Sacred geography - Rhigg

The word ‘rig’, rhigg, rig, or even rg has earlier etymological roots than its use in rigging or equipping things.  Its roots are magical and spiritual – ‘trick’ - and reig- "to bind”.  In other words a place to work permanent magic  - a place where initiates can become adepts.   Its roots are to be found in Sanskrit - The Rhigg Veda or The Rigveda comes from the Sanskrit: ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, from ṛc "praise" and veda "knowledge").  This set of ancient Indian Vedic Sanskrit hymns was like a Bible for any early Hindu, with commentaries on liturgy, ritual and mystical exegesis. It is one of the four sacred canonical texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as the Vedas.

The oldest layers of the Rigveda Samhita are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.  Linguists have speculated that the written Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, [the then home of the Shaivites – itself a significant fact] most likely between c. 1700 and 1100 BC.  But this was based on oral accounts which went back much longer.  After being attacked, the Shaivites did indeed flee west and east and the language did find its way to Europe [see entry for more details].  Some of its verses continue to be recited during Hindu rites of passage celebrations, making it probably the world's oldest religious text in continued use. 

The UK in particular has place names by the thousand using this word Rhigg.  So for example, Casterigg and High Rigg [see below and above] in the Lake District would have been places of considerable learning and ceremony in their time.  One often finds the name associated with the word Dodd, again a very important pointer to a far more sacred past.

Observations

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• The Ancestors - Castlerigg Stone Circle