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| Silbury
Archive 1979 |
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First published on February 10, 1979 FAIRIES once tripped along them, and may still do so. The earth's energy could flash through them, and unidentified flying objects and even dragons add to their mystery. What are these remarkable objects? They are called ley lines and according to those who believe in them they are invisible, straight lines which connect ancient and prehistoric sites, running from one to another. And it seems that ley hunters have discovered that prehistoric sites can be linked in accurate, straight lines. Some have been found in Peru, and there are said to be several in Wiltshire, which run through such places as Avebury, Wayland Smith's cave, Salisbury Cathedral and Silbury Hill. To the initiated, they could be so much codswallop, or, as one orthodox archaelogist remarked, 'nuts'. But nearly 100 people crowded into a Swindon hall recently to hear Paul Devereux, an expert on ley lines, lecture on the subject. And at this minute there are probably several dozen people trampling the countryside, armed with maps and compasses, on expeditions to track down more of these elusive lines. It is a healthy and probably harmless pursuit which takes people out and about in the fresh air. Mr Devereux, 32, who lives in London and teaches photography, is the editor of a magazine called The Ley Hunter which circulates world-wide. He has written a book on ley lines to be published soon. "Ley Hunters believe the lines were marked and surveyed in pre-history," he said. "Some of the markers retain a prehistoric form, if not necessarily their original one." Ley markers include ancient churches and castles, long barrows dating back more than 2,000 years and a variety of sites with pagan origin and perhaps sacred overtones. Other markers include standing stones, and stones found at cross roads. The majority of these lines are shorter than ten miles. A longer line runs from Salisbury Cathedral through to an iron-age camp at Fordingbridge. "Every single line has had UFO sightings associated with it," Mr Devereux added significantly. One ley line runs from Silbury Hill to Avebury with various other markers in between. "We like four points in a short distance below five miles, or five or more in anything longer," Mr Devereux added, acientifically. "To date the alignments have been proved statistically to be beyond the bounds of chance." As Mr Devereux swept along convincingly with his arguments, it seemed reasonable to inquire: "What about the curvature of the earth?" "That only has an effect over long distances," came the pat reply. Mr Devereux has no pet theory to explain these mysterious alignments which were first noticed in the 1920s. He did allow that in Ireland, houses built on fairy paths tent to get poltergeists which make things go bump in the night. And there seemed to be no particular connection with astronomy. But the theories include the idea that ley lines are fairy paths, related to earth energy or force or have some connection with the sun or moon and possibly with the stars. Anyone attracted by this theme may wish to buy The Ley Hunters' Companion, to be published in June by Thames and Hudson. Or they could bet in touch with Mr Devereux and his earth mystery magazine at PO Box 152, London, N10 1EP. However, an orthodox archaeologist gave me his view: "There's no such thing as a sight line across a map. We'd rather not be involved." Back to 1979 index |
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