Fascinating Stories From The Calanais Standing Stones
There aren’t many places more mysterious and awe-inspiring than the Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis. This is far more than your average stone circle. It sprawls out in a cruciform shape, larger than almost any other group of standing stones in Scotland.
Almost fifty stones, some towering at almost 5 metres tall, have been quietly keeping watch for around 5000 years. The sheer scale of these monoliths combined with their dramatic location on a beautiful Hebridean island makes them one of the most popular stone circles in Scotland!
Somewhere as iconic as this is always going to attract myths and legends. We might not have any written accounts for their original purpose, but we do have plenty of stories from the Calanais Standing Stones. Don’t be confused by the spelling, Calanais is pronounced the same as the anglicised Callanish, but the local community promote the original form.
If you’re a fan of Outlander and think that these look familiar, then you’d be right. The production company actually took casts of the Calanais Standing Stones and used them to create Craigh na Dun. I’m sorry to say that I’ve touched the central stone and remained firmly in the 21st century…
Where Are The Calanais Standing Stones?
You can find the Calanais Standing Stones on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. That’s the furthest north island in the Outer Hebrides and the most heavily populated in the chain. While words like isolated or remote are often thrown around, with 20,000 people calling Lewis home, this is an island with a thriving community.
There are actually around a dozen groups of standing stones at Calanais, but don’t worry, you’re unlikely to get lost. All the stones are in a small area and while the others are numbered, the main circle is beside the visitors centre. If you have the time then it’s worth wandering around a few of the others, there’s a good chance you’ll have them to yourself!
How To Visit The Calanais Standing Stones
The first step to visit the Calanais Standing Stones is to reach the Isle of Lewis itself! For most people, that involves a Calmac ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway. You also have the option of taking the Skye ferry to Harris and driving or travelling through all of the Outer Hebrides from Barra in the south.
For all of these, the easiest option is to drive to Calanais and park at the visitor centre. You can also take the 30 minute W2 bus (clockwise) from Stornoway but be warned that it only runs a few times a day.
Once at the Calanais stones, you can wander them at will absolutely free. The visitor centre (closed for 2024) has an interesting display to teach you about the lives of those who raised the stones. Even with the closure, there will still be a food, toilets and a shop available for visitors.
Origins Of The Stone Circle
Although we don’t have any written records from the time of the Calanais Standing Stones, archaeology can tell us a little. It was built in stages, beginning around 5000 years ago with the central stone circle. Around 500 years later, more stones were added to make the avenues which form the crucible shape. At the same time, a burial cairn was added in the centre.
Hewing these enormous monoliths out of the ground would have been hard enough, not to mention moving them into position then raising them vertically. It proves that a large community were working together and that they had the spare time to do it. Just to add to the special feeling, the stone itself is Lewisian Gniess – the oldest in Western Europe!
Why they went to the trouble of creating the Calanais Standing Stones is a more difficult question to answer. Clearly, they were in contact with the people of Orkney who raised the earliest known circle at Stenness. The strongest theory is that the stones tracked the seasons or years, with the moon seen dipping at its lowest point over a notch in the mountains to the south every 18.6 years.
The purpose of the stones most probably changed throughout time, right up to our use as a visitor attraction today. All we know for sure is that this site was an important place for ritual activity for 2000 years.
The False Men
Knowledge surrounding the site’s original use eventually disappeared and local stories of the Calanais Standing Stones began instead. One of the simplest gave rise to their Gaelic nickname – fir bhrèige. That means “False Men” since the odd-shaped stones looked like men when silhouetted against the skyline.
That similarity would have been even more prominent when the stones were half covered by peat. Natural growth covered the stones at Calanais making them look one and a half meters shorter until 1857!
There is a local story that the Calanais Stones were once giants, turned to stone by a St Kieran. In some accounts that was due to their refusal to convert to Christianity. In another from 1680, these stones were once regular men trapped in stone by an enchanter!
The Shining One
The changing of the seasons and other special times of year have always attracted myths and legends. There are plenty of traditions surrounding Beltane (May Day) and Samhain (Halloween) but it’s Midsummer that has importance amongst the stories of the Calanais Standing Stones.
At sunrise on the summer solstice, it’s said that a strange entity known only as The Shining One walks down the avenue at the Calanais Stones. His appearance is accompanied by the sound of a cuckoo calling, an important bird for omens and forewarnings. Some believed that all cuckoos flew to Calanais on their return to Lewis!
The Devil’s Standing Stone
It’s said that centuries ago, two women who lived near the Calanais Stones were in love with the same man. Where once they had been friends, this disagreement was driving the pair apart. Their disagreement had become so bad, that one of them decided to consult a witch about how to deal with her rival.
For a price, the witch handed over a strange, black belt and instructed the girl to wrap it around her friend’s waist. After that, she would never have to worry about her interfering in her love life again! However, upon seeing her old friend, the woman couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She couldn’t risk leaving such a dangerous object just lying around though, so she came up with a plan. Approaching the Calanais Standing Stones, she wrapped the belt around the middle of one the monoliths. Almost immediately, the stone burst into flames and there was a terrible screeching sound as if hell itself had opened up.
With a deafening crack, the stone split in half and the belt disappeared. While the top section of the stone was soon dragged off into some farm wall, the lower half remained charred for years. Nobody is entirely sure which of the outlying Calanais stones was involved, but some say to check the east side of the southern avenue…
White Cow of Calanais
My personal favourite story from the Calanais Standing Stones is a little more rounded. During a harsh winter following a poor harvest, the people of Lewis were suffering. Their cupboards were bare and fierce storms had forced the fishermen to come home empty handed. One mother was getting particularly worried about her hungry children.
In her desperation, she made her way down to the sea near the Calanais Standing Stones. She cried out to the spirits of the water, begging them to hear the plight of the islanders. She would happily sacrifice herself, if they would only help in their hour of need. As she waded into the water, a pure white cow with blood red ears, rose from the waves before her.
The cow walked past her, towards the stone circle and she rushed home to collect her milking pail. Once her bucket was filled to the brim with the richest milk, she spread the news around the other islanders. One by one, they came to the Calanais Stones to fill their pails while the cow stood quietly. Once each bucket was full, the milk would stop until the next stepped up.
For three days the islanders were sustained, but one woman wasn’t happy. She was a witch who had been enjoying watching the suffering, so when her turn came, she fitted a sieve to the bottom of her pail. She milked and milked but her bucket would never be full.
With a weary bellow, the white cow had been milked dry. It descended from the Calanais Stones towards the shore and disappeared beneath the waves. The Islanders would have to struggle on for the rest of winter and the cow would never be seen on Lewis again.
If you enjoyed these stories from the Calanais StandingStones, how about visiting on a Scotland’s Stories Tour?
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