{"id":54991,"title":"The Symbols of the Pictish Stones","description":"Discover the mysterious Pictish stones of Scotland and the meanings behind their symbols, animals and geometric carvings left by the ancient Picts.","content":"

Across the north and east of Scotland stand a remarkable series of carved monuments left by a people who left no written history of their own \u2014 the Picts. Between roughly the 6th and 9th centuries they raised carved standing stones decorated with a distinctive set of symbols unlike anything else in early medieval Europe.<\/p>

These Pictish stones are found mainly in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perthshire and the Highlands. Some bear Christian crosses, others show warriors, animals, or hunting scenes, but many display carefully composed abstract signs \u2014 crescents, discs, rods and enigmatic creatures. The meanings of these symbols have never been conclusively deciphered. They may represent names, kin groups, status, beliefs, or something else entirely. What is clear is that the same images were repeated across centuries and regions, suggesting a shared visual language understood by the Picts themselves.<\/p>

\"TheYou can see all of our Pictish symbols in the Pictish Stone Symbols Collection<\/u><\/strong><\/a>. We\u2019ve also added them to our Men\u2019s Neolithic Collection<\/u><\/a> and the Women\u2019s Neolithic Collection<\/u><\/a> (of course they are not from the Neolithic period at all, but we think they feel quite at home there too \ud83d\ude0a).<\/p>

You can explore the individual designs below. They are all based on real carvings from surviving stones.<\/p>

Double Disc and Z-Rod<\/h3>

\"Man<\/u>Pictish Stone Double Disc and Z-Rod Symbol Long Sleeve T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

One of the most recognisable motifs in Pictish art, the Double Disc and Z-Rod appears frequently across Scotland. It consists of two circular discs connected by a diagonal bar shaped like a Z.<\/p>

Its exact meaning remains unknown, but its repetition suggests it carried significant symbolic weight \u2014 perhaps marking identity, lineage, or rank. This design is based on the example carved on the Dunnichen Stone.<\/p>

Crescent and V-Rod<\/h3>

\"Woman<\/u>Pictish Stone Crescent and V-Rod Symbol Unisex Hoodie<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Another extremely common symbol is the Crescent and V-Rod. The curved crescent form is almost always paired with the rod crossing it \u2014 the V-rod never appears alone.<\/p>

The consistent pairing implies the two elements form a single ideogram rather than separate symbols. This version is taken from the Invereen Stone, discovered near Inverness and now preserved in the National Museums of Scotland.<\/p>

Triple Disc<\/h3>

\"Woman<\/u>Pictish Triple Disc Symbol Long Sleeve Top<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The Triple Disc is one of the standard geometric figures of Pictish carving: a large central circle flanked by two smaller circles. It often appears alongside other symbols, suggesting it formed part of a larger \u201cstatement\u201d carved onto the stone.<\/p>

This design is based on the carving at the base of the Monymusk Stone, a Class II symbol stone now in Monymusk Church, Aberdeenshire.<\/p>

The Pictish Beast<\/h3>

\"Man<\/u>Pictish Beast T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The most distinctive of all Pictish animals is the so-called Pictish Beast. Found only on Pictish monuments, it appears with curved body, elongated jaws and a crest, often as if moving through water.<\/p>

Scholars have suggested it may represent a dolphin or whale familiar from the Scottish coast, while others consider it mythological. Whatever its inspiration, its frequency shows it was clearly an important symbol in Pictish culture.<\/p>

This design follows the striking example carved on the Strathmartine Castle Stone from Angus, now in the McManus Galleries, Dundee.<\/p>

The Boar<\/h3>

\"Man<\/u>Pictish Boar Long Sleeve T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The Pictish boar is a powerful, muscular animal rendered in a confident outline style. This example comes from the Dores (Clune Farm) Stone.<\/p>

Interestingly, the boar was also the emblem of the Roman Twentieth Legion \u2014 the builders of Hadrian\u2019s Wall \u2014 offering a faint reminder that the Picts existed in a world shaped by long contact with Rome.<\/p>

The Wolf<\/h3>

\"Pictish<\/u>Pictish Wolf Long Sleeve T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

This design is based on the Wolf of Ardross<\/strong>. Carved in sandstone, it was discovered in 1890 during repairs to a garden wall at Sittenham on the Ardross Estate. The stone can now be seen on display at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.<\/p>

The Serpent<\/h3>

\"Man<\/u>Pictish Serpent T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The serpent, here shown combined with a Z-rod motif, appears on the Brandsbutt Stone in Inverurie. Like many Pictish animal carvings, it is stylised rather than naturalistic, suggesting symbolic meaning rather than simple decoration.<\/p>

The Burghead Bull<\/h3>

\"Man<\/u>Pictish Bull Unisex Hoodie<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

At Burghead Fort in Moray, a series of carved stones once formed a remarkable sculptural programme. Up to thirty bull carvings originally existed, though most were lost during harbour construction in the 19th century.<\/p>

