description Wayland's Smithy Overview
Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic chambered long barrow located on the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire, England. The site consists of two phases of construction, with the later stone-chambered tomb built around 3430 BC over an earlier wooden mortuary structure. Classified as a Severn-Cotswold tomb, it features a trapezoidal mound with a stone-lined passage and lateral chambers. The name comes from later Germanic mythology associating the site with the legendary smith Wayland, though the monument predates these legends by millennia.
The site is managed by English Heritage and is accessible to visitors.
help Wayland's Smithy FAQ
Where is Wayland's Smithy located?
Wayland's Smithy is located on the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire, England, near the village of Ashbury and the Uffington White Horse. It sits within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
What type of prehistoric monument is Wayland's Smithy?
Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic chambered long barrow of the Severn-Cotswold type, built for collective burial. It features a stone-lined passage and chambers that would have been covered by an earthen mound.
How old is Wayland's Smithy?
The current visible structure was completed around 3430 BC, though it was built over an older wooden mortuary enclosure. This makes it over 5,000 years old, dating to the early Neolithic period in Britain.
Why is it called Wayland's Smithy?
The site takes its name from Wayland (Völundr), the legendary Norse and Germanic smith-god. According to local folklore, a traveler whose horse lost a shoe could leave the animal and a coin at the tomb overnight, and Wayland would re-shoe the horse by morning.
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