JASR 28.2 (2015): 129-157 JASR (print) ISSN 1031-2943 doi: 10.1558/jasr.v28i2.26654 JASR (online) ISSN 1744-9014 © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2015, Unit S3, Kelham House, 3, Lancaster Street, Sheffield S3 8AF. Paganism, Archaeology and Folklore in Twenty-first-century Britain: A Case Study of ‘The Stonehenge Ancestors’ * Robert J. Wallis Richmond University Abstract Previous scholarship on Paganism and archaeology has considered Pagan engagements with prehistoric ‘sacred sites’ as ‘new folklore’, examining how Pagan meanings are inscribed and constituted. Earlier work has also highlighted the importance of respect, dialogue and working together, to promote understanding and resolve tensions between Pagans and archaeo- logists. But antagonism endures: the ‘Avebury Consultation’ on reburial, for instance, resulting from certain Druid calls for the reburial of ancient human remains kept in the Alexander Keiller Museum; and heated exchanges between a group of Druids and archaeologists during excavations of cremated human remains from Aubrey hole 7 at Stonehenge. I focus on the latter case in which a new Pagan folklore of ‘the Stonehenge Guardians’ has emerged, partly based on archaeologists’ recent interpretations of Stonehenge, used by this minority of Pagans in protests against the long- term retention of human remains and to argue for their reburial. I conclude by reiterating how Pagans and archaeologists should and can work together. Keywords Paganism, archaeology, folklore, Stonehenge, ancestors. Introduction The archaeology of religion and folklore has received increasing attention. Fifteen years ago, when a conference entitled A Permeability of Boundaries?: New Approaches to the Archaeology of Art, Religion and * I thank the two anonymous referees for their critical, constructive comments which were exceedingly helpful in the final preparation of this article.