Medieval ‘witch marks’ carved into cave wall to ward off evil found – and you can go on virtual tour of ‘cave to hell’
'WITCH markings' carved into a UK cave centuries ago will now be accessible to the public thanks to 3D modelling.
The marks, which are thought to have been drawn to 'ward off evil', were discovered earlier this year in Creswell Crags limestone gorge in Nottinghamshire.
Creswell Crags has a long history dating back to the Ice Age when it was thought to house humans.
However, it wasn't until the medieval periods that superstitious humans started to cover its walls and ceiling with so-called witch marks.
Experts think this was a practice done to protect against the evil spirits and witches that people would blame for things going wrong in a world they didn't quite understand.
A few of the cave markings were initially overlooked as modern graffiti but an investigation earlier this year revealed hundreds that seemed much older.
A lot of the marks are similar to those often found etched into doorways, windows and fireplaces of old buildings.
The gorge chamber with the most witch marks is inaccessible to the public.
This is why Creswell Crags Museum & Heritage Centre has partnered with researchers at Sheffield Hallam University so the marks can be scanned and a virtual tour created.
Paul Baker, Director of Creswell Crags said in a : “We may never know what the makers of these marks were seeking protection from or the fear they experienced but the marks are extremely numerous and the concentration in this chamber suggests that this was a significant place.”
The technical term for the witch mark carvings is apotropaic marks.
This is derived from the Greek word 'apotrepein', which means to turn something away.
A variety of markings can be found at Creswell Crags including the inscription of PM which is an old way to reference the Virgin Mary.
Others look like mazes of diagonal lines or boxes that are thought to represent evil being trapped.
Creswell Crags has the largest collection of witch marks in the UK and may have had more if archaeologists didn't widened its chambers in the 19th century.
They have now been scanned with a laser technology called Lidar and a virtual cave has been created.
An animated preview of what the public will be able to explore was earlier this year.
Experts think the marks were carved into the cave walls between the 16th and 19th centuries.
It's unknown why the cave was chosen for so many layers of protective markings but it's possible that local people feared evil or underworld spirits may leak out of it.
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What do you think of the witch carvings? Let us know in the comments...
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