet poorly controlled tool. If we elect to associate evil with a place, then we will quite purposively seek data to support that hypothesis. And, to support our hypothesis we will seek out others to agree. I suppose it's about garnering a sense of power and control.

[Leonardo]

9,000 years ago....noting that the yearly "easter" meetings have nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus.

this is fascinating stuff and just shows that beliefs, rituals and sacrifices have been an important part of the human "learning" progress when nature was less understood.

There is also here an insight on their survival while there, feasting on animals, building shelters, building fires.

They say there is no water on the island, I am only assuming they mean drinkable water, but maybe the fire burning was of one area for boiling water??

Boiling water to purify it for drinking is a quite recent innovation. While water was obviously used for cooking purposes since very ancient times - perhaps even pre-Homo sapiens - it was not recognised that boiling/distillation would purify "bad" water until people began to realise that water could contain microbial agents that might cause sickness.

I suspect the area where fire was found to be used was either for cooking/heating, or some ritual purpose. Water for those on the island would likely have been gathered via condensation if a ready supply of ice/snow for melting was unavailable.

[freetoroam]

Boiling water to purify it for drinking is a quite recent innovation. While water was obviously used for cooking purposes since very ancient times - perhaps even pre-Homo sapiens - it was not recognised that boiling/distillation would purify "bad" water until people began to realise that water could contain microbial agents that might cause sickness.

I suspect the area where fire was found to be used was either for cooking/heating, or some ritual purpose. Water for those on the island would likely have been gathered via condensation if a ready supply of ice/snow for melting was unavailable.

But if they boiled water, it would not have been for the intend of purification to remove microbial agents, as you point out, they did not know about that then, but they did know they could cook food in it and very highly posible knew it tasted better after being boiled.....it is possible they boiled sea water, it was an island, they would have been surrounded by water.

People over the centuries have died during the trial and errors of eating, they have even gone mad with someofthe foods they have tried out.

Who knows what posible " madnesses" occured on that island by eating or drinking the bad stuff, this could account for their rituals maybe even paranoia and hence it's reputation.....wonder if they picked mushroom too.

Edited October 6, 2015 by freetoroam

[PersonFromPorlock]

It must be fifty years since I read Margaret Murray's "God of the Witches," but I recall her comparing cave paintings of ritual dances with dances in rural 17th Century England and finding similarities. She was arguing for the existence of a suppressed but continuously practiced form of paganism, condemned by the Church as "witchcraft," from the Neolithic almost to modernity. Which sounds quite a bit like this.

[Leonardo]

But if they boiled water, it would not have been for the intend of purification to remove microbial agents, as you point out, they did not know about that then, but they did know they could cook food in it and very highly posible knew it tasted better after being boiled.....it is possible they boiled sea water, it was an island, they would have been surrounded by water.

People over the centuries have died during the trial and errors of eating, they have even gone mad with someofthe foods they have tried out.

Who knows what posible " madnesses" occured on that island by eating or drinking the bad stuff, this could account for their rituals maybe even paranoia and hence it's reputation.....wonder if they picked mushroom too.

Distilled or boiled water (by itself) actually tastes pretty terrible, very different to natural water. Sea water wouldn't be potable unless completely distilled, due to the salt content.

[newbloodmoon]

Sounds like a place to build a summer home.