Location: d'he stone shown here is in Aberlemno churchyard (there are others by the roadside); .Aberlemno is 5 miles north-east of Forfar.
D'here are three symbol stones at Aberlemno, of which the best example, and also one of the finest anywhere in Scotland, stands close to the church. It is an intricate cross-slab made
From sandstone. One side carries the cross and intertwined beasts; on the other side is a battle scene, with the soldiers’ armour and weapons still clearly detailed.
Aberlemm Pictish symbol stone: TufOC StonC, County Galway
Aberlemno Pictish symbol stone battle face.
Location: 4 miles north-north-east of Loughrea, in a field at Bullaun. (M 63 22)
'This strangely shaped and carved stone is a superb example of Celtic art, and its shape is suggestively phallic, indicating that it mav have represented the male principle in ceremonies and rituals which are now lost to us. Its similarity to the Castle-strange stone in County Roscommon (M 82 60), which may be a female stone, is striking, and we surmise that stones such as
These were used in the ever-important fertility rites. This description is necessarily vague, for there is nothing definitely known about these stones, and so they are tantalising in the extreme. Whether the beautifully convoluted whorls were simply surface decoration or whether they held an intrinsic meaning related to the ceremonies performed at the stones is very much a matter for conjecture.
In his book The Ancient Science of Geomancy, Nigel Pennick notes the similarity of the 'Puroe Stone to the Delphic Omphalos Stone, which marks the centre of the Greek world, ‘omphalos’ meaning ‘navel’. 'Phe tarvings may symbolise the harnessing of the site’s energy.
Turoe Slone.
Ancient Mysteries of Britain
World History
