Carrawburgh - An important pagan site
This is a well-known archaeological site near Hadrian’s Wall in the north of the UK (no it is not the border between England and Scotland, that is considerably further north). It is however one of the two most important Mithraic locations in the UK. The Mithraea at Carrawburgh are Roman era structures, obviously ruined but well excavated. This site has an impressive density of pagan archaeology. To start with the Roman period Mithraeum on this site has been developed in three distinct stages. It is also not the only Mithraea in the area, there is another one (the Bremenium Mithraea) near the village of Rochester near Otterburn (a few miles north-east of Carrawburgh). There is also the remains of Coventina's Well, the origin of the spring fed stream and a sacred site to the Goddess Coventina. So there are multiple pagan temples in walking distance of each other.
In Roman times the main Carrawburgh site was a fort and like most such would have had a small civilian village near it and it was a place of pagan worship for centuries. The best name we have from this period is Brocolitia, probably after an earlier local name that translated into something like “The Badger Set”. Badgers were (and are) common in Britain and their burrows can be good landmarks. The Mithraea of Brocolitia were excavated first by I.A. Richmond and J.P. Gillam in 1950. They have our thanks.
As is common with Mithraism, the celebrants were not worshipping a single God. One of them - which we now call the Procolitia Mithraeum is the only one outside the Rhine provinces to also have a shrine to the Goddess Vagdavercustis (a Germano-Celtic war goddess with a Latinized name) and we’d draw a link between this and the Crow Goddess we might now call the Morrigan. Newcastle University has a reconstruction of the Mithreum (at the Great North Museum) which gives you some idea of the original sanctuary structure. It's interesting to see the reconstruction, but perhaps more important to feel the original location.
Coventina's Well has been damaged over the years but there is something of an altar to the Godess Coventina near the stream now known as Meggie’s Dene Burn (“the stream in Meg’s valley”). This is one reason we maintain the worship of the water goddess Coventina. It is very common for Roman Mithraea to be built close to a natural spring. In this case the link to worship is made clear. Our spiritual investigations suggest strongly that Coventina was and is very approachable at this site and has particular charge of its protection. So we would ask you to ask permission of the spirit of Coventina if you plan any spiritual work or bring any spirit allies to this site. She's very nice.
If you plan to visit, first check open hours and second prepare for changeable weather, this is the Border Country up by the South Tyne valley, the weather can be... unpredictable, so If you plan to visit then I’d suggest you at least bring a coat. This is a venerated archaeological site not a theme park, so don't expect a lot of luxury or a five star hotel. Soak in the atmosphere and then go somewhere comfy to dry off. Carrawburgh is an easy day trip from cities like Newcastle, a long day trip from Glasgow or Edinburgh. The locals are friendly and Americans are generally welcome as this area was where US special forces Jedburgh teams were trained during the Second World War.
