Editing Stonehenge (section)

====Arthurian legend====
[[File:BLEgerton3028Fol30rStonehengeCropped.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The oldest known depiction of Stonehenge, from the second quarter of the 14th century. A giant helps [[Merlin]] build Stonehenge. From a manuscript of the ''[[Roman de Brut]]'' by [[Wace]] in the [[British Library]] (Egerton 3028).]]

The twelfth-century ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' ("History of the Kings of Britain"), by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], includes a legend of Stonehenge's origin, describing how Stonehenge was brought from Ireland with the help of the wizard [[Merlin]].<ref>[[s:History of the Kings of Britain/Book 8|''Historia Regum Britanniae'', Book 8, ch. 10.]]</ref> Geoffrey's story spread widely, with variations of it appearing in adaptations of his work, such as [[Wace]]'s Norman French ''[[Roman de Brut]]'', [[Layamon]]'s Middle English ''[[Brut (Layamon)|Brut]]'', and the Welsh ''[[Brut y Brenhinedd]]''.

According to the tale, the stones of Stonehenge were healing stones, which [[giant]]s had brought from Africa to Ireland. They had been raised on [[Mount Killaraus]] to form a stone circle, known as the Giant's Ring or Giant's Round. The fifth-century king [[Aurelius Ambrosius]] wished to build a great memorial to the British Celtic nobles slain by the Saxons at Salisbury. Merlin advised him to use the Giant's Ring. The king sent Merlin and [[Uther Pendragon]] ([[King Arthur]]'s father) with 15,000 men to bring it from Ireland. They defeated an Irish army led by Gillomanius, but were unable to move the huge stones. With Merlin's help, they transported the stones to Britain and re-erected them as they had stood.<ref>Ring, Trudy (editor). ''International Dictionary of Historic Places, Volume 2: Northern Europe''. Routledge, 1995. pp.34–35</ref> Mount Killaraus may refer to the [[Hill of Uisneach]].<ref>Dames, Michael. ''Ireland: A Sacred Journey''. Element Books, 2000. p.190</ref> Although the tale is fiction, archaeologist [[Mike Parker Pearson]] suggests it may hold a "grain of truth" as the Stonehenge bluestones were likely brought from the [[Waun Mawn]] stone circle on the Irish Sea coast of Wales.<ref>[https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/dramatic-stonehenge-discovery-boosts-irish-account-of-its-origins-1.4483067 "Dramatic Stonehenge discovery boosts 'Irish' account of its origins"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216033057/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/dramatic-stonehenge-discovery-boosts-irish-account-of-its-origins-1.4483067 |date=16 February 2021 }}. ''[[The Irish Times]]'', 12 February 2021.</ref>

Another legend tells how the invading Saxon king [[Hengist]] invited British Celtic warriors to a feast but treacherously ordered his men to massacre the guests, killing 420 of them. Hengist erected Stonehenge on the site to show his remorse.<ref>Drawing on the writings of [[Nennius]], the tale is noted in [[Edmund Spenser|Spenser]]'s ''Faerie Queene'', and given further circulation in [[William Dugdale]]'s ''Monasticon Anglicanum'' of 1655. Source: {{cite book |title=The illustrated guide to Old Sarum and Stonehenge |publisher=Brown and Company |location=Salisbury, England |year=1868 |pages=35–39 |oclc=181860648}}</ref>