- Julian's Bower
Julian's Bower or Julian Bower is a name which was given to
turf maze s in several different parts ofEngland . Only one of this name still exists, atAlkborough inNorth Lincolnshire . It has also been known by corrupted forms of the name, such as "Gillian's Bore" and "Gilling Bore".The 18th century
antiquary William Stukeley mentions a "Julian Bower" turf maze at Horncastle,Lincolnshire , and in nearby Louth there was a "Gelyan Bower", which was mentioned in accounts of 1554.At
Goathland ,North Yorkshire there was a "July Park" or "St Julian's" maze.At
Whinfell Forest there is a farm called Julian Bower, originally built to support the KeeperFact|date=May 2008. It now lies outside the forest boundary.Some English turf mazes are very similar in their layout to
Scandinavia nlabyrinth s, which usually have their paths marked with stones. At Grothornet, inVartdal in the Sunnmore Province ofNorway there is a stone-lined labyrinth called "Den Julianske Borg" ("Julian's Castle").The name is believed to be derived from Julius, son of
Aeneas ofTroy , and the word place-name element "burgh", meaning "a fortified place", "fort" or "castle". The reasoning behind thisetymology is based on the fact that manymaze s and labyrinths in Britain were called "Troy", "Troy Town " or "The Walls of Troy"; similar names, such as "Trojaburg", "Trojburg" or "Trelleborg", were used in Scandinavia. In popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a complex and confusing way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find his way out.On a clear day, Emley Moor TV tower (40 miles), the top of York Minster and the Kilburn White Horse (45 miles) can be seen from Julian's Bower.
ee also
*
Turf maze
*Caerdroia
*Labyrinth Further reading
*cite book |last=Gerster |first=Georg |coauthors=Adrian T. Fisher |title=The art of the maze |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |location=London |year=1990 |isbn=0-297-83027-9
*cite book |last=Saward |first=Jeff |title=Magical Paths: Labyrinths & Mazes in the 21st Century |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |location=London |year=2002 |isbn=1-84000-573-4
*cite book |last=Bord |first=Janet |coauthors=Colin Bord |title=Mysterious Britain |publisher=Academy Chicago Pub |location=Chicago |year=1981 |isbn=0-586-08157-7External links
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/ml/ W.H.Matthews, "Mazes and Labyrinths" (1922)] online version
* [http://www.labyrinthos.org/turflabuk.htm Labyrinthos] Jeff Saward's website
* [http://www.labyrinthsociety.org/ Labyrinth Society]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk The Megalithic Portal]
* [http://wwll.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org Labyrinth Locator (Veriditas & Labyrinth Society)]
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