The Great Below.

In 1971 P.V.Glob wrote: The Bog People, and describes why he believes highly ritualized murders, complex death and burial, is connected with the Goddess of The Great Below.

Tollund man, Grauballe man, Queen Gunhild...The young girl from Windeby bog, the man from Osterby whose hair was tied in a Swabian knot.

We have their clothes, we know what they ate, the decapitated girl from Roum, the Huldre woman from Ramten; there are many more bodies to be found.



The Swabian knot.
According to Germania by Tacitus, the Suebian warriors combed their hair back or sideways and tied it into a knot, allegedly with the purpose of appearing taller and more awe-inspiring on the battlefield. Tacitus also reports that the fashion had spread to neighbouring Germanic tribes among the younger warriors, while among the Suebians, the knot was sported even by old men as a status symbol, which "distinguishes the freeman from the slave", with the most artful knots worn by the most wealthy nobles.

In most cases it is reasonable to believe that the people who were sent to The Great Below, were high status people. Sacrifice could be the price a lord had to pay for kingship.

It is also possible that it was the king's son or daughter who paid the price.





All the bodies P.V Glob describes were violently killed- over kill! and met their terrible end during 'The Iron Age'.

It was still happening in 1360 AD.

Recently a bog body was found on Bord na Móna land in Co Laois in 2011. It is probable that he met the same kind of fate, as the Iron Age bog bodies, but during the Bronze age- 4.000 years ago.



Found in a bog. Dated to 500 BC.



Iron Age Goddess figures.

Neolithic Goddess figures.
P.V.Glob sees the twisted torq and the rope used to strangle the sacrifice, as representing the same thing.
Dedication to the Goddess.



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