This story was inspired by a recent trip to New Grange, located near the Boyne River in Ireland. The monument there dates to the Neolithic, or early Stone Age, around 3000BCE. The valley, known as Bru Na Boinne in Gaelic, is a fertile area, and the river teems with fish. Archeologists consider the monument to be a "passage tomb." There is a tunnel about 30 feet long that ends in a large chamber. The tunnel itself is narrow and modern humans stoop to enter. The main chamber is quite large, perhaps 15' in diameter and a ceiling as high. There are three smaller chambers, or recesses, forming a cross pattern. The entire monument was built of large and small stones; it was not tunneled into a hillside, but rather constructed on the top of a hill. Passage tombs themselves are not unique; there are many scattered in that area, throughout Ireland and in the Brittany region of France. The monument at New Grange is unique because the main passage lines up nearly precisely with the rising sun on the Winter Solstice. The sun penetrates the long passage and illuminates the main chamber for approximately 17 minutes at that time. The main excavation of this monument occurred in 1962, but it had been plundered for centuries before. The 1962 excavation and reconstruction is now somewhat controversial. Although archeologists consider it a tomb, only five sets of remains were recovered during excavation. Some argue those remains significantly post date the original construction and use of the monument, and reflect later usage. Stone balls and phallic shaped stones were also recovered.
The interpretation below is entirely of my own imagination. I am not an archeologist or an anthropologist. I have not studied the evidence carefully. However, I still think I'm right. And mine makes a way better story.
I thank Fire_breeze for many helpful comments and suggestions.
Bru Na Boinne: 3000 BCE
Croag's muscles strained as he maneuvered the large stone into place. In spite of the cold wind blowing up the valley and the faint late fall sun, trickles of sweat ran down his broad back. He was committed to showing his strength and virtue to Shamar, the Most Revered Woman, in hopes that he would be selected to be the consort of the New Revered Woman at the time of the New Sun. His thoughts then jumped to Amma, whom he hoped would be selected as the New Revered Woman for the sacred rite. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shamar emerge from the Sacred Tunnel of the Mound, Her long black hair blowing in the wind, and the womanly curves of Her body silhouetted against the grey nearly winter sky. Along with the other men, he paid homage to Her as the perfect Woman, but in his heart, Amma was perfection. He paused for a moment in his work, his gaze traversing the valley and river below the Hill of the Mound. His mind wandered to Amma's body, Her curvy breasts, which had blossomed over the last few years, and Her broad hips, which signaled her ripeness. They had grown up about the same time together. Croag had passed the trials of manhood last spring, while Amma had been conferred Young Woman status at the end of the summer. He remembered her beauty at the ceremony in the late summer heat, the flowers in her hair and the long flowing robes which clung to her shapely body in the wind. Catching himself, he did not want to be seen malingering, he shook his head to regain his concentration. Returning to his work, he strained at the stone all the harder, hoping Shamar would see his actions and not read his heart.
As the sun set, the tribe gathered for its evening meal near the tribal lodges on the slope of the hill just below the Mound. Croag sat at his Mother's feet, as all unmatched men did. The matched men were raised to sit with the Women of the tribe. He glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Amma, sitting with the other Women. He was surprised to see Her sitting next to Shamar, surrounded by the Revered Women. Shamar and Amma seemed be talking and Croag's heart beat quicker. He knew that the selection of the New Woman and her consort would occur soon. It was always a surprise: the Most Revered Women announced the choices when the Goddess spoke to her in a dream. He would die if Amma was selected and he was not, and he looked around in vain wondering if there was some way to gain their attention. His Mother, sensing his unrest, gently placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding him that men were to contain themselves when in the presence of the Women of the tribe. He tried to relax, and prayed first to Mother Earth and then to Father Sun.
As the meal ended, and the tribe began to break up, he was surprised by a hand on his shoulder. As he turned, he found himself looking into the eyes of Shamar. He had never been this close to the Most Revered Woman and was surprised to find that he was taller than Her by some amount. Yet, still he felt short in Her presence. His heart pounded in hope and fear when Her gentle loving voice said, "Croag, your efforts for our tribe have been noticed by the Revered Women, and we have selected you to train to be the consort of the New Revered Woman. Gather your belongings and move to my lodge." The smile that burst upon Croag's face was echoed by the smile on Shamar's face.
Croag sputtered "I am so honored...I will get my stuff...I...I ...who...who " and then, before he could control himself he asked, "Who will be the New Revered Woman?"
His heart pounding as he realized this could be insulting to The Most Revered Woman. He tried to recover. "I'm sorry, I ...I just..."
But Shamar smiled and Her hand gently moved up his shoulder, Her fingers sliding through his hair, and his Manhood began to stir. "You know this will not be revealed until later," Her voice soft, gentle and sensuous, "you and I will need to work on your patience and control, for you must learn to please the New Revered Woman and that takes patience."
She drew his head down to Her and began to kiss him. The gentle kiss grew deeper and more passionate causing his Manhood to swell and throb. He had, of course, never been kissed and to share this first one with Shamar was an amazing honor. His heart pounded and his Manhood swelled, he had never been so aroused as by this, and even thoughts of Amma left his mind as he was totally overtaken by Her expert kiss. Only as She released him did he begin to hear the sounds of his tribe behind him. The other young men shouted congratulatory words, or grumbled jealous epithets, while the Women voiced their approval at the selection. For the Kiss of the Most Revered Woman was known to only be conferred upon the consort of the New Revered Woman.
Dublin: present day
Ida sat working at her computer in one of the tiny basement offices inhabited by graduate students in the archaeology program. It was cold, being early December, and the basement room was poorly heated. The department was quiet, the term having finished the week before; only the dedicated graduate students were around. Her thesis, examining Celestial Phenomena of Neolithic monuments, was coming along, but slowly. She struggled to make sense of what the sun, moon and stars of 5000 years ago would have looked like through the tunnels and around the monumental rocks of the Neolithic structures. She hoped her first paper, part of the application for special access to the Passage Tomb at Newgrange and other important sites, would be impressive to the Professors who were reviewing the proposals. In particular, she knew she needed to impress Professor Sherridan, the Director of the Newgrange committee, and hoped that her diligent calculations of astronomical alignment would give her the access that she needed. But deep in her heart she knew that her real thesis would have to wait, because it was simply too controversial. She glanced, again, at the clock on the computer, the minutes crawling by. She knew the decision was close at hand, but didn't know when. She sighed, and stood for a moment stretching. Then, she sat and began pouring over her latest tables, calculating positions, as her mind entertained her hidden ideas.
