|
Share this
Digg
Del.icio.us
Jumptags
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Netvouz
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Print
E-mail
Possibly the remains of a Neolithic tomb, Mên-an-Tol is steeped in legend and
folklore and has been used for thousands of years as a place of ritual and
healing. The stones consist of two uprights with a circular holed stone in their
center and a fourth stone which has fallen.
Mên-an-Tol simply means 'holed stone' in the Cornish language but it is also
known locally as the Crick Stone and the Devil's Eye. It was widely believed
that passing children through the hole would cure them of rickets and other
ailments. Barren women were also passed through the stone during a full moon in
the belief that it would cure their infertility.
In other folklore it is said that Men-an-Tol will answer any question asked of it if the enquirer places two brass pins laid across each other on the top of the circular stone, it would seem that this will only work for yes or no answers as the pins are supposed to take on motion to answer your query.
It is highly likely that the stones of Men-an-Tol are the result of a collapsed Dolmen tomb or a stone circle and have been repositioned, possibly more than once during their history. None of this really matters however as the end result is an intriguing and highly enigmatic arrangement.
How to find Mên-an-Tol
The stones can be found a short walk from the B3306 Madron to Morvah road. Parking is in a lay-by and the path to the stones is well sign posted.
Also on the B3306 midway between Morvah and Madron is Lanyon Quoit
Men-an-Tol is also known as the Crick Stone and the Devil's Eye.
In other folklore it is said that Men-an-Tol will answer any question asked of it if the enquirer places two brass pins laid across each other on the top of the circular stone, it would seem that this will only work for yes or no answers as the pins are supposed to take on motion to answer your query.
It is highly likely that the stones of Men-an-Tol are the result of a collapsed Dolmen tomb or a stone circle and have been repositioned, possibly more than once during their history. None of this really matters however as the end result is an intriguing and highly enigmatic arrangement.
How to find Mên-an-Tol
The stones can be found a short walk from the B3306 Madron to Morvah road. Parking is in a lay-by and the path to the stones is well sign posted.
Nearby
Also on the B3306 midway between Morvah and Madron is Lanyon Quoit
At first glance St Columb Major appears to be a sleepy Cornish village where not a lot happens...
This
book covers the stone circles, megaliths and dolmens of Cornwall with detailed
information...