The Hill of Tara

Like so many other legenders, I (Tess) have my own legend origin story. Mine is the Hill of Tara, and it has led me down a road pitted with rabbit holes that led me, somehow, straight to Astonishing Legends. But why did this strange, ancient hill capture my young heart? Well, it might have something to do with its connection to the Otherworld.

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You can find the Hill of Tara, also known as Temair, near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. It has a long, ancient history and is often compared to Stonehenge in England for its strange, compelling power. The Hill of Tara is so grounded in a sense of are likely due to the fact that, for centuries, the hill was host to druidic festivals, priestess training, shaman’s rites, and anointings of kings. Tara was also once the seat of a dynasty of Ui Néill kings, who, for some reason, abandoned it in the 6th century.

Why was the hill chosen as a mythical seat of Ireland? Well, because it is said to be one of the rare entrances to the ‘Otherworld.’

You might notice that, despite all of the magical and historical events that have taken place here, the hill is...still just a hill. While there used to be buildings around the hill, none remain. But, you can still see the large, earthen fortification that enclose the place where two ring forts, Teach Chormaic and Forradh, used to lay. There are also barrows in the nearby hills. Much of the land around Tara remains physically undisturbed, however ultrasonic explorations of the area of and around the hill reveal that, at one time, there was a momentous template nearly 200 meters wide that consisted of over 300 wooden posts. While our contemporary eyes may not be able to see the remains of the worship of the hill, that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.

It was believed, ultimately, that Tara was the entrance to the Otherworld. The Otherworld is a very present idea throughout Irish mythology, which proposes that paranormal and/or magical creatures have their own realm (the Otherworld) but can travel to ours at certain points. Tara was also believed to be a sort of doorway for more than the everyday Irish creature, in fact, it was believed that Tara was once (or perhaps still is) the entrance where gods would enter into the human world. This is why so many high kings had their inauguration on Tara - in hopes that the gods would bless them and Otherworldly luck would protect them and their reign.

At this time, the Hill of Tara is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it, and the surrounding valley, are often at risk of development and destruction.

This blongsotnising suggestion is from, well, me. I know, I know it IS slightly cheating for me to pick my own submissions. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway and submit for next year’s #blogstonishing! 

The blog is image is of the Hill of Tara This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. It is by https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:County_Meath_-_Hill_of_Tara_-_20070923154644.jpg.