Knowledge (XXG)

Ralaghan Idol

Source 📝

20: 115:), a toxic wood with multiple folkloric associations. It is carved from a complete roundwood stem. It has a carved head and neck, a long torso with no arms, breasts or navel, a well defined pubic area and a pair of slightly bent legs that end in feet. The base of the figure ends in a spike and it initially fitted into "a socket cut in a square block-shaped pedestal, about a square foot in area" which Mahr reported "is now lost". 102: 127:
female or deliberately gender ambiguous. Coles has suggested that the pubic hole could have been a "hole for intercourse or giving birth", for the insertion of a separate phallus, or that the figure may have been "deliberately intended to be ambiguous, male in one context and female in another". Similarly,
126:
Mahr initially determined that the pubic hole was "obviously intended for the insertion of a male organ". The idea that the figure originally featured a separate insertable phallus made of wood or some other material has been suggested by several scholars. Others have argued that the figure might be
118:
The figure is covered in cracks, and has strongly incised facial features. The left eye is slightly higher than the right, with the nose off-centre and possible damage to the left of the face. The pubic area features a gouged hole (initially reported as drilled) placed within a well defined pubic
93:. Mahr reported that the figure was found face down "under 3 to 4 feet of peat" in an area of bog that had been "reclaimed since". No associated archaeological structures were reported, and Mahr reported that no other finds were retrieved from the bog. 131:
has argued that the figure may reflect "deliberate ambiguity and double-meaning". The figure is one of several prehistoric wooden figures with both male and female sexual characteristics or whose intended gender is unclear. These include the
19: 149: 170: 73:
The figure was found during turf cutting, by a farmer named Thomas Halfpenny, aka Mr. Halpin, in a small peat bog close to the townland boundary between Ralaghan and Crossmakeelan, in the
292: 317: 267: 494: 445: 123:
published in 1990, determined that the hole widens within the body of the figure and that it contained a small patch of white granular material, possibly quartz.
51: 178: 649: 619: 470: 421: 394: 519: 644: 547: 634: 387:
Archaeology from the Wetlands: Recent Perspectives : Proceedings of the 11th WARP Conference, Edinburgh 2005
74: 243: 385:
Stanley, Michael (2007). "Anthropomorphic wooden figures: recent Irish discoveries". In Barber, C. (ed.).
128: 639: 601: 575: 488: 439: 216: 615: 567: 525: 515: 476: 466: 427: 417: 390: 137: 559: 367: 208: 35: 628: 579: 220: 133: 111: 511:
An archaeology of images : iconology and cosmology in Iron Age and Roman Europe
548:"Images in opposition: polarity, ambivalence and liminality in cult representation" 120: 101: 78: 47: 199:
Coles, Bryony (1990). "Anthropomorphic Wooden Figures from Britain and Ireland".
596:
Rynne, Etienn. "The Three Stone Heads at Woodlands, near Raphoe, Co. Donegal".
563: 371: 212: 86: 62: 32: 571: 480: 431: 529: 58: 460: 411: 509: 43: 39: 605: 90: 150:
Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe
100: 18: 413:
Ireland's immortals : a history of the gods of Irish myth
81:, Ireland. Its discovery was announced in 1930 in the journal 598:
The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
389:. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. pp. 183–190. 89:, keeper of Irish Antiquities in the National Museum in 109:
The figure is 113.5 cm long and made from yew (
293:"Fermanagh Herald, Saturday, June 27, 1908, Page 7" 358:Mahr, Adolf (1930). "A wooden idol from Ireland". 171:"Kingship and Sacrifice - New Theory of Sacrifice" 318:"Anglo-Celt, Thursday, February 28, 1991, Page 4" 31:, also known as the "Ralaghan figure", is a late 268:"Donegal News, Saturday, June 27, 1908, Page 7" 38:, carved wooden figure found in a bog in the 8: 177:. National Museum of Ireland. Archived from 462:Sheela-na-gigs : unravelling an enigma 57:A sample of wood from the figure yielded a 493:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( 444:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( 119:triangle. An examination of the figure by 614:. Galway: Galway University Press, 1998. 353: 351: 349: 347: 161: 612:The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland 486: 437: 201:Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 541: 539: 7: 194: 192: 190: 188: 16:Anthropomorphic carved wooden figure 508:Aldhouse-Green, Miranda J. (2004). 