"But Pigs?", you ask.
Well, the legend goes something like this:
King Bladud was king of the Britons in the 800's, BC. While a prince studying in Athens he contracted leprosy. Knowing that the throne would not be bestowed upon an imperfect prince, he secretly left the castle disguised as a swineherd. Leprosy being highly contagious, it was no surprise the pigs contracted it as well. Shortly after crossing the Avon River, the pigs found the hot springs-fed mud and wallowed in it, soon to be cured. Young Prince Bladud did the same and was also cured.
He triumphantly returned home where he soon became king, and founded a city where Bath now stands dedicated to the Celtic goddess Sul-goddess of light and later health because of the healing waters from the springs. Unfortunately his pigs did not live to see this as since they were cured of disease they were pronounced fit to be eaten, but were reported to be the finest pork in all the realm. I guess not all pigs have an advocate like Charlotte. But perhaps Karma took care of things as King Bladud is more well-known to most as the father of King Lear....
900 years later the Romans named the city Aquae Sulis, and I'm assuming with the fall of the Romans by the Saxons in the 6th century AD, that the name simply became Bath.
There are a couple of them that are in a field on the way going to my sister in law's house. I can't remember the name of the road, but if you take Main St off of Hwy 83 past the old town and turn right at the light after the traffic circle then they are about 1/2 mile or so on the left. If you get to the Catholic church you have gone too far.
ReplyDelete