Brandsbutt Stone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Brandsbutt Stone |
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The Brandsbutt Stone, showing detail of ogham script
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| Material | Whinstone |
| Height | 1.07 metres (3.5 ft) |
| Writing | Ogham script: irataddoarens |
| Symbols |
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| Present location | Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°17′30″N 2°24′00″W / 57.2916°N 2.4000°W |
| Classification | Class I incised stone |
| Culture | Pictish |
The Brandsbutt Stone is a special ancient stone from the Picts, an old group of people who lived in Scotland. You can find this stone in Inverurie, a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It's a type of stone called a 'Class I' Pictish symbol stone, which means it has symbols carved into it.
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What is the Brandsbutt Stone?
The Brandsbutt Stone is a big piece of rock known as whinstone, which is a very strong, dark stone. It stands about 1.07 meters (3.5 feet) tall, 1.27 meters (4.2 feet) wide, and 0.91 meters (3 feet) deep. Long ago, before 1866, this important stone was broken into pieces. These pieces were then used to build a dry stone wall, which is a wall made without any cement or mortar.
Luckily, the stone has been put back together! On its surface, you can see two special symbols carved by the Picts. One looks like a crescent moon with a V-shaped rod. The other is a serpent (snake) with a Z-shaped rod. The stone also has a mysterious message written in an ancient alphabet called Ogham. This message reads IRATADDOARENS. Experts believe these carvings were made around the year AD 600. Today, the Brandsbutt Stone is a protected site, known as a scheduled monument.
Decoding the Ogham Message
The Ogham message on the Brandsbutt Stone, IRATADDOARENS, has puzzled many experts. One famous scholar, Katherine Forsyth, described it as "utterly baffling" because it's so hard to understand. However, some ideas have been suggested about what it might mean.
The Ethernan Theory
One popular idea is that the inscription might contain a changed version of the name Ethernan. If this is true, it probably refers to a saint named Ethernan who lived in the 600s AD. Not much is known about Saint Ethernan, but it seems the Picts respected him. An old record from 669 AD, called the Annals of Ulster, mentions that Ethernan and someone named Corindu were killed by the Picts. Some believe these names, Ethernan and Corindu, might come from an old language called P-Celtic, which was spoken by the Picts.
Other Stones with Similar Names
The name Ethernan (or similar versions) appears on other Pictish stones too! For example:
- The Newton Stone has "IDDARRNNN" in Ogham.
- Rodney's Stone has "EDDARRNON" in Ogham.
- The Scoonie Stone also has "EDDARRNONN" in Ogham.
- The Fordoun Stone has "PIDARNOIN" written in Latin letters.
What Does "Ira-" Mean?
Another part of the inscription, "ira-", might be a Pictish word that sounds like the Breton word irha. In the Breton language, irha means "he lies" (as in, "he rests" or "he is buried"). This could suggest the stone marks a burial place.
