Morgan's Hill

A couple of miles east of Calne in Wiltshire, the mysterious and splendid C5-6th Wansdyke path, while on its graceful curving line from Marlborough, passes a hill known as Morgan's Hill, thereby linking Merlin at Merlin's Mound, less than fifteen miles away in Marlborough, to Morgan Le Fey.

Morgan Le Fey is a powerful mythical witch, inextricably linked to Arthur (his half-sister) and Merlin (his enchantress and nemesis), and a Lady Of The Lake, who received the magical sword Excalibur from the dying Arthur.

Morgan's Hill contains a sanctuary consisting of an earthwork, an unopened round barrow and a long low mound (50ft long) known as Furze Knoll, oriented due North and South, from which this picture was taken. The mound is highest to the South, where the earthwork reaches 40ft wide, and there is a prominent grove of trees with a long-established rookery, the rook being a bird traditionally linked to Morgan Le Fey.

In October 2001, when I visited the site, I was struck by the powerful atmosphere, particularly here at Furze Knoll. Though the day was mild and relatively still, the rustling from the trees, accompanied by a steady expulsion of leaves, was noticeable, and as I entered the grove, expecting shelter, instead found myself buffeted by suddenly strong cold winds. There was also a strong smell of sulphur. It was easy to imagine Morgan Le Fay entombed here.

The "sanctuary" inside the knoll includes a large bowl-sized section (see thumbnail below) with trees sprouting from its banks. Although growing from different heights, the tree-tops were all of the same height, forming a symmetrical oval shape.

Taken with a Pentax ME and a Kiron 28-210mm/f4-5.6 lens using Kodak Gold 200. Scanned by Directfoto.