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The '''Giant's Dance''' or '''Giants' Dance''' is a stone circle in an [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian legend]] first documented {{circa|1136}} in ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]''.<ref name="Historia Regum Britanniae"/>
The '''Giant's Dance''' or '''Giants' Dance''' is a mythological stone circle documented by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] in his c.1136 work ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae|The History of the Kings of Britain]]'' ({{lang-la|Historia Regum Britanniae||}}, originally called {{lang-la|De Gestis Britonum||On the Deeds of the Britons}}). Geoffrey described it as a [[megalith]]ic [[stone circle]], whose stones were used to build the [[neolithic]] [[Stonehenge]] on [[Salisbury Plain]] in [[England]]. That description was based on the legends that still existed at the time. Archaealogists have identified the [[mesolithic]] [[Waun Mawn]] in [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]], as being this older [[Stone Age]] stone circle, which is where the [[bluestones]] of Stonehenge were taken from. According to Geoffrey, the wizard [[Merlin]] disassembled a circle at [[Mount Killaraus]] in [[Ireland]] and had men drag the stones to Wiltshire, and had giants assemble Stonehenge. At Geoffrey's time, the Pembrokeshire region of Wales was considered Irish territory.<ref name="10.15184/aqy.2020.239"> {{cite journal |last1=Pearson |first1=Mike Parker |author-link1=Mike Parker Pearson |last2=Pollard |first2=Josh |last3=Richards |first3=Colin |last4=Welham |first4=Kate |last5=Kinnaird |first5=Timothy |last6=Shaw |first6=Dave |last7=Simmons |first7=Ellen |last8=Stanford |first8=Adam |last9=Bevins |first9=Richard |last10=Ixer |first10=Rob |last11=Ruggles |first11=Clive |last12=Rylatt |first12=Jim |last13=Edinborough |first13=Kevan |title=The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales |journal=Antiquity |date=February 2021 |volume=95 |issue=379 |pages=85–103 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2020.239 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/original-stonehenge-a-dismantled-stone-circle-in-the-preseli-hills-of-west-wales/B7DAA4A7792B4DAB57DDE0E3136FBC33 |doi-access=free }} </ref><ref name="Historia Regum Britanniae">
{{cite book |lang= la |title= The History of the Kings of Britain; {{lang-la|Historia regum Britanniae||}} |id= c. 12th century |author= Geoffrey of Monmouth }} </ref>


== In the Merlin legend ==
In modern usage, '''Giants Dance''' has been used to refer to:
Geoffrey described it as a [[megalith]]ic [[stone circle]], whose stones were used to build the [[neolithic]] [[Stonehenge]] on [[Salisbury Plain]] in [[England]]. That description was based on the legends that still existed at the time. Archaealogists have identified the [[mesolithic]] [[Waun Mawn]] in [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]], as being this older [[Stone Age]] stone circle, which is where the [[bluestones]] of Stonehenge were taken from.


According to Geoffrey, the wizard [[Merlin]] disassembled a circle at [[Mount Killaraus]] in [[Ireland]] and had men drag the stones to Wiltshire, and had giants assemble Stonehenge. At Geoffrey's time, the Pembrokeshire region of Wales was considered Irish territory.<ref name="10.15184/aqy.2020.239"> {{cite journal |last1=Pearson |first1=Mike Parker |author-link1=Mike Parker Pearson |last2=Pollard |first2=Josh |last3=Richards |first3=Colin |last4=Welham |first4=Kate |last5=Kinnaird |first5=Timothy |last6=Shaw |first6=Dave |last7=Simmons |first7=Ellen |last8=Stanford |first8=Adam |last9=Bevins |first9=Richard |last10=Ixer |first10=Rob |last11=Ruggles |first11=Clive |last12=Rylatt |first12=Jim |last13=Edinborough |first13=Kevan |display-authors=6 |title=The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales |journal=Antiquity |date=February 2021 |volume=95 |issue=379 |pages=85–103 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2020.239 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/original-stonehenge-a-dismantled-stone-circle-in-the-preseli-hills-of-west-wales/B7DAA4A7792B4DAB57DDE0E3136FBC33 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Historia Regum Britanniae">
* mythological stone circle that was moved from Ireland to Britain by Merlin <ref name="Historia Regum Britanniae"/><ref name=HEM1920-ch11> {{cite book |chapter= 11: The Story of How the Giant's Dance was Brought to Britain |author= Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall |title= An Island Story: A History of England for Boys and Girls |date= 1920 }} </ref>
{{cite book |author=[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] |id={{circa|1136}} |trans-title=The History of the Kings of Britain |title=Historia regum Britanniae |lang=la |postscript=;}} original title ''{{lang-la|De Gestis Britonum||On the Deeds of the Britons}}''.</ref>
* [[Stonehenge]], England, UK; the megalithic stone circle <ref name=TTB-Stonehenge1-2005> {{cite web |url= https://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/stones/stonehenge1.shtml |title= Stonehenge: The Giants' Dance |author= Sue Kendrick |date= 2005 |publisher= Time Travel Britain }} </ref>

