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Stephenson:Neal:Quicksilver:110:Walbrook (Lotzmana)

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This Quicksilver page is about Walbrook stream.

Stephensonia

The Thames seems worthy of an entry all by itself. TBA

Lotzmana: Walbrook

MWmithrasmini.jpg
Mithras
gave another demigod a run for his money in his day Walbrook stream run in the center of the Roman settlement which is now London (Londinium). The stream is now entirely underground and only a street named Walbrook reminds of its existence.

Wikipedia: Walbrook

The Walbrook stream played a key role in the Roman settlement of Londinium, the town now known as London. It is thought to get its name from the fact that it ran through or under the London Wall. The stream started in what is now Finsbury and flowed, right through the center of the walled town into the river Thames, near to where Cannon Street Railway Bridge is now located, splitting the town in two. It was probably used for fresh drinking water and also carrying sewage down to the Thames. The Romans built a temple to Mithras on the east bank. The temple was discovered and subsequently excavated during rebuilding work after World War 2. The Roman Governor's palace was also located on the east bank of the stream, near to its entry point into the Thames.

The stream now runs completely underground, the only evidence above ground that the stream is there is a street called Walbrook, that runs parallel to its course. On the street is a church called St Stephen, which originally stood on the west bank of the stream, but was rebuilt around 1439 on the east side. In 1666 the church burnt down in the Great Fire of London and Sir Christopher Wren built a new church there in 1672 to replace it, which still stands there today.

Wikipedia: Subterranean rivers of London

The subterranean rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames that were built over in the growth of the metropolis of London, England. Since it is difficult to stop water from flowing downhill, they still flow underground through culverts. Many have been converted into sewers.

Many London localities started their existence as small villages along these rivers, and their place names still reflect their origin.

In recent years, with the restoration of Britain's waterways network gathering pace, parts of some rivers in London have been restored to their previous above-ground state, and fish reintroduced.

Incomplete List

  • The Walbrook
  • The Langbourne
  • The River Fleet
  • The Holbourne
  • The River Westbourne
  • The River Effra
  • The River Ken
  • The River Tyburn
  • The Tyburn Brook
  • The Wandle
  • Stamford Brook
  • Counter's Creek

Wikipedia: Mithras

Mithras was the central savior god of Mithraism, a syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion of male initiates that developed in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE and was practiced in the Roman Empire from the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE. Parthian coins and documents bear a double date with a 64 year interval that represents Mithra's ascension to heaven, traditionally given as the equivalent of 208 BCE, 64 years after his birth.

The name Mithras was adapted from the Persian god Mithra, the mediator between Ahura Mazda and the earth, the guarantor of human contracts, although in Mithraism much was added to the original elements of Mithra. However, some of the attributes of Roman Mithras may have been taken from other Eastern cults: for example, the heavy Mithraist use of astrology strongly suggests syncretism with star-oriented Mesopotamian or Anatolian religions. At least some of this syncretism may have already been underway when the cult was adopted in the West.