Ancient Alba

In Strathspey, close to the town of Grantown-on-Spey, there are two identical Class I Pictish stones. They date to around the 5 th /6 th centuries. They are located on the north bank of the River Spey. One is located at Inverallan and the other is located further down the river at Finlarig. Finlarig is actually located slightly north of the River Spey. The original location of the stone was at Ballintomb farm at the confluence of the River Spey and River Dulnain. The symbols include the crescent moon and V rod above the rectangle and Z rod. I’m not aware of any other identical stones which are so close to each other. This suggests they could be boundary stones. They could be marking the land of a local chief. There is an old hillfort at Lower Craggan just down the river from Inverallan. However, very little is known about it. The rectangle and Z rod is a common symbol in the area. There are two examples at Craigellachie and another close to Elgin. See the maps below for more info. W

The Pictish beastie is one of the most iconic Pictish symbols. But what does it represent? It may be a Kelpie (a water horse of Scottish folklore), a dolphin, an elephant, a horse or a mythical creature. It even looks like a duck billed platypus. However, they are only found in Australia. The Kelpie was a water horse which lived in the rivers, streams and lochs. It would take the form of a human being and lure its victims into the water. However, I don’t think the Pictish beastie represents a Kelpie. It’s positioning on many of the Pictish stones suggests it’s a political or religious symbol. It often appears next to symbols like the double disc and Z rod and the crescent moon and V rod. I thought it looked like a Roman horse brooch. The Picts may have come across these through trade or plunder when raiding Britannia.  Roman horse brooch   It may also be a hybrid mythical creature worshipped by the Picts. Perhaps a horse and a dolphin? It was common for many cultures to create their ow