VERYAN ROUND HOUSES: A POEM...

Veryan Round Houses…

The repugnant, baleful face

Moulded upon an Egyptian vase

Was lion-headed Bes, a grotesque dwarf god,

Whose role was to regard the portal

And from evil spirits protect the place.

The comical, distorted face

Sculpted upon a Roman pot

Was any vile visage, a hideous household god,

Whose role was to ward off threats

And from indigenous deities secure the place.

The smooth, white face,

Plaster upon a circular house

Was topped on thatch by a Christian cross,

Whose role was to preclude hiding in corners

And from the devil safeguard the place…

Pete Ray

Just like the ancients tried to ward away evil spirits from their homes by using grotesque faces on pots, Veryan round houses were built without corners, where such evil spirits could lurk… 

Loved that…

Stayed in the 'Right Round House' a few times in recent years...