InArthurian legend,Mount Killaraus (Latin:mons Killaraus) is alegendary place inIreland whereStonehenge originally stood. According to the narrative presented inGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistoria Regum Britanniae, KingAmbrosius Aurelianus embarks on a quest to construct a memorial for theCeltic Britons who were treacherously slain byAnglo-Saxons. When conventional methods fail to produce an awe-inspiring monument, Ambrosius turns to the renowned wizardMerlin for guidance. In response, Merlin advises the king to transport astone circle known as theGiant's Ring from Mount Killaraus in Ireland, attributing magical and healing properties to these stones, which were believed to have been brought from Africa by giants.
This promptsUther Pendragon to lead an expedition to Ireland, where a battle against the Irish kingGillomanius ensues, resulting in the successful retrieval of the stones with Merlin's magical assistance. While the story itself is fictional, archaeological research byMike Parker Pearson suggests intriguing connections between Stonehenge and theWaun Mawn stone circle inWales, indicating the potential for a historical basis within the legendary narrative.
The first record of the Merlin story is inGeoffrey of Monmouth's 12th centuryHistoria Regum Britanniae ('History of the Kings of Britain'). It tells how kingAurelius Ambrosius sought to build a memorial to theCeltic Britons who were treacherously slain byAnglo-Saxons.
When his carpenters and masons cannot come up with a suitably awe-inspiring monument, Ambrosius asks the wizardMerlin for advice. Merlin tells the king to transport astone circle called the Giant's Ring from Mount Killaraus in Ireland. He says they are magical healing stones that had been brought from Africa by giants.
Uther Pendragon sails to Ireland with 15,000 men to retrieve the stones. The Irish king Gillomanius marches against them with a large army, but is defeated. With Merlin's help, the Britons transport the stones to Britain and set them up as they had originally stood.[1]
The namemons Killaraus could mean the "hill ofKillare" and thus may refer to theHill of Uisneach.[2][3] This is an ancient ceremonial site with numerous prehistoric monuments, which was seen as the sacred centre of Ireland.
Many of Stonehenge's originalbluestones have been traced to quarries in thePreseli Hills, in westWales.
Although the Merlin tale is fiction, archaeologistMike Parker Pearson suggests that there may be a "tiny grain of truth" in it.[4]
Pearson's team of archaeologists found evidence suggesting that most of theWaun Mawn stone circle in the Preseli Hills was taken down and brought toSalisbury Plain, where it became the first phase of Stonehenge.[5]
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