Tour Scotland Photograph Maiden Stone Aberdeenshire


Tour Scotland photograph of The Maiden Stone, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Maiden Stone, also known as Drumdurno Stone after the nearby farm, is a standing stone near Inverurie. The name is derived from a local legend which states that the daughter of the Laird of Balquhain made a bet with a stranger that she could bake a bannock faster than he could build a road to the top of Bennachie. The prize would be the maiden's hand. However, the stranger was the Devil and finished the road and claimed the forfeit. The maiden ran from the Devil and prayed to be saved. The legend finishes by saying that God turned her to stone, but the notch is where the Devil grasped her shoulder as she ran. Based on the mixture of Pictish and Christian symbols on the stone it is most likely that the stone marks a preaching site during missionary trips to the Picts.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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