Wemyss Caves

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The Pictish rock carvings in Wemyss Caves are near East Wemyss in Fife , Scotland .

Not all nine caves have symbols. It is difficult to distinguish the Pictish from modern graffiti. In addition, the soft sandstone is prone to erosion. Some symbols complement the carvings on the better known Pictish symbol stones .

Court Cave

The first cave east of the village is Court Cave. Inside there are two areas with incisions. The smaller one shows a figure carrying a spear and an animal. The double pane on the main wall is surrounded by recent graffiti. Drawings of the Norse god Thor and his goat and presumably older cup-and-ring markings lie in the aisle.

Doo Cave

Doo Cave

The Dovecot or Doo Cave (pigeon cave) had an interesting sequence of symbols, but these are located in the collapsed area of ​​the former double cave. A number of compartments in the walls of the cave are nesting boxes for pigeons.

Well caves

Macduff's Castle over the Well Caves

The two Well Caves, the Gasworks Cave u. a. have no scratches.

Jonathan's Cave

The Jonathan Cave is lavishly decorated, especially on the west wall. Their depictions of animals (including daggers, fish, geese, men, tridents, and small crosses) can be compared to those on cross-slabs , and the double-disc symbols are authentic. An upright fish with a center line is pictic. The depiction of a rowing boat is less common.

Sliding cave

Sliding Cave is hidden behind scree on a slight bend in the cliff and is difficult to see. There are shield-like, rectangular symbols on the north wall, and a double pane is on the south wall.

The Picts' interest in these caves is clear, even if their use is not understood. There are other caves along the Fife coast that were used in the Pictish Period, and it is understandable that caves have always had a special place in peoples mythology. The East Wemyss Caves are one of the few where this is evident.

See also

literature

  • Catriona Gibson & Chris Stevens: Iron Age and Pictish activity at Wemyss Caves, Fife, Scotland

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The place name is derived from the Gaelic Uamh, for "cave".

Web links

Coordinates: 56 ° 9 '42 "  N , 3 ° 3' 28"  W.