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0:00:28 > 0:00:32- In the opening ceremony - of the 2012 Olympic Games...
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- ..the first image chosen by Danny - Boyle was a tree on a hill...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39- ..to represent Britain.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- The hill he had in mind...
0:00:42 > 0:00:46- ..was this one, - Glastonbury Tor, Somerset.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52- Since the earliest times, people - have climbed hills or mountains...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- ..to meet their gods.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- Mount Olympus was - the home of the Greek gods.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04- Moses received - the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10- The spiritual significance - of trees can be traced back...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12- ..to the Garden Of Eden and beyond.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16- Today, I'd like to find out - why trees and mountains...
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- ..were so appealing - as symbols here, in Britain.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33- I've come to Glastonbury.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- It's a shop window - for all kinds of beliefs...
0:01:37 > 0:01:42- ..offering a different spiritual - path, rather than Christianity.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- But some of the earliest Christian - sites in Britain are here...
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- ..according to tradition.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54- All sorts of different beliefs - bump into each other here.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- But that's not new.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01- Christianity and paganism - have been clashing...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- ..for almost 2,000 years.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12- In Glastonbury, or Ynys Witrin, - its old Welsh name...
0:02:12 > 0:02:17- ..new teachings are gaining ground - as Christianity recedes.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- A central part of pagan beliefs...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26- ..is of a powerful - link with the earth.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- Nothing symbolizes that better - than trees and mountains.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34- There are famous examples - of both here in Glastonbury.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- But they're just as important - in the Christian tradition too.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- There's a special kind - of thorn in Glastonbury.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48- It is said that Joseph Of Arimathea - brought it from Israel...
0:02:49 > 0:02:51- ..after the death of Christ.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55- When he reached Glastonbury, - he put his stick in the soil.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58- Miraculously, it began to grow.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04- This thorn is remarkable, - because it blooms twice a year...
0:03:04 > 0:03:08- ..at Easter and at Christmas.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- Some grow in the town to this day.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- Tradition says that - the original thorn survived...
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- ..until one of Cromwell's men - cut it down in 1653...
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- ..as a symbol of pagan superstition.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30- But people had cut off twigs - and grafted new trees...
0:03:30 > 0:03:34- ..like this one - in the graveyard in Glastonbury.
0:03:35 > 0:03:42- Another was planted on the site of - the original tree, on Wearyall Hill.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47- But in 2010, it was vandalized - and all its branches were sawn off.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- This is all that remains.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- No-one was sure who was - responsible for the crime.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00- Although pagans and Christians - were united in sorrow...
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- ..after losing the tree...
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- ..the fact that someone - wanted to cut it down...
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- ..shows how much symbols like this - can still polarize opinion.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Over there, we see Glastonbury Tor.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- For Christians, it's important...
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- ..because of the ruins - of the church on its summit.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- For pagans, - that is the Isle Of Avalon...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- ..one of their mystical sites.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- The relationship between - pagans and Christians...
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- ..has always been difficult.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- I leave Glastonbury, - keen to dig deeper...
0:04:37 > 0:04:42- ..into the troubled relationship - between Christianity and paganism.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48- The next place I visit has been - sacred in both faiths in turn.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- This is Knowlton in Dorset.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- The church is located - in the middle of a henge...
0:04:56 > 0:05:02- ..a large wall of soil, - forming a huge circle around us.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- The church building dates - back to the twelfth century.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- But the henge - is about 4,500 years old.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16- It's a striking example - of spiritual continuity on one site.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- Locating this church - in a pagan henge was no accident.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- It was a deliberate policy.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- This is what Pope Gregory said.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- "On the affairs of the English...
0:05:34 > 0:05:39- "..the temples of the idols - ought not to be destroyed...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- "..but let the idols - that are in them be destroyed.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47- "Let holy water be made - and sprinkled in the said temples.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- "Let altars be erected - and relics placed.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- "For if these temples - are well built...
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- "..the nation, seeing that - their temples are not destroyed...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- "..may remove error - from their hearts...
0:06:02 > 0:06:06- "..and, knowing and adoring the true - God, may the more familiarly...
