Ladykirk Stone
The Ladykirk Stone (also called St. Magnus Boat ) is in the back room of a church on the A961 road to Burwick Pier on the Orkney island of South Ronaldsay in Scotland . The stone is also known under the terms Coronation Stone ( German " Coronation Stone " ), Stone of Destiny ( German "Stone of Providence" ) or Gaelic Lia Fáil . The stone bears two footprints, such "petrosomatoglyphs" played a role in the Irish-Scottish coronation ritual. Either his existence led to the building of the church, or he was brought here from Scotland or Northern Ireland for the church.
The stone measures approximately 1.2 × 0.5 × 0.28 m and the two approximately 2.5 cm deep, sole-like depressions measure approximately 20.0 × 9.0 cm. The Ladykirk stone, with its slight rocking motion, could have been used by an Orcadian sub-king who owned land in Caithness .
Legends
The first legendary report about the Ladykirk stone comes from a "Gallus priest" (the Roman tradition) who was saved by a "sea monster". Out of gratitude, he turned it into this stone and dedicated it to St. Mary's Church. This account could be from the 11th century, but the earliest known safe mention is a map from 1654 showing the probably 9th century St. Colm's Chapel on the north side of the road. Originally the stone was outside the Ladykirk. Another variant of the story later emerged and the stone was named St. Magnus Boat. On the Scottish mainland, the stone was considered a dragon that was petrified by St. Magnus.
context
There are several stones of this type. In a letter from the second half of the 16th century, the English poet Edmund Spenser notes that he had seen many "footprint stones" in Ireland. The most famous was the Lia Fáil , the "stone of destiny", which stands at the religious and spiritual center of Ireland in Tara . It was one of the treasures that are said to have been brought to Ireland by the Túatha Dé Danann . This stone is said to have started screaming when the true king stepped on it.
The "Sandwick King Stone" is another stone on Orkney that is associated with the inauguration. In the Shetlands , footprints can be found on the Clickhimin Broch . A slab of rock on the summit of Dunadd bears the imprint of the sole of a foot carved into the rock . The footprint is 27 cm long, almost 11 cm wide and 2.5 cm deep. It is believed that, according to Irish tradition , the King of Dalriada was consecrated by setting his foot in the rocky replica.
See also
literature
- Homer Sykes: Mysterious Britain - Fact and Folklore George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-297-83196-8 p. 146
Web links
Coordinates: 58 ° 44 '33.1 " N , 2 ° 58' 9.2" W.