The Mystery of the Carnac Stones
Do you know anything about the tradition and legends of local folks form Carnac? No? Do not be surprised because of that. Just a small number of the anthropologists and historians know about the customs of this small and isolated community. However, one of the most representative monuments of the Carnac’s local legends are huge, standing stones or just menhirs, which is the term that is used in some parts of the Europe.
Saint Cornelius or Merlin
According to one theory, these stones have something with Saint Cornelius, the person who is considered as a first Gentile that was converted to the Christianity. In this local legend, Cornelius was chased by the Roman army and he had no chance for surviving. In the moments of desperate, he spoke to God for the help. The God heard his prayers and decided to help Cornelius. He helped him in that way that the God transformed Roman legion into the stones.
The English version of the story is a little bit different. According to this legend, the main person that was responsible for these “stoned figures” was one the most famous magicians in the history- Merlin.
Of course, we cannot know what version is more likely. If you are Christian, the story with the Cornelius would be more appropriate. On the other hand, if you a fan of the magic and knights of the round table, the version with the Merlin probably would your first choice.
The Purpose
The historians are not from a big help in this situation. They cannot determine the exact date of the origin of these strange stones. However, the majority of them think this formation dates around 3.400 B.C.
Beside the period of the origin, more important question is how people of that period managed to move such huge stones and place them in that formation. This is even more intrigue if we know the people from the Neolithic period did not have any advanced tools and machines. Another disputable topic is the purpose of these stones.
According to the theories from the 18th century, stones in Carnac were a product of druids, who use them in their ancient rituals. Other experts think the position of the stones is the consequence of the star position, something similar to the position of the pyramids in Egypt, especially those in Giza. After a several excavations on this site, some experts have stated to assume this formation is somehow related to famous Stonehenge monuments.
Locmariaquer Stones
However, the stone formation in the Carnac is not one of its kind. We have something similar near this site, and the most famous are the formations that are placed in Locmariaquer. At some moment in the past, this menhir was approximately 20 meters tall and it was the biggest stone figure in the world. However, now this monument is crashed to four parts.
Today, these stones are under the state protection, which is a great way for their protection from the further devastation.