0:06:06 > 0:06:11- "..resort to the places to which - they have been accustomed."
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- I've come to meet - Philip Carr-Gomm, a pagan druid...
0:06:17 > 0:06:22- ..and an author who has specialized - in Britain's history 1,500 ago...
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- ..when it was turning - from paganism to Christianity.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32- The first thing I wanted to know - was what exactly a henge is.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35- A henge is a sacred enclosure.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- What a henge does, as you see, - is it marks out a sacred space.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- We know it's designed - to mark out a sacred space...
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- ..because the ditch - is inside and not outside.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- You can't possibly defend - a place like this.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- Your attackers would be higher - than you were down there.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55- So it's saying...
0:06:55 > 0:06:56- We come in peace.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- We come in peace.- - We come in peace, in a way.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- There would have been a ring - of stones here at one time...
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- ..probably the focus for - early religious ceremonies...
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- ..like the church - that replaced it later.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- The fact that this church - has been built in the centre...
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- ..is a way of saying, - This is already a holy place.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- Let's build a church here.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- You can view a site like this...
0:07:22 > 0:07:27- ..either as one culture or religion - imposing itself upon another...
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- ..or you can look at it as - a sort of evolution and development.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- It starts off, - it has a period of life...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- ..with one type of spirituality - and religion...
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- ..then changes to another one.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45- One part of the site is significant - to followers of both faiths...
0:07:46 > 0:07:50- ..these two yew trees - near the side of the henge.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Some yew trees grow - to an incredibly ripe age.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- It means that they will - have seen the pre-Christian...
0:07:59 > 0:08:01- ..as well as the Christian era.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02- Thousands of years.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- Thousands of years.- - Thousands of years.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- These are, actually.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- It's pretty old in there, isn't it?
0:08:09 > 0:08:14- When you get close up, - it's older than you think.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- It's hard to tell.
0:08:17 > 0:08:17- They regenerate sometimes.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- They regenerate sometimes.- - They regenerate.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25- It's just possible that this - is a very old yew tree indeed.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30- And that brings up - the idea that this tree...
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- ..or maybe its predecessors...
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- ..was here before - the coming of Christianity.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- These trees are still - used to this day.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- Prayer ribbons are tied to twigs...
0:08:46 > 0:08:51- ..a clear sign of the growing - interest in modern paganism.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- What's so interesting - about this particular site...
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- ..is here are these two - guardian trees standing here.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03- People intuitively recognize them - as magical and sacred.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07- Of course, they represent - the gateway between life and death.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- The gateway between - this world and the other world.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- Between the material - and spiritual worlds.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- It's full of resonances as a symbol.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- So when two trees - come together at a gateway...
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- ..it's a very profound symbol.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Maybe there's an echo - of this old significance...
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- ..in the fact that - yew trees are a feature...
0:09:29 > 0:09:31- ..in almost every church graveyard.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- What is a graveyard after all - but a door to the next world?
0:09:37 > 0:09:42- Now, I'm going to Nevern - Church in Pembrokeshire...
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- ..to see another remarkable yew...
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- ..one that appears to be bleeding.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- It's a comparatively recent - phenomenon. What does it mean?
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- Some say it bleeds because - a man was wrongfully hanged.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11- Others say it will bleed - until there is peace in the world.
0:10:11 > 0:10:18- Some Christians say that the - red sap represents Christ's blood.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23- The tree represents the cross - on which Christ was crucified.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- They can't all be right.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Can they?
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- There is no conclusive explanation.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37- Some scientists suggested - it's caused by a fungal disease.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- Others believe - the tree's core is rotting.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46- Rainwater flowing through it - turns red because of the sap.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51- Whatever the reason, the mystery - will probably be solved before long.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- But when Christianity was - the main intellectual force here...
0:10:57 > 0:10:58- ..in the past...
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- ..the Nevern yew would have - been considered miraculous.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08- Miraculous trees aren't totally - unknown in Christianity.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- In Genesis, the Bible's first - book, sacred trees are mentioned.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- The Tree Of Life and the Tree - Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil...
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- ..were in the Garden Of Eden.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- Later, Abraham travels - to the Oak Of Moreh.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- He meets God - by the Oak Trees Of Mamre.