* [[Waun Mawn]], Wales, UK; the dismantled megalithic stone circle <ref name=Guardian-20210212> {{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/12/dramatic-discovery-links-stonehenge-to-its-original-site-in-wales |title= Dramatic discovery links Stonehenge to its original site – in Wales |author= Dalya Alberge |date= 12 February 2021 |newspaper= The Guardian }} </ref>
== Current use of the name==
In modern use, '''Giants Dance''' has been used to refer to:

* fictional stone circle that was moved from Ireland to Britain by Merlin<ref name="Historia Regum Britanniae"/><ref name=HEM1920-ch11>{{cite book |first=Henrietta Elizabeth |last=Marshall |date= 1920 |chapter=Chapter&nbsp;11: The story of how the Giant's Dance was brought to Britain |title=An Island Story: A history of England for boys and girls}}</ref>

* [[Stonehenge]], England, UK; the megalithic stone circle<ref name=TTB-Stonehenge1-2005>{{cite web |first=Sue |last=Kendrick |date=2005 |title=Stonehenge: The Giants' Dance |website=Time Travel Britain |url=https://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/stones/stonehenge1.shtml}}</ref>

* [[Waun Mawn]], Wales, UK; the dismantled megalithic stone circle<ref name=Guardian-20210212>{{cite news |first=Dalya |last=Alberge |date=12 February 2021 |title=Dramatic discovery links Stonehenge to its original site – in Wales |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/12/dramatic-discovery-links-stonehenge-to-its-original-site-in-wales}}</ref>


<gallery>
<gallery>
File:BLEgerton3028Fol30rStonehengeCropped.jpg|Merlin reassembling the Giants Dance
File:BLEgerton3028Fol30rStonehengeCropped.jpg|Merlin re-assembling the Giants Dance
File:Standing stone and lying stone near Cnwc yr Hydd - geograph.org.uk - 4213876.jpg|Waun Mawn
File:Standing stone and lying stone near Cnwc yr Hydd - geograph.org.uk - 4213876.jpg|Waun Mawn
File:2017-05 Stonehenge 06.jpg|Stonehenge
File:2017-05 Stonehenge 06.jpg|Stonehenge
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|25em}}


{{SIA}}
{{SIA}}

Revision as of 23:18, 14 April 2021

The Giant's Dance or Giants' Dance is a stone circle in an Arthurian legend first documented c. 1136 in Historia Regum Britanniae.[1]

In the Merlin legend

Geoffrey described it as a megalithic stone circle, whose stones were used to build the neolithic Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in England. That description was based on the legends that still existed at the time. Archaealogists have identified the mesolithic Waun Mawn in Pembrokeshire, Wales, as being this older Stone Age stone circle, which is where the bluestones of Stonehenge were taken from.

According to Geoffrey, the wizard Merlin disassembled a circle at Mount Killaraus in Ireland and had men drag the stones to Wiltshire, and had giants assemble Stonehenge. At Geoffrey's time, the Pembrokeshire region of Wales was considered Irish territory.[2][1]

Current use of the name

In modern use, Giants Dance has been used to refer to:

  • fictional stone circle that was moved from Ireland to Britain by Merlin[1][3]
  • Waun Mawn, Wales, UK; the dismantled megalithic stone circle[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia regum Britanniae [The History of the Kings of Britain] (in Latin). c. 1136; original title Template:Lang-la.
  2. ^ Pearson, Mike Parker; Pollard, Josh; Richards, Colin; Welham, Kate; Kinnaird, Timothy; Shaw, Dave; et al. (February 2021). "The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales". Antiquity. 95 (379): 85–103. doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.239.
  3. ^ Marshall, Henrietta Elizabeth (1920). "Chapter 11: The story of how the Giant's Dance was brought to Britain". An Island Story: A history of England for boys and girls.
  4. ^ Kendrick, Sue (2005). "Stonehenge: The Giants' Dance". Time Travel Britain.
  5. ^ Alberge, Dalya (12 February 2021). "Dramatic discovery links Stonehenge to its original site – in Wales". The Guardian.