The Secrets of the Epic Pictish Standing Stones Revealed
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2023-11-09

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The Secrets of the Epic Pictish Standing Stones Revealed

This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 1. It forms a group of various stunning Pictish standing symbol stones in the village of Aberlemno near Forfar, with the stones dated to around 500 and 800 AD, serving as a glimpse into the mysterious culture of the ancient Picts. In this video, we will unravel the secrets of five Pictish standing stones, and look at why the Picts carved these stunning images into stone? 

But back to the symbology of Aberlemno 1. The top symbol looks to be of a serpent, and animals are a common feature of Pictish symbol stones in general. The middle symbol is much more mysterious however. It is known as the double disc and Z-rod but the meaning of this symbol is unclear. Some argue that the double disc represents a wheel of some sort, with the Z-rod perhaps serving as some sort of axis to the wheel. Another theory suggests that the disc represents stones which were used for grinding grain, with the Z-rod representing a single stalk of wheat.

Perhaps the Z-rod represents a thunder bolt as well or another depiction of nature? Or perhaps the Z-rod was a Pictish symbol of power, as it has that feel to it. The double disc can be found on other Pictish with or without the Z-rod as well, which is interesting to note. What do you think the double-disc and z-rod mean? Please let me know in the comments below. The bottom symbol is a mirror and comb, another pretty common Pictish symbol. This is the 2nd Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone. This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 3. 

Sources:

University of Aberdeen - Rare Pictish symbol stone found near site of famous ancient battle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpr1JMekkTM
 
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/aberlemno-sculptured-stones/ 

Double disc (Pictish symbol) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_disc_(Pictish_symbol) 

Aberlemno Sculptured Stones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberlemno_Sculptured_Stones 

Pictish Beast https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictish_Beast 

Battle of Dun Nechtain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dun_Nechtain 

Gordon Noble & Nicolas Evans – Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North (Birlinn: 2022)

Creative Commons Imagery:

Catfish Jim and the soapdish at English Wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serpent_stone.JPG Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

Aberlemno Cross Stone by Andrew Wood File:Aberlemno Cross Stone - geograph.org.uk - 1811209.jpg - Wikimedia Commons  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic | Creative Commons 

Otter File:Aberlemno Roadside Cross Slab 20090616.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.5 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic | Creative Commons 

Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Aberlemno III symbols.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons 

Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Ablerlemno4.JPG - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons 

Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6249.jpg - Wikimedia Commons  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons 

Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6250.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons 

Pictish stones - Pictish symbols - Picts of Scotland - Ancient Civilizations 

#picts #ancientcivilizations #scottishhistory