Editing Coldrum Long Barrow (section)

==Folklore, folk tradition, and modern Paganism==

In a 1946 paper, the [[folklorist]] John H. Evans recorded the existence of a local folk belief that a battle was fought at the site of the Coldrum Stones, and that a "Black Prince" was buried within its chamber.{{sfn|Evans|1946|p=42}} He suggested that the tales of battles taking place at this site and at other Medway Megaliths had not developed independently among the local population but had "percolated down from the theories of antiquaries" who believed that the fifth-century [[Battle of Aylesford]], which was recorded in the ninth-century ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', took place in the area.{{sfn|Evans|1946|p=43}}

{{multiple image|align=left|image1=Material in the Rag Tree at Coldrum Long Barrow (10).jpg|image2=Material in the Rag Tree at Coldrum Long Barrow (06).jpg|image3=Material in the Rag Tree at Coldrum Long Barrow (03).jpg|caption1=The rag tree overhanging the monument|alt1=A close-up image of tree branches on which have been affixed a wide range of small, brightly coloured pieces of cloth|width1=150|width2=150|width3=150}}

Evans also recorded a local folk belief applied to all the Medway Megaliths and which had been widespread "up to the last generation"; this was that it was impossible for anyone to successfully count the number of stones in the monuments.{{sfnm|1a1=Evans|1y=1946|1p=38|2a1=Grinsell|2y=1976|2pp=63, 123}} This "[[countless stones]]" motif is not unique to the Medway region, and can be found at various other megalithic monuments in Britain. The earliest textual evidence for it is found in an early 16th-century document, where it applies to the stone circle of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, although in an early 17th-century document it was applied to [[The Hurlers (stone circles)|The Hurlers]], a set of three stone circles in [[Cornwall]].{{sfn|Menefee|1975|p=146}} Later records reveal that it had gained widespread distribution in England, as well as a single occurrence each in Wales and Ireland.{{sfn|Menefee|1975|p=147}} The folklorist S. P. Menefee suggested that it could be attributed to an [[animistic]] understanding that these megaliths had lives of their own.{{sfn|Menefee|1975|p=148}}

Several [[modern Pagan]] religions are practiced at the Medway Megaliths,{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=351}} with Pagan activity having taken place at the Coldrum Stones from at least the late 1980s.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=362}} These Pagans commonly associated the sites both with a concept of ancestry and of their being a source of "[[earth energy]]".{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=354}} The scholar of religion Ethan Doyle White argued that these sites in particular were interpreted as having connections to the ancestors both because they were created by Neolithic peoples whom modern Pagans view as their "own spiritual ancestors" and because the sites were once chambered tombs, and thus held the remains of the dead, who themselves may have been perceived as ancestors.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=354}} On this latter point, Pagan perspectives on these sites are shaped by older archaeological interpretations.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=354–355}} The Pagans also cited the Megaliths as spots marking sources of "earth energy", often aligned on [[ley lines]], an idea probably derived ultimately from the publications of [[Earth Mysteries]] proponents like [[John Michell (writer)|John Michell]].{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=356–357}}

[[File:Coldrum Long Barrow - Hartley Morris Dance at Sunrise - geograph.org.uk - 1297864.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Morris Men dance at the Stones, May Day 2009|alt=A group of twelve individuals wearing all-white costumes, including hats, are dancing in the centre of a green, grassy space. The low position of the sun indicates that it is early in the morning]]

Pagans sometimes visit the site alone or in pairs, there to [[meditate]], [[pray]], or perform rituals, and some have reported experiencing [[Vision (spirituality)|visions]] there.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=360}} A [[Neo-Druidism|modern Druidic]] group known as Roharn's Grove hold regular rites at the site, particularly during the eight festivals that make up the Pagan [[Wheel of the Year]].{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=351, 360–361}} The Coldrums have also witnessed Pagan [[rites of passage]]; circa 2000, a [[Handfasting (Neopaganism)|handfasting]]—or [[Wicca]]n marriage ceremony—was held there.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=363}} One member of the [[Odinic Rite]], a [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathen]] organisation, gave their "oath of profession" to the group at the Coldrum Stones because they felt a particularly positive energy exists there.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=362–363}} Politically motivated rituals have also been held at the site. In the late 1990s, the South London branch of the [[Paganlink]] organisation held a ritual at the Coldrum Stones in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the construction of the [[Channel Tunnel Rail Link]] through the Medway Valley landscape.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=368}} Another politically motivated Pagan rite was carried out there in the early 2010s by [[The Warrior's Call]], a group seeking to prevent [[fracking]] [[Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom|in the United Kingdom]] by invoking "the traditional spirits of [[Albion]]" against it.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=368–369}}

In the early 21st century, a tradition developed in which the Hartley Morris Men, a [[morris dancing]] side, meet at the site at dawn every [[May Day]] in order to "sing up the sun". This consists of dances performed within the stones on top of the barrow, followed by a song performed at the base of the monument.{{sfn|National Trust}} The trees overhanging the Coldrum Stones on its northern side have become [[Wish Tree|rag trees]], with hundreds of ribbons in various colours having been tied to their branches.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=359}} This is a folk custom that some Pagans engage in, although it is also carried out by many other individuals; one Pagan has been recorded as saying that she tied a ribbon to the tree with her young son, both to make a wish for an improved future and as an offering to the "spirit of place".{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|p=359}} As of early 2014, [[runic]] carvings written in the [[Elder Futhark]] alphabet were also evident on the trunks of these trees, spelling the names of the Norse gods [[Thor]] and [[Odin]]; these had probably been carved by Heathens, members of a religious movement that worships these deities.{{sfn|Doyle White|2016|pp=359–360}}