|
Fairy forts (also known as ''raths'' from the Irish, referring to an earthen mound) are the remains of ''lios'' (ringforts), hillforts or other circular dwellings in Ireland.〔(Fairy Forts, Music & Language of Ireland )〕 From (possibly) late Iron Age to early Christian times, the island's occupants built circular structures with earth banks or ditches. These were sometimes topped with wooden palisades, and wooden framed buildings. As the dwellings were not durable, in many cases only vague circular marks remain in the landscape.〔(The Celts & Celtic Ireland )〕 ''Raths'' and ''lios'' are found in all parts of Ireland. ==Interpretation== Tradition claimed that ringforts were "fairy forts" imbued with Druids' magic and believers in the fairies did not alter them. The early pre-Celtic inhabitants of Ireland (known as the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fir Bolg) came to be seen as mythical and were associated with stories of fairies, also known as the "Good People". Fairy forts and prehistoric Tumuli were seen as entrances to their world.〔(Myths, Legends, Fantasy... - An Other World )〕 Even cutting brush, especially the ''sceach'' or whitethorn, on fairy forts was reputed to be the death of those who performed the act.〔Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green, ''Meeting The Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland'', p 125 ISBN 1-58542-206-1〕 There are many folk tales about supernatural events happening at fairy forts. Real accidents which happened at ringforts could be given supernatural explanations. For example a man who tried to blast a dolmen suffered a septic hand. The wrecked dolmen was subsequently left untouched. Other traditions hold that a leprechaun may allegedly know of hidden gold in a fairy fort. In literature, British author Rudyard Kipling made allusions to the process by which such legends grow in his 1906 novel, ''Puck of Pook's Hill''. 〔(http://www.gutenberg.org )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fairy fort」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|