Page 15 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - June 2022

The workforce required to build such a magnificent monument would have been huge yet today the population is still only about 18,000.
The Callinish circle would have been a place where the most senior Druid would address the people. Is this a major religious centre of paganism that ancient Pagan Scots (Celts) would flock to? Does that account for the centre monolith resembling a ship's oar and the journey required to get there?
The ‘avenue’ of stones from the North we presume was created for festive processions leading to the central circle, but what was the purpose of the lines of stones from the other points of the compass?
We suspect that by now you have recognised the stones. You’re humming the theme tune in your head, aren’t you?
For the few of you who don’t know what we are talking about, the Callanish Stones are used in the now
globally famous TV series, Outlander, as a model for a fictitious stone circle near the infamous real battle site of Culloden called Craigh na Dun.
The mysterious stones, when touched by the gifted, transports them back in time.
We won’t give anything away in case you are one of the few people on the planet not yet familiar with Outlander - but we will say the series is based on the wonderful books by the gifted Diana Gabaldon.
The Callanish Stones are a magnificent Neolithic monument that historically may be way more significant than Stonehenge - but we’re realistic - Wiltshire is a lot more accessible than the Isle of Lewis.
The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Callanish Stones | 15