Calling at the Pictish Stone

Description

A medieval Scotswoman calls to the land spirits on a windswept hillside, next to a Pictish Stone inscribed with a serpent and other symbols. This 6th century monument, known as the Brandsbutt Stone, is at Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. It was broken up and used as building materials, so that its original location and context is unknown. But it belongs to the oldest group of Pictish Stones, known as Class I, that predate the christianization of the Picts. It bears an Ogham inscription and mysterious symbols known from other stones: the crescent and V-rod and, behind the serpent, a Z-rod. This painting envisions a time in the early middle ages when the older traditions were still vibrant.