Have you heard the legendary tale that shrouds the Fringe and of the antediluvian gods of Ventnor? No, I thought not.
Well legend has it that thousands of years ago there was a small community that lived where Ventnor now stands, ‘Ventnoria’ it was called. The hills we see now were much taller back then, with one main peak known as Mt. Ventnoria.
At the height of summer, the ancient villagers would throw a festival of arts and music at the fringe of the mountain to appease the gods that lived at the top of Mt. Ventnoria.
In return, the gods would see them through the winter and ensure good hauls of fish. A Roman traveller believed he saw the Goddess Hygeia on Mt. Ventnoria during this ancient fringe.
What happened I hear you ask? No one knows; perhaps they got washed away in a great storm or perhaps they forgot to fringe!
But this is a mere folk tale, a myth. There’s no truth to it…
Is there?
By Evan Wragg