Callanish Stones

The Callanish Standing Stones of Lewis, in the Hebrides, Scotland, as the sun sets and lights in the grey clouds with orange and yellow light.

According to one tradition, the Callanish Stones were petrified giants who would not convert to Christianity. Another legend is that early on midsummer morning an entity known as the “Shining One” walks the length of the avenue, his coming heralded by the call of the cuckoo.

The Callanish Standing Stones, at Calanais, are an extraordinary cross-shaped setting of stones erected 5,000 years ago. They predate England’s famous Stonehenge monument, and were an important place for ritual activity for at least 2,000 years.

We don’t know why the standing stones at Calanais were erected, but our best guess is that it was a kind of astronomical observatory.

Patrick Ashmore, who excavated at Calanais in the early 1980s writes: “The most attractive explanation is that every 18.6 years, the moon skims especially low over the southern hills. It seems to dance along them, like a great god visiting the earth. Knowledge and prediction of this heavenly event gave earthly authority to those who watched the skies.”

In the absence of any sure knowledge, theories as to the meaning and purpose of such stone structures abound. Many adhere to the belief that they were used in rituals relating to the moon, stars and the position of the distant hills.

The main stone complex contains around 50 stones in a cross-shaped setting. The impressive inner circle comprises 13 stones, the tallest of which is 4m high, and a small chambered cairn.