The Gravinis Tumulus and the Holly King and the Oak King

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The tiny island of Gavrinis guards the turbulent entrance to Brittany’s Gulf of Morbihan. To get there, we took a beautiful 10 minute boat ride from the tiny village of Lamor-Baden.   Perched on the island’s highest point is a spectacular tumulus. Actually it’s a tumulus covering a cairn, covering a dolmen.* And it’s old. Built in 3500 BCE during the Neolithic Era, it is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and even a few centuries older than Newgrange, its more famous Irish cousin. And it’s really big. At 100 meters in diameter, it’s bigger than Newgrange. And the 46 foot long passageway leading to the central chamber is made up of huge stones carved in fantastic patterns that seem to shimmer and pulse. Several sources state flatly that they are some of the most magnificent art humanity has produced, a masterpiece of universal art. And it’s prominently placed. When it was built, sea level was much lower and it was part of the… Read More »