At the centre of the world - polar symbolism discovered in Celtic, Norse and other ritualized landscapes - 1994

"The powers of ancient rulers emanated from the ritual center of the tribal territory. This center was also regarded as the birthplace of the tribe and belonged to the people as a whole. Installed upon this sacred rock (the omphalos or "navel of the world"), at the polar axis around which all revolved, the king could survey his realm, ordered from the center according to the divisions of the cosmos itself, reflecting the harmony and balance of paradise.". "Akhenaten's city in Egypt, Megalopolis of Ancient Greece, the world-centers of Roman Gaul and Celtic Cornwall, all provide clues to lead John Michell to the geographical and sacred criteria for locating a center. From studies of symbolic geography, particularly that of Celtic and Norse territories, he has discovered the leading principle for the siting of the "Thing" places, the main centers of religious and state ritual in Shetland, Orkney, the Faroe Islands and the Isle of Man. He considers the possible locations of the most hallowed centers of ancient Druidry and of the High Kings of Ireland. Finally, the esoteric foundation plan for these ancient societies is disclosed: the sacred geometry, the symbolic numbers.". "Symbols of the center are among the most persistent elements of myth and belief between cultures widely separated in time and space. Now John Michell traces their genesis, and suggests that their reflection of the ideal Platonic order of the universe can be relevant to the modern world."--BOOK JACKET. JOHN MICHELL 2 WORLD 5 WORLD 7 Contents 9 1 Finding the Centre 7 9 2 The Northern Isles 43 9 3 Why the Alting met at Tórshavn 69 9 Contents 10 4 The Centre of the Isle of Man 85 10 5 A Diversion to the Centre of England 113 10 6 The Centre of Ireland 129 10 7 The Cosmological Prototype 165 10 Finding the Centre 11 The Northern Isles 47 Why the Alting met at Tórshavn 73 The Centre of the Isle of Man 89 A Diversion to the Centre of England 117 The Centre of Ireland 133 The Cosmological Prototype 169 Bibliography 181 Sources of Illustrations 184 Index 186 Twelve-tribe Nations 189 The Dimensions of Paradise 189 The New View over Atlantis 189 The Earth Spirit 189 Mythic Ireland 189 THAMES AND HUDSON 189 The powers of ancient rulers emanated from the ritual centre of the tribal territory. This centre was also regarded as the birthplace of the tribe and belonged to the people. Installed upon this sacred rock (the omphalos or navel of the world), at the axis around which all revolved, the king could survey his realm, ordered from the centre according to the divisions of the cosmos itself, reflecting the harmony and balance of paradise. Symbols of the centre of the world are the most persistent elements of myth and belief between cultures widely separated in time and space. This book traces their genesis, and suggests that their reflection of the ideal Platonic order of the universe is still relevant today.