Hill of Tara, Ireland - Mound of the Hostages

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Mound of the Hostages - Tara

Mound of the Hostages

The megalithic tomb called the Mound of the Hostages is the oldest monument on the Hill of Tara dating back to between 2500 B.C. and 3000 B.C. The passage, 4m in length and 1m wide, was subdivided by sillstones into three compartments each containing cremated remains.

A wonderfully decorated stone can be viewed from the entrance gate. The engravings may represent the sun, moon or stars as religious symbols or maybe the stone was used as a prehistoric calendar.

The term passage tomb is disliked by those who consider megalithic mounds to be have been primarily astronomical observatories or sacred temples. In the case of Tara evidence of at least 200 individual cremations were found, so the passage tomb description is appropriate.

The hills at Loughcrew can be seen to the west from the top of the mound.

Long after the megalithic mound was constructed Tara became the seat of the High Kings of Celtic Ireland. The most famous of these was Cormac Mac Airt who reigned in the third century AD. One of the ring forts within the large hill fort known as the Royal Enclosure is known as Cormac's House. The other ring fort known as the King's Seat may actually be constructed around a prehistoric tomb.

Over the years it has been proposed that the carvings on the orthostat in The Mound of the Hostages are art work, celestial representations or even a calendar. However, a regular visitor to this site has theorized that they actually correspond to the monuments on the Hill of Tara.

While this theory has yet to be confirmed, it offers an interesting view of how Tara may have evolved. Read the full paper.

The standing stone known as the Lia Fáil, though erected on the King's Seat or Forrad around 1824, was originally sufficiently close to the Mound of the Hostages passage tomb that the two were traditionally considered to be an ensemble. This stone may once have stood in front of the entrance to the passage and, like the two pillar-shaped stones that stand in front of both the eastern and western tombs at Knowth, it too may be contemporary with the tomb and belong to a tradition of erecting standing stones around or in passage tombs.

The Lia Fáil or Stone of Destiny which stands about one metre in height is considered by some to have been a fertility symbol.

According to legend on the inauguration of a worthy high king the stone would roar its approval.

Tlachtga on the Hill of Ward near Athboy is 12 miles from the Hill of Tara. Tlachtga dates from approximately 200 AD and is named after a sorceress who died there giving birth to triplets.

Tlachtga is clearly visable from Tara and the fire lit on the eve of Samhain may have been a prelude to the Samhain Festival at Tara.