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Well, when I was at the well I had the very definite feeling that it was the Virgin. I will research the Church more fully as it isn’t clear.
Thanks for the suggestion about the thread – or perhaps a lovely mod would move it to the questing topic? Actually when I initially asked this question I had no idea that it would turn into a mini-quest – that wasn’t my intention. However, since then I have involved two other people (who are actually far more psychic than I am) and what they have turned up is frankly astounding.
I’m still working on that material so am not ready to post just yet but as part now of the mini-quest we will be going into Oxford (in the next fortnight or so)with a view not to simply shop at Monsoon (which is where I usually find myself strangely drawn
). Top of the list is Christ Church on St Aldgates, the Carfax alignment and the Sheila-na-gig in St Michael’s tower. If I can take photos of the heads I will certainly do that – but there may be a no camera rule at the Cathedral. I’ll do my best.In the mean time, a google brought up this image from a shop which takes casts of stone heads
They say it is an accurate miniature. It is certainly one of the loveliest I have seen.
Just as a matter of intrest I googled for pictures of the heads. Not found any so far but I did find this curious phrase on Christ Church’s own webpage.
Quote:Frideswide’s request (in the legend) to be buried in St. Mary’s Church may indicate that other churches with separate patron saints were also associated with the Oxford monastery.(My italics)
How very strange! The first reference to a Mary I have found! May also explain why after hearing the name ‘Mary’ I chose to bless the well in Her name.
Back to the heads.. only this from the same web page
Quote:3 The SHRINE
Built 1289
Destroyed 1538
Rebuilt 1889
The oldest monument in the cathedral, the shrine is covered in fine carvings of plants and faces. It once held the relics of St. Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, but was destroyed at the Reformation. Frideswide was then buried beneath a nearby gravestone.Would love to hear of the weird co-incidence!
Again Yuri fascinating information and a great link. In fact you have done me a great service there as in the article it mentions three foliate heads at Christchurch. I have been searching for Foliate/Green Man/Green Lady heads for a while now. I own the gazetteer ‘The Green Man’ by Ronald Millar. It is a bit vague on whats actually there. (Latin Chapel choir stalls, 14th C) and I must confess to actually never having been in the cathedral.
In fact the article says;
Quote:The site of this monastery is under the present chapel of Christ Church college, which also doubles as Oxford’s cathedral. In the church is the reconstruction shrine of St Frideswide with no less than three foliate heads form the 1250s. Their benign expressions allow speculation that these are ‘Green Women’ – possibly representations of the saint and her companions.So it would appear that there are extra heads to the one that is mentioned.
That aside, I do own a Landranger for the Oxford area. Indeed you are correct, Wytham Great Woods stands to the west of the City. At the well, the woods are patently obvious – I remember looking over to them across the field. Also, there are places in the woods given whimsical names such as ‘My Lady’s Seat’ and ‘The Five Sisters’.
I’m working on alignments with the woods, well, church and abbey (Godstow) – (incidentally did you know that there is another abbey in the area – at Wytham village?.) Will let you know if anything surfaces.
Last point, you mention the quest for the three crowns? I nearly fell of my chair when you mentioned Colchester and the link to St Helen. I have started preliminary researches for a book on the pagan Goddess Elen and her connections to St Helen. Its my belief that (as with Bridget/St Bridget in Ireland) that there is an overlapping of the Goddess and this Saint.
So in the space of a week we have managed to discuss all three of my ‘projects’. Weird!
Once again, thank you for your help.
Vix
Also, Yuri can you expand on your post about the importance of Oxford – it sounds fasincating!
A factoid from my brain has just resurfaced… there are two leys in Oxford. They intersect at Carfax in the city centre on a N -S, E-W aligment. Now I wonder if one of them passes through Binsey?
Thanks Yuri great pointers.
lol: On the steps I also had the flash of the name ‘Mary’ although that doesn’t make much sense to me admittedly. The site seemed calmer when I left and then I went inside the church and said a quick prayer in front of the Mary statue there.RE: the tokens around the site – you may be correct, they could be a way of others trying to use the ‘sink plunger’. But I think a much more likely explanation is that they were votive offerings to the Goddess. Am not overly keen on people leaving non-degradable items in/near sacred sites (i.e the jam jars that they were kept in – not the flowers) and tend to remove such things. In this instance I didn’t though.
Yeah, Ley Lines – good point, Have been studying the major leys around my area – actually the Michael line crosses quite a big patch of the surrounding countryside where I live. Have a feeling (which I will go away and check) that the Mary doesn’t go through Oxford (and I’m almost definite that the Michael line goes nowhere near). Of course there are many other leys in nature apart from these two. Hmm curisor and curisor!
Cheers for your help. Yes am aware of how matrices can be distorted – another area local to me as suffered in the same way. And yes very true, people may be travelling hundreds of miles to visit a site but I happen to know that Port Meadow (close by) is a very popular ritual site for Pagans in Oxford -sometimes at Sabbats. These are open events and are well publicised.
As a matter of intrest I went there yesterday evening. A bit of an odd place. You get to it by going down one of the busiest streets into Oxford – then literally a minute or so later you are in countryside. Binsey itself (although not very far away from Oxford (1-2 miles)) is actually quite isolated.
The Church by the well is dedicated to St Margaret and the well itself seems structually in good repair but unfortunatly the water looks brackish (and black!) and is stale. The blurb from inside the Church says that the well did have healing properties in Saxon times and became a place of some repute actually being visited by Henry 8th. Its hard to image that the water could be used in that way today!
There was signs of recent pagan and christian activity, mostly rowan berries in a jam jar by the well itself and what looked like a cross in another. Nothing out of the ordinary really and obviously there is a thought about that the Well was orginally dedicated to a Goddess (which I think is pretty likely).
Other than that – actually it wasn’t a very ‘nice’ place. I have been to some lovely wells but this isn’t one of them. There was a sense of ‘waiting’ at the site and it was very lonely. Certianly from a pagan pespective I would not work at this one – definatly not welcoming.