The surviving Burghead Bulls, now in museums across Scotland and beyond, date to the late 6th or 7th century and depict a strongly rendered animal that may have symbolised strength, authority, or identity.<\/p>

Rectangle and Z-Rod<\/h3>

\"A<\/u>Pictish Rectangle and Z-Rod Symbol T-Shirt<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The notched rectangle combined with a Z-rod is another recurring geometric device. Though less famous than the discs and crescents, it follows the same structured logic \u2014 a geometric form intersected by a rod \u2014 reinforcing the idea of a formal symbolic system rather than ornament alone. The reconstruction here also draws on John Stuart\u2019s Sculptured Stones of Scotland (1856).<\/p>

<\/p>

The Dunnichen Stone<\/h3>

\"Woman<\/u>The Dunnichen Stone Long Sleeve Top<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The Dunnichen Stone itself is a fine example of a Class I symbol stone from Angus, probably dating to the 7th century. It carries a rare flower symbol along with the Double Disc and Z-Rod and a mirror and comb, and is now displayed at the Meffan Institute in Forfar.<\/p>

<\/p>

A Lost Language in Stone\u2026<\/h3>

No surviving text explains these symbols, and attempts to decode them continue today. They may represent names, territories, marriages, memorials, or beliefs now forgotten. Yet their careful repetition across generations shows they were meaningful to those who carved and viewed them.<\/p>

Our own thoughts, for what they\u2019re worth, are that these symbols were the heraldry<\/em> of their day - some kind of visual language declaring who a person was and where they belonged.<\/p>

More than a thousand years later, the stones - and the questions - remain.<\/p>

You can see all of our Pictish symbols in the Eldon Threads Pictish Stone Symbols Collection<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>","urlTitle":"the-symbols-of-the-pictish-stones","url":"\/blog\/the-symbols-of-the-pictish-stones\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-symbols-of-the-pictish-stones\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/eldonthreads.com\/blog\/the-symbols-of-the-pictish-stones\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1771181091,"updatedAt":1774455929,"publishedAt":1774455929,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":353639,"name":"Eldon Threads"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/1cnvbjls8dstxqxjxgmavzhn1kpecqtyfqipoqh2iyievtoc.jpeg?z=1.5&fx=0.60765550239234&fy=0.37352472089314","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/1cnvbjls8dstxqxjxgmavzhn1kpecqtyfqipoqh2iyievtoc.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.5&fx=0.60765550239234&fy=0.37352472089314","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/1cnvbjls8dstxqxjxgmavzhn1kpecqtyfqipoqh2iyievtoc.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.5&fx=0.60765550239234&fy=0.37352472089314"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":44140,"title":"The Red Horse of Tysoe: Revealed!","url":"\/blog\/the-red-horse-of-tysoe\/","urlTitle":"the-red-horse-of-tysoe","division":353639,"description":"The Red Horse of Tysoe was a large hill figure, first recorded in 1607, but sadly lost to time... until now!","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/9yj0fis444z4pdb1kapmualgkrplwnabtyskdug7l79aa748.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.1&fx=0.45454545454545&fy=0.45454545454545","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/9yj0fis444z4pdb1kapmualgkrplwnabtyskdug7l79aa748.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.1&fx=0.45454545454545&fy=0.45454545454545"},"hidden":0},{"id":44351,"title":"Long Man. Cerne Giant. Which is Which?","url":"\/blog\/long-man-cerne-giant-which-is-which\/","urlTitle":"long-man-cerne-giant-which-is-which","division":353639,"description":"Two colossal chalk hill figures - the Long Man of Wilmington and the Cerne Abbas Giant. But which is which? Our handy guide explains the differences.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/1ly1hvky5s3lejslrct9kzfl0ynw4ja2yansphqdjzu0g9lm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/1ly1hvky5s3lejslrct9kzfl0ynw4ja2yansphqdjzu0g9lm.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":49956,"title":"Vintage Fruits and Forgotten Flavours","url":"\/blog\/vintage-fruits-and-forgotten-flavours\/","urlTitle":"vintage-fruits-and-forgotten-flavours","division":353639,"description":"Vintage Fruits - the cherry, quince, damson plum, elderberry, medlar, and even the tomato - were once rich in meaning, flavour, and folklore. At Eldon Threads, we\u2019ve reimagined these fruits not for the table, but for your wardrobe - reviving woodcut illustrations of selected vintage fruits from John Gerard\u2019s The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes (1597) and printing them on organic cotton T-shirts with the same care and curiosity that once filled monastic orchards and cottage gardens.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5yalaoupsol105h1bfkdfr0bfmbgdzmxj9oo9dzaxqvfi3sh.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5yalaoupsol105h1bfkdfr0bfmbgdzmxj9oo9dzaxqvfi3sh.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}