14: 514:. London: Routledge. p. 78. 244:"Mysterious Figures from the Bog" 61:date (OxA–1719) of 1096–906 cal. 105:Carved head of the wooden figure 1: 50:, Ireland. It is held by the 650:1st-millennium BC sculptures 322:archive.irishnewsarchive.com 297:archive.irishnewsarchive.com 272:archive.irishnewsarchive.com 136:, the "God Dolly", and the 666: 600:, volume 94, no. 2, 1964. 546:Green, Miranda J. (1997). 52:National Museum of Ireland 564:10.1017/S0003598X00085811 459:Freitag, Barbara (2004). 416:. Princeton, New Jersey. 372:10.1017/S0003598X00005305 213:10.1017/S0079497X0000517X 410:Williams, M. A. (2016). 341:Rynne (1972), pp. 3, 84 248:University College Cork 645:Archaeology of Ireland 129:Miranda Aldhouse-Green 106: 24: 233:Waddell (1998), p.233 104: 22: 324:. February 28, 1991 181:on 26 January 2016. 635:Bronze Age Ireland 107: 25: 620:978-1-8698-5739-4 472:978-1-134-28248-7 423:978-0-691-15731-3 169:Kelly, Eamonn P. 138:Roos Carr figures 657: 584: 583: 558:(274): 898–911. 543: 534: 533: 505: 499: 498: 492: 484: 456: 450: 449: 443: 435: 407: 401: 400: 382: 376: 375: 355: 342: 339: 333: 332: 330: 329: 314: 308: 307: 305: 304: 289: 283: 282: 280: 279: 264: 258: 257: 255: 254: 240: 234: 231: 225: 224: 196: 183: 182: 166: 665: 664: 660: 659: 658: 656: 655: 654: 625: 624: 610:Waddell, John. 593: 588: 587: 545: 544: 537: 522: 507: 506: 502: 485: 473: 458: 457: 453: 436: 424: 409: 408: 404: 397: 384: 383: 379: 357: 356: 345: 340: 336: 327: 325: 316: 315: 311: 302: 300: 299:. June 27, 1908 291: 290: 286: 277: 275: 274:. June 27, 1908 266: 265: 261: 252: 250: 242: 241: 237: 232: 228: 207:(56): 315–333. 198: 197: 186: 168: 167: 163: 158: 146: 99: 71: 36:anthropomorphic 23:Ralaghan figure 17: 12: 11: 5: 663: 661: 653: 652: 647: 642: 637: 627: 626: 623: 622: 608: 592: 589: 586: 585: 535: 520: 500: 471: 451: 422: 402: 396:978-0951911709 395: 377: 343: 334: 309: 284: 259: 235: 226: 184: 160: 159: 157: 154: 153: 152: 145: 142: 98: 95: 70: 67: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 662: 651: 648: 646: 643: 641: 638: 636: 633: 632: 630: 621: 617: 613: 609: 607: 603: 599: 595: 594: 590: 581: 577: 573: 569: 565: 561: 557: 553: 549: 542: 540: 536: 531: 527: 523: 521:0-203-64745-9 517: 513: 512: 504: 501: 496: 490: 482: 478: 474: 468: 464: 463: 455: 452: 447: 441: 433: 429: 425: 419: 415: 414: 406: 403: 398: 392: 388: 381: 378: 373: 369: 365: 361: 354: 352: 350: 348: 344: 338: 335: 323: 319: 313: 310: 298: 294: 288: 285: 273: 269: 263: 260: 249: 245: 239: 236: 230: 227: 222: 218: 214: 210: 206: 202: 195: 193: 191: 189: 185: 180: 176: 172: 165: 162: 155: 151: 148: 147: 143: 141: 139: 135: 134:Dagenham idol 130: 124: 122: 116: 114: 113: 112:Taxus baccata 103: 96: 94: 92: 88: 84: 80: 77:of Shercock, 76: 68: 66: 64: 60: 55: 53: 49: 45: 41: 37: 34: 30: 29:Ralaghan idol 21: 611: 597: 555: 551: 510: 503: 461: 454: 412: 405: 386: 380: 363: 359: 337: 326:. Retrieved 321: 312: 301:. Retrieved 296: 287: 276:. Retrieved 271: 262: 251:. Retrieved 247: 238: 229: 204: 200: 179:the original 174: 164: 125: 121:Bryony Coles 117: 110: 108: 82: 79:County Cavan 75:civil parish 72: 56: 48:County Cavan 28: 26: 366:(16): 487. 97:Description 59:radiocarbon 629:Categories 465:. London. 328:2024-05-30 303:2024-05-30 278:2024-05-30 253:2024-05-28 156:References 87:Adolf Mahr 33:Bronze Age 640:Irish art 580:162716871 572:0003-598X 552:Antiquity 489:cite book 481:475959845 440:cite book 432:951724639 360:Antiquity 221:164050650 175:museum.ie 83:Antiquity 69:Discovery 606:25509564 530:56557821 144:See also 44:Ralaghan 40:townland 591:Sources 618:  604:  578:  570:  528:  518:  479:  469:  430:  420:  393:  219:  91:Dublin 602:JSTOR 576:S2CID 217:S2CID 616:ISBN 568:ISSN 526:OCLC 516:ISBN 495:link 477:OCLC 467:ISBN 446:link 428:OCLC 418:ISBN 391:ISBN 27:The 560:doi 368:doi 209:doi 85:by 63:BCE 42:of 631:: 574:. 566:. 556:71 554:. 550:. 538:^ 524:. 491:}} 487:{{ 475:. 442:}} 438:{{ 426:. 362:. 346:^ 320:. 295:. 270:. 246:. 215:. 205:56 203:. 187:^ 173:. 140:. 65:. 54:. 46:, 582:. 562:: 532:. 497:) 483:. 448:) 434:. 399:. 374:. 370:: 364:4 331:. 306:. 281:. 256:. 223:. 211::

Index


Bronze Age
anthropomorphic
townland
Ralaghan
County Cavan
National Museum of Ireland
radiocarbon
BCE
civil parish
County Cavan
Adolf Mahr
Dublin

Taxus baccata
Bryony Coles
Miranda Aldhouse-Green
Dagenham idol
Roos Carr figures
Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe
"Kingship and Sacrifice - New Theory of Sacrifice"
the original




doi
10.1017/S0079497X0000517X
S2CID
164050650

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.