59: Medieval VV witch marks and Neolithic VV symbols, are they connected?
Written and published by Linden Alexander Pentecost, published in the UK on March the 26th 2025. In this article I discuss the possibility that the so-called Marian marks or “VV witch marks” might have originally been unique symbols, possibly connected to very similar marks or symbols found in some Neolithic tombs, and how the purposes of these symbols may be related. At the end of the article are notes about some other publications by the author and some links to some of these. This article in front of you contains 1362 words. Note that most of this page discusses the VV marks and that the notes section at the end, whilst long, is not the main bulk of this article or page, rather the subject of the VV symbols is.
Sometimes in Britain one can come across “witch marks”. These markings are sometimes found on the walls of buildings, sometimes medieval or later buildings, although I am aware of some examples carved into the walls of tunnels, in old lead mines in Derbyshire. These marks, of which there are many types, could essentially be described as symbols of protection, that people in Britain would carve into walls not so long ago, in order to protect places and individuals against harm from witchcraft or evil.
One of the most common symbols or sets of witch marks is the VV symbols or VV witch marks. This is sometimes called a form of “Marian symbol”, which is a title that generally includes witch marks shaped like m’s, v’s or w’s. Some of these marks appear like an M and are generally interpreted as meaning “Maria”, as in, the Latin name for the Virgin Mary. There is also the variant marks that can look like A M, usually interpreted as meaning “Ave Maria”. Some of these symbols look like two V’s, a VV, and are sometimes described as looking like a W. These are generally interpreted as standing for “Virgin of Virgins”, again a reference to Mary in Christianity.
However, if I was to try and describe these symbols myself, I would say that, what they generally are is one or two chevron or “v” shapes. These can be upside down V shapes or upright V shapes. Sometimes these two V’s interlock to appear like a VV or an M, but, and this is the important part I think, - but the two V symbols are very often slightly off-set from each other, they often cross over in a way that suggests that their creators were creating two interrelated or interlocking symbols which are often not consistent with how one would write an M, nor a “VV”, as if these symbols were originally two V’s, why are the V’s sometimes interlocking, sometimes barely touching, and orientated at different angles? This would not generally be how two V’s would be written, as generally I think if someone wanted to write VV, they would write the letters in a level position to each other, and the V’s would not be interlocking.
So, really, whilst I think it’s entirely possible that these signs were later interpreted and even created to mean “Maria”, “Ave Maria” or “Virgin of Virgins”; I do not feel that that is the origin or full nature of these symbols. As I implied, essentially we have two interlocking or interrelated V shapes that can be upside down or off-set. There are variations of this, such as single V marks, and marks that look like two M’s upside down and on top of each other, or, you could say these examples look like 4 V’s, two of which are upside down and upon the first two. What I am essentially implying is that these symbols are perhaps their own thing, and, whilst they may have later been read and re-used through the Latin alphabet, they may have existed entirely independently of the Latin alphabet as marks and symbols of their own type, of more ancient origins.
What is most curious about these marks, to me, is their almost exact similarity to V, or interlocking VV-like marks, and to marks like an upside down M created upon an ordinary M, - which are found in some Neolithic tombs in Britain. In a greater way, we can relate these marks to chevron marks found around and at ancient sites in many parts of the world, and certainly I think these “VV” symbols are related to the more fundamental symbolism of the chevron marks found in certain cultures, across long periods of time.
But there is I think a special similarity between some of these VV, interlocking V’s witch marks created after the arrival of Christianity and into relatively recent times; and the VV, interlocking V marks found in some Neolithic tombs.
Could it be that these markings are entirely symbolic, or, just as we connect these marks to Biblical Latin words, could the Neolithic VV markings have been also representative of linguistic meaning? Note this is not the first time I have written and published about possible prehistoric writing from Neolithic and other sites in Britain, and it is noteworthy that some of these VV marks are found at a site where a possible example of Neolithic written language also exists. I have discussed the possible writing in a lot of detail elsewhere.
Could these VV marks be yet another indication that far more continuity existed between ancient Britain and early modern Britain?
Certainly I think that these VV symbols were carved to protect a place from evil, and considering that such similar VV symbols are found in Neolithic tombs, could it also be likely that they were inscribed onto the stones in the walls of these tombs, to protect them from evil?
I hope that this article was an interesting read. This article is dedicated to all of love. I will likely write more on this subject of the VV marks in the not-so-distant future, when I can find out more. As well as discussing possible examples of Neolithic writing before and other possible ancient forms of written language in Europe, in another article on my bookofdunbarra website (this website) I also discussed the possibility of an unknown paleolithic symbol being inside Victoria Cave near Settle in Yorkshire. This is discussed in my article on this website titled: 45: Part two of miscellaneous etymological and pre-IE discussions, available at the following web address: https://www.bookofdunbarra.co.uk/website-articles-30-45/45-part-two-of-miscellaneous-etymological-and-pre-ie-discussions . In a recently published Silly Linguistics article I wrote connected to the Isle of Barra, titled: Norse & pre-Norse language around the Isle of Barra, the last Norsemen in the Hebrides, and linguistic comments, and art, relating to a mysterious dream on Barra, I wrote about some other aspects to this, in what runic inscriptions might be and how they may incorporated older language. Note that another recent article titled 57: The mysterious runes, and do we sometimes misinterpret their meanings? also discussed to some degree the misinterpretation of ancient written symbols and writing. The link to which is: https://www.bookofdunbarra.co.uk/website-articles-56-70/57-the-mysterious-runes-and-do-we-sometimes-misinterpret-their-meanings (connects to a separate article than the one on this page you are currently on). The web address of the article currently in front of you is:
https://www.bookofdunbarra.co.uk/website-articles-56-70/59-medieval-vv-witch-marks-and-neolithic-vv-symbols-are-they-connected - note that, in my opinion the VV symbols, whilst similar to certain runes in some ways, are not I think runes.
Note also that a few days ago on the 22nd of March I published a print-only book titled: Similarities in Quechua and Finnish language words newly noticed in March 2025 and not previously published, and other connected topics not previously published; book published only in print format and not in other formats; book published in the UK, I also refer to the aforementioned print only book in my recent article on this website titled: 58: Phoenicians & Jewish tin-streamers in Cornwall, the link to which is: https://www.bookofdunbarra.co.uk/website-articles-56-70/58-phoenicians-jewish-tin-streamers-in-cornwall (the aforementioned linked page is not the page you are currently on, the link/URL before that, i.e. the one at the end of the previous paragraph is for this page you are currently on, for reference. May we all be protected from evil. Amen.