Skulls and Ice Age pendants ...

The gorgeous little skulls below have all been added to the site today ... lovely, aren't they! The first two pictured below are made from ancient bog oak from Somerset, long considered to be the fabled Isle of Avalonian so we call it Avalonian bog oak. It's a beautiful rich brown colour, stained by the peat in which the wood has been hidden for lifetimes. If you look carefully at the pictures you can see how the sunlight has brought out the different shades of colour from the blackest brown through to almost gold, amazing considering how long they were sealed in the darkness.








The skulls pictured directly above and below are carved from Yew collected from a local ancient tree. Millennia ago, it's said that village elders or tribal leaders were buried beneath yew trees because the trees are so long lived. The tree was asked to preserve the knowledge of the elder and keep it for the village. Village people would then visit the tree to seek guidance and advice.

I have fallen in love with the spiral pendant above - it is crafted from deer antler dating from the last Ice Age around 11,000 years ago. The colours, pattern and feel of it are simply wonderful! The natural colouration on the surface reminds me of lichen creeping across an ancient stone and speaks of age and stories untold. There are many items I love on the website but I must admit, this is one of the most special ...

The pendant below is carved from bear bone, also dating from the last Ice Age. The Bear has been held sacred by mankind since time long forgotten and there have been grottoes found containing cave bear skulls and ceremonial hearths going back to around 100,000 BC. A fascinating page packed with information can be found at the OBOD website here. Also, on my search for some credible bear info, I stumbled across a Finnish band called Ancient Bear Cult. The blurb on their website says:

Ancient Bear Cult is a Finnish folk music band that draws its inspiration from prehistoric and early medieval soundscapes. All of the instruments used by the band have a history of hundreds of years, so it is possible that similar bands have existed in the distant past. Since no music has survived from those times, neither as sheet music nor any other form, the members of A.B.C. have composed most of the songs in the band's repertoire by themselves, with the exception of performing also some old European folk tunes.

You can find some samples of their music here. Well worth a listen :)