0:11:31 > 0:11:38- Is it an exaggeration to see - signs of an old, former faith...
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- ..based on worshipping nature?
0:11:44 > 0:11:48- The books in the Bible - were written over hundreds of years.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51- In the books after Genesis...
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- ..references to trees and sacred - rocks disappear from the narrative.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- But trees like these haven't totally - disappeared from our awareness...
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- ..like this yew tree - in Nevern shows.
0:12:10 > 0:12:16- The church and graveyard in Nevern - were sacred places in the past.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22- But now, this yew enables us - to witness the evolution...
0:12:22 > 0:12:24- ..of a new sacred site.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- Now, it offers several - interpretations.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33- Some are based on superstition, - others on religion.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39- But basically, maybe these two - things aren't all that different.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- They're both basically - forms of belief...
0:12:43 > 0:12:49- ..only that the status of religion - is much higher in our society.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57- In the second half, we take a closer - look at how mountains, like trees...
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- ..have been part - of the evolution of our faith.
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0:13:07 > 0:13:07- Subtitles
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0:13:17 > 0:13:21- I'm on a journey to try to find - out why trees and mountains...
0:13:21 > 0:13:27- ..have been so important in our - spiritual history since pagan times.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Part of the appeal of trees - to the pagan imagination...
0:13:31 > 0:13:36- ..was the belief that they were - a bridge between earth and heaven.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42- Mountains could symbolize - exactly the same thing.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- As Christianity - spread across Britain...
0:13:46 > 0:13:51- ..the new faith had to fight - the old, pagan beliefs.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- The pagans had a great - respect for mountains...
0:13:56 > 0:14:00- ..so Christians had to put - their stamp on those too.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06- The winter sunshine - here in Snowdonia...
0:14:06 > 0:14:10- ..highlights the dramatic - nature of the scenery.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- There's a dramatic story - linked to this place too.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- St Twrog came here - to fight the Devil himself.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24- Here, on Moelwyn Bach, - he asked for divine help...
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- ..to end the fight.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- I'm going to Maentwrog Church...
0:14:32 > 0:14:35- ..to meet lecturer - and author, Twm Elias...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- ..to hear more about the battle.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- What exactly happened - between Twrog and the Devil?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- When Twrog, - a Christian missionary...
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- ..first brought - his faith to the area...
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- ..he found that the people - worshipped the Devil.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- It was probably the old horned - fertility god, Cernunnos.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- So it came to a fight - between Twrog and the Devil.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- In a break in the fight, - Twrog went for a walk.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- He went the summit of Moelwyn.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- He cheated, in a way...
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- ..and prayed for help on the summit.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- A great angel came down - and gave him amazing strength.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- He got hold of this huge stone...
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- ..and hurled it through the air.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30- The stone landed, splat, - between the Devil's hooves.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- The Devil, as you'd expect...
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- ..swore, shook his tail...
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- ..opened his wings - and then flew eastwards.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- He didn't land - until he reached England.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47- That's where he is, to this day.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49- That's the story.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54- According to legend, - this is the stone.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- This is Maen Twrog, Twrog's Stone.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- The fact that it's here - proves that the story is true.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- You see these marks.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- There are five.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- He had a huge hand - he was a giant.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- These match the marks - of his fingers...
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- ..when he grabbed and threw it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21- It's not surprising the early - Christians chose to build...
0:16:21 > 0:16:27- ..their sacred sites here, in the - middle of old pagan sacred sites...
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- ..and take over some of that power.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Indeed.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- These pagan sites were - very important as part of Nature.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- The church is here, - next to the stone.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- If the church had been - built half a mile away...
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- ..people might still - have come here to hold rites.
0:16:50 > 0:16:56- The most effective way - to neutralize the old pagan site...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- ..was to build a church, - splat, on it.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- They didn't want this in the church.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08- So there's a gap - of a few inches between them.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16- Once more, we see Christianity - occupying pagan sites...
0:17:16 > 0:17:22- ..to ensure that the old faith - couldn't use them any more.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30- Churches appeared on hills - and mountains all over the country.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36- It was, perhaps, a conscious - attempt to rise up to heaven.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- Many of these churches...
