The Callanish Standing Stones

The Standing Stones of Callanish are on the island of Lewis which is one of the Outer Hebrides off the northwest coast of Scotland.

<a href="https://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2017/01/wikimedia-uk-and-national-library-of-scotland-announce-new-gaelic-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a>

There are 48 stones, the tallest of which is 4.5 metres (14 feet 9 inches) high. They are arranged in a cross-shaped pattern, with a stone circle and burial chamber in the centre. The whole site measures 123 metres (405 feet) by 43 metres (140 feet). After Stonehenge, it is generally reckoned to be the most impressive megalithic monument in Great Britain, although it was only discovered in 1857 when the stones were excavated from the bog in which they had been largely submerged.

One legend surrounding Callanish is that the stones were giants who were petrified by St Kiernan because they refused to become Christian.

However, the stones predate Christianity by a long way, having been erected between 3500 and 4000 years ago, which was even before the first Celts arrived in the Scottish islands. Their purpose, apart from being a burial site, appears to have something to do with tracking the movements of the Moon, which is a clue to the religious practices of those very early settlers.

(The photos are not by me, but are taken from a copyright-free source)