Mention stone circles to many people, and they’ll think of people gathering at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. Or hulking megaliths looming out of the mist on a lonely moor, the sheep being careful to only graze outside the circle. They’re certainly evocative, if nothing else. As with the standing stones that we covered last […]
stones
The Folklore of Standing Stones, Megaliths, and Menhirs
There’s something awesome yet eerie about encountering standing stones in the landscape. Why are they there? Who put them there? And how did they put them there? The fact we can’t often answer these questions helps add to their mystery. Standing stones go by a range of names, such as lith (i.e. megalith) or menhir. […]
The Folklore of Stones: From Hag Stones to Healing
Stones are perhaps some of humanity’s oldest friends. They provided building materials and became simple tools. But they also vary in size, making some of them very portable as amulets. It’s no wonder that they’ve accrued both lore and superstition alike. For example, the heaviness and general permanence of stone slabs led to their use […]
