Neolithic Spiral Rattle | Hand-Carved Ceramic Ritual Tool | Inspired by Gavrinis Megaliths, France | Ancient Sound Instrument

An Echo of Ancient Stones
This hand-carved rattle is made from dark clay, finished with an oatmeal glaze that gathers beautifully in the carved spirals. It measures approximately 3.5 inches high by 2.5 inches in diameter, fitting comfortably in the hand as both an instrument and a symbolic talisman.

Inspired by Gavrinis, France
The spiral-carved stones of Gavrinis (c. 3500 BCE) in Brittany, France, are among the richest examples of Neolithic art in Europe. Covered in labyrinthine spirals and concentric patterns, they are thought to encode cosmological knowledge, cycles of life and death, and the pathways of the soul. This rattle carries those same motifs into a living clay form, connecting present ritual practice with the ancient symbolic language of stone.

The Spiral Motif
The concentric spirals carved across the rattle’s surface are timeless markers of continuity, infinity, and transformation. In Neolithic art, they may have represented the turning of the heavens, the rhythm of the sun and moon, or the eternal cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. Spirals draw energy inward and radiate it outward, mirroring the act of sounding the rattle itself.

The Rattle in Ritual
Rattles are among the earliest human instruments, used across cultures as sound tools for ceremony, healing, and transition. This rattle may serve to:
• Mark thresholds, opening and closing sacred space.
• Call in ancestral presence, aligning with the deep memory of Neolithic builders.
• Ground meditation or chanting, syncing sound with breath.
• Channel spiral energy, helping to release and renew during ritual practice.

A Handcrafted Vessel of Memory
Each piece is individually carved and shaped by hand. The glaze pools in the carved designs, giving the appearance of time-worn stone reliefs, while the dark clay body grounds it in earthiness. Inside, clay beads create a resonant rattle sound that adds sonic dimension to its symbolism.

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Symbolism Summary
• Spirals: continuity, cosmic cycles, transformation, life-death-rebirth.
• Neolithic inspiration: connection to ancient stone wisdom.
• Rattle: sound as threshold marker, ancestral call, ritual tool.

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Details
• Hand-carved from dark clay.
• Oatmeal glaze accentuating spiral patterns.
• Approx. 3.5” tall x 2.5” diameter.
• Contains clay beads for rattle sound.
• One-of-a-kind, inspired by megalithic art of Gavrinis.