A short distance to the east of the Ring o' Brodgar is a solitary standing stone known as the Comet Stone. The Comet Stone stands on a low circular platform beside the stumps of what would appear to be two smaller, broken stones. It has been suggested that the Comet Stone was once part of a table-like structure, similar to the one that was once thought to stand in the centre of the Standing Stones o' Stenness henge. The Comet Stone with the Harray Loch in the Background. The stumps of the two other standing stones can be seen in the foreground.
Local folklore is certain of the stone's origin.
Tradition dictates that the Comet Stone is the remains of a fiddling giant who was turned to stone by the first rays of the morning sun. His dancing comrades were petrified nearby while dancing merrily in a ring. The massive dancers formed the Ring o' Brodgar and it seems likely, therefore, that the Comet Stone's original name may have reflected this belief. The Ring's Ditch and Bank. Ring o' Brodgar panoramic photographs.