Brown Willy, The Hill Of Swallows And It's Holy Energy

This is a road sign in Cornwall for the hamlet of Cocks which is in the parish of Perranzabuloe. Always raises a, erm, smile. Mind you the highest point in Cornwall is Brown Willy, part of Bodmin Moor.

Summit of Brown Willy, Cornwall - Photo Roger Cornfoot

According to The Aetherius Society Brown Willy is considered sacred. They believe that the hill is charged with 'holy energy' and November 23rd each year is said to be a 'Charging Day' when members gather to celebrate the sun's alignment with 'positive and negative rocks'.

The name of Brown Willy is from the Cornish language Bronn Wennili, meaning 'hill of swallows' - I'll leave you to make up your own jokes about that.

Some people have tried to change the name of Brown Willy to the Cornish version but this has been spurned. Even the respectable Daily Telegraph newspaper wanted the name retained and ran a headline 'Hands Off Brown Willy.' Part of their reasoning was:

"If we are the first generation of adults who, like the comic book character Finbarr Saunders, see double entendres everywhere, what is to become of Great Cockup and Little Cockup in Cumbria; Crapstone, Devon; Penistone, South Yorkshire; Brokenwind, Aberdeenshire; Shitterton, Dorset; North Piddle, Worcestershire; Nether Peover, Cheshire; Slack Bottom, West Yorkshire; Pratts Bottom, Kent; and Titty Hill in West Sussex?" [all genuine place names in the UK].

Hear hear! Let all countries keep their traditions.

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