Haltadans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Haltadans
Native name Fairy Ring
A picture of the stone circle
Location	Shetland, Scotland
Built	During the Neolithic Period
Architectural style(s)	British pre-Roman Architecture
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Haltadans, also known as the Fairy Ring, is a special stone circle found on Fetlar island in Shetland, Scotland. It's a very old place, built a long time ago during the Neolithic Period. This period was when people first started farming and building big stone monuments.

What is Haltadans?

This ancient site is made up of 38 stones arranged in a circle. About 22 of these stones are still standing upright in the ground today. The whole stone circle is about 11.3 metres (37 feet) wide.

Inside this large stone circle, there's another smaller ring made of earth. This inner ring is about 7.9 metres (26 feet) across. It has a small opening, about 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide, on its southwest side. Right in the very middle of both rings, you'll find two tall, rectangular stone pillars.

The Legend of the Fairy Ring

The name Haltadans has a fun meaning: "lame or limping dance." This name comes from an old local story. According to the legend, the stone circle was once a group of trolls who were dancing.

The two stone pillars in the center were said to be a fiddler and his wife. They played music and danced all night long. They were so busy having fun that they didn't notice the sun was coming up. When the sun finally rose, it turned them all into stone! This is how the dancing trolls, the fiddler, and his wife became the stone circle and pillars we see today.