Wayland's Smithy begins around 3590 BC and is tied to a giant-smith legend

Barrow4500 - 3000 BC
He Found England's Most Impossible Ancient Site | Hugh Newman Vs Praveen Mohan
Source: He Found England's Most Impossible Ancient Site | Hugh Newman Vs Praveen Mohan by PraveenMohan

Site mentioned

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Wayland's Smithy Long Barrow (c. 3590 BC) sits beside the prehistoric Ridgeway near Ashbury, Oxfordshire. Its first phase included timber; the monument was later remodelled with a stone facade and extended chamber. Local folklore links the site with Wayland the Smith, a giant blacksmith said to make horseshoes overnight, and with his father Wade, who in the story flies through the sky on a swan.

Key facts

  • The earliest structure at Wayland's Smithy dates to 3590-3550 BC; the stone facade was added and the chamber extended around 3540-3530 BC.
  • The earliest phase included timber construction; later work introduced the stone facade.
  • Local folklore links the site with Wayland the Smith, a giant blacksmith said to make horseshoes overnight.
  • In the Scandinavian-derived story, Wayland is the son of the giant Wade, who is said to fly through the sky on a swan.
  • The barrow lies beside the prehistoric Ridgeway, whose eastern route is associated with the Icknield Way toward East Anglia; the specific 10,000-year claim is not established by the cited results.

Related stories

Sources

File:Wayland Smithy Long barrow.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org
English: One of Britains best examples of a neolithic long barrow, located on the Ridgeway, close to the Uffington white horse in Oxfordshire. Français : Un des ...
The hammer of the gods still ring out at Wayland's Smithy, a long ...gothichorrorstories.com
The long barrow of Wayland's Smithy runs north and south, with two burial chambers flanking the main passage, aligned east and west.
White Horse Hill – Wayland's Smithy walk - Little Oxplorerslittleoxplorers.com
The English Heritage website explains that it's a neolithic chambered long barrow once believed to have been the home of Wayland, the Saxon god of metal working ...
Wayland's Smithy - English Heritageenglish-heritage.org.uk
A fine and atmospheric Neolithic chambered long barrow 2km (11/4 miles) along the Ridgeway from the Uffington White Horse: it was once believed to be the ...
Wayland's Smithy - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Wayland's Smithy is an Early Neolithic chambered long barrow located near the village of Ashbury in the south-central English county of Oxfordshire.
Wayland's Smithy (3590BC)storymaps.arcgis.com
History of Wayland's Smithy · The earliest structure on the site of Wayland's Smithy was built between 3590 and 3550BC out of wood and stone.
History of Wayland's Smithyenglish-heritage.org.uk
Wayland's Smithy is a two-phase Neolithic tomb, built along the Ridgeway close to a north scarp of the Downs above the Vale of the White Horse in south ...
Wayland's Smithy Projectnorthwessexdowns.org.uk
One of the lesser-known prehistoric monuments in the North Wessex Downs is Wayland's Smithy, a nationally important scheduled monument.
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