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- ..were consecrated - the archangel Michael...
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- ..like this church - on Glastonbury Tor.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53- Here's another place, - in the depths of Cornwall.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59- A mediaeval hermit chose to build - a striking chapel on this rock.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04- It's perhaps an odd place for a - hermit to retreat from the world...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- ..because it's so visible.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- But he could live here and share - his wisdom from a mountain...
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- ..as Jesus did, - in the Sermon On The Mount.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22- This place stands as a spiritual - fortress, overlooking the area.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31- This remarkable church, near Bodmin - in Cornwall, was built in 1409.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37- Little is known about the hermits - who lived here in the Middle Ages.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43- But the superb views - would have inspired them...
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- ..in their retreat and meditation.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- Much more recently, the church - was used as a location...
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- ..in one of The Omen horror films.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- Perhaps that was appropriate.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- The films refer - to the Book Of Revelation.
0:19:02 > 0:19:08- And in that Book, St Michael, to - whom this church was consecrated...
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- ..leads God's army - against the forces of darkness.
0:19:15 > 0:19:21- Our ancestors prayed to St Michael, - the warrior angel...
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- ..to help them in times of crisis.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Where better to do that on a hill?
0:19:27 > 0:19:32- It was the first place - an angel from Heaven would land.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- Once again in Christianity...
0:19:36 > 0:19:41- ..we get a hint of old beliefs, - lurking in the background.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46- Were mountains - a stronghold for old pagan gods...
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- ..where St Michael's sword - was needed to defeat them?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- Every time we turn - to the landscape around us...
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- ..we seem to bump - into these old beliefs.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- It's no surprise that Christians - in the early modern age...
0:20:05 > 0:20:10- ..felt that the work of ridding the - country of pagans wasn't complete.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12- In the 17th century...
0:20:12 > 0:20:17- ..a few people decided - it was time to finish this work.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22- I've come to Pendle Hill - in Lancashire to find out more.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30- One man did more than anyone - to rid his religion of any signs...
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- ..of old superstitions...
0:20:32 > 0:20:37- ..by founding perhaps - the simplest of Christian movement.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42- We know them today as the Society - Of Friends, or the Quakers.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48- They reject the rites and sacraments - that feature in other churches.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50- Their founder was George Fox.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- In 1652, he came here - to Pendle Hill.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14- On a finer day than this, - in early summer...
0:21:14 > 0:21:19- ..George Fox was inspired - by the Lord to climb this hill.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- On the summit, he had a vision.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27- He saw souls, like - a crop ready to be harvested...
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- ..as real to him as those fields.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32- He recorded this in his diary.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- "From the top of the hill, the Lord - let me see in what places...
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- "..he had a great - people to be gathered."
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- It's ironic that even George Fox...
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- ..who put so much emphasis - on the Inner Voice...
0:21:47 > 0:21:50- ..and avoiding any rites...
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- ..was inspired to climb - to a mountain summit...
0:21:53 > 0:21:58- ..like many before him, - to have this vision.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04- George Fox and his followers - didn't believe in baptism.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10- There are no altars in the Meeting - Houses and they have no priests.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- George Fox even refused to use - the names of days and months...
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- ..because of their pagan links.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25- But nevertheless, he admired - the beauty and splendour of Nature.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- The place that inspired - the first leader of the Quakers...
0:22:32 > 0:22:38- ..is a place where a pagan too - could feel spiritually at home.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46- In our early history, - pagans and Christians...
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- ..tried to claim - our trees, wells and mountains.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55- Indeed, the natural world has - played its part in several faiths.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- But the greatness of Nature is that - it doesn't belong to any of them.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- Trees and mountains - don't belong to any sect.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- You can't tie them to dogma.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- They inspire mystical feelings - in us that are difficult to explain.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- Maybe that's the point...
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- ..because Nature - is so much bigger than us.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- Indeed, in places like this, - for many of us...
0:23:21 > 0:23:26- ..this is where we come - closest to our God.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- S4C Subtitles by Gwead
0:23:54 > 0:23:54- .