article | Reading time4 min

Tales and legends

menhirs dans la brume

The alignments are far from having revealed all their secrets...and have given rise to many legends over the years !

Once upon a time...

Tales, legends, beliefs...

Over the centuries, the three thousand monoliths in southern Morbihan have given rise to numerous legends - attempts to understand their origins in the light of folklore and sacred history.

However, the Carnac alignments and the Neolithic society that built and reused them between the 5th and 3rd millennia BC are far from having revealed all their secrets...

The three large fields of menhirs at Kerlescan, Kermario and Le Ménec fascinate visitors with their sheer size and the mystery that surrounds them.

Since the 17th century, there has been a legend attributing the transformation of soldiers into stones to Saint-Cornély. The former pope, trying to escape by sea but unable to find a ship, is said to have turned around and turned the pagans into menhirs.

Added to this legend are the tales told by Zacharie Le Rouzic in his book Carnac, légendes, traditions, coutumes et contes du pays (1912). There is the legend of the menhir of Krifol, a menhir of impressive height that is in fact a rich and fickle young man petrified by God and whose soul has been condemned to revolve around the stone.

There is also talk of the korrigans, a small group of legendary creatures from Brittany, comparable to elves. Their varied appearance enables them to bewitch mortals.

Tales most often place them in caves, tumuli or dolmens. But they also haunt the springs, fountains and moors of Brittany, where they are said to dance in a circle at dusk. To any mortal who disturbs them, they sometimes propose challenges which, if unsuccessful, turn into death traps, leading straight to hell or an underground prison with no hope of release.

These popular beliefs reflect a desire, indeed a need, for explanations as to the origin of these standing stones, 'anomalies' of nature that could not previously be attributed to man. These "phenomena", which were thought to carry meaning, were linked to the invisible, the marvellous and the sacred. Thanks to the interest and respect they have aroused, the megaliths have been preserved. 

contes et histoires dans les alignements

DR, Centre des monuments nationaux

Listen to the legend of the menhirs...

In Carnac, Brittany, the site's dolmens and menhirs have inspired alegend that has been passed down from generation to generation in theform of a strange melody, which none of them considers to be music. Two generations meet, an old woman and children, who take it in turns to tell the legend of the stones of Carnac. The old woman knows it in Breton, and repeats the melody in her own language. She's talking about the tourists, called "birds of good weather" in Breton, who are always welcome here. Their departure heralds the arrival of autumn and harsh weather. Then, sitting on a stone bench, she teaches a little boy the legend.

Watch the video extracted from the INA website, document from 1964 Producer / co-producer : Radiodiffusion Télévision FrançaiseGeneric / Director : Roger Kahane

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