Accessing Scotland's Past Project
Event ID 560643
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Accessing Scotland's Past Project
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/560643
A Pictish Symbol Stone, dating from between the sixth and eighth centuries AD, was found in Inveravon churchyard in 1964. The stone has two symbols carved onto it, a crescent and V-rod, and a depiction of an animal form known as the 'Elephant' or the 'Pictish Beast.'
The cresent and V-rod is the most common symbol to be found on Pictish Symbol Stones, and consists of a crescent overlain by what may be an arrow, bent in the middle.
The 'Elephant' or 'Pictish Beast' is also a common symbol. It may be an abstract depiction of a real animal, but could also represent a mythical beast. Carvings of these creatures rarely vary in form; the animal always has a long snout, with an antenna reaching down the back from the brow, usually terminating in a spiral. The tail also ends in a spiral.
Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project
