This is not a guidebook to the stone monuments of the Channel Islands, nor is it a study of their archaeology. It is not even a book about contemporary paganism or Wicca on the Channel Islands.
It started out by trying to answer two simple but very puzzling questions: why were the ancient monuments built and why are they known locally as Pouquelayes - a Norman-French word that means Puck stones, or fairy stones. What possible link could there be between these solid and permanent lumps of rock and the elusive fantasy world of fairies, pixies and mischevous sprites?
The answers to these questions have proved fascinating and have linked into the legacy and traditions of fairy tales, legends, early religions and ancient earth rituals. Much of this wonderful heritage has been forgotten in recent centuries. But as we show, it only requires a little imagination and respect for the landscape and ancient tradition to bring the monsters, fairies and ghosts of our legendary past to life, and allow us to relive the magical originals of all art and religion.
Around three to five thousand years ago, an ancient people began building stone sites and monuments on the Channel Islands, creating a landscape as rich in mythology as any archaeological site in Greece or Egypt. Since early Christian times, the dolmens (stone chambers) and menhirs (single standing stones) have been reviled as the domain of witches, ghosts, and dragons. They were thought to bring bad luck and sudden death to all who came near. Yet they have also been cherished as sources of healing, female fertility, good harvests, and buried treasure, as well as the dwelling place of friendly fairies. Despite the fact that these structures were seen as a threat by the Christian Church, which was determined to erase the Paganism of the past, a good number of them remain. The superstitions surrounding the dolmens and menhirs, in particular the dire consequences said to ensue following their destruction, have preserved many of them to this day. The authors recount the terrible fates which have befallen several Channel Islanders who have dared to disturb or destroy these ancient sites. Channel Island mythology is alive and well today, and surviving in local superstition, customs, poetry, art, and folklore. This guide uncovers and explores this mythology, relating it to the ancient wisdom of the stones and demonstrating that, with a little imagination and respect for our environment, we can bring the near-forgotten monsters, fairies, and ghosts of the legendary past to life.
About the Author
S.V. Peddle is the pseudonym of Sandra and Vince Peddle. They are both keen travellers and published the novel, The Moon Maiden, in 2003.
We are Vince and Sandra Peddle - a married couple writing under the penname of S.V. Peddle. We're both keen travellers and have - between us - lived in such far-flung places as the USA, South Africa, Germany, Greece and Turkey - as well as Portsmouth, Manchester, Wellingborough and Watford (where for some years we owned and ran a large second-hand bookshop in the high street). We first met when living on the island of Crete and have long been fascinated by things Cretan. Sixteen years after we stopped living there, the place still feels like home. The Moon Maiden is an attempt to convey our sense of a timeless, mystical essence about Crete that is indefinably special - which perhaps explains why, in Minoan times, the island was sacred. In 2002 we moved to the beautiful island of Jersey and in 2007 our non-fiction illustrated book Pagan Channel Islands was published. We are currently at work on a sequel to The Moon Maiden, as well as a fictionalised biography, The Intimate Memoirs of Lady Macbeth. We have also completed another book that takes a light-hearted look at the women of the 1960's generation who have now reached their sixties: The Crone Club.
