The Maiden Stone - Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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creg-ny-baa
N 57° 18.725 W 002° 29.603
30V E 530517 N 6352239
Red granite standing stone in the Garioch district of Aberdeenshire, carved by the Picts 1,200 years ago.
Waymark Code: WMYX6E
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/05/2018
Views: 2
The Maiden Stone is ten foot high standing stone that is thought to date from the 9th century AD. It was carved by the Picts to make a place of prayer for travellers heading to Moray from Aberdeenshire. Made of red granite, the stone has many Christian symbols and bold motifs carved on both faces, including a figure thought to be Jesus between two sea monsters, an ancient form of writing, a mirror and comb symbol, and a creature thought to be a centaur.
The legend regarding the stone is that a wager was set up between a maiden who thought she could cook bannocks quicker than the Devil could build a road up to the top of the nearby Mither Tap of Bennachie. In a plea to be saved from the Devil, she was turned into this stone by God. A notch in the stone was where Satan grabbed the maiden's shoulder.
The stone lies on the side of a minor road a mile west of the Chapel of Garioch, four miles north-west of the town of Inverurie, and twenty miles north-west of the city of Aberdeen. Owned by Historic Scotland, a lay-by lies adjacent to the stone.