Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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The Secrets of the Epic Pictish Standing Stones Revealed
This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 1. It forms a group of various stunning Pictish standing symbol stones in the village of Aberlemno near Forfar, with the stones dated to around 500 and 800 AD, serving as a glimpse into the mysterious culture of the ancient Picts. In this video, we will unravel the secrets of five Pictish standing stones, and look at why the Picts carved these stunning images into stone?
But back to the symbology of Aberlemno 1. The top symbol looks to be of a serpent, and animals are a common feature of Pictish symbol stones in general. The middle symbol is much more mysterious however. It is known as the double disc and Z-rod but the meaning of this symbol is unclear. Some argue that the double disc represents a wheel of some sort, with the Z-rod perhaps serving as some sort of axis to the wheel. Another theory suggests that the disc represents stones which were used for grinding grain, with the Z-rod representing a single stalk of wheat.
Perhaps the Z-rod represents a thunder bolt as well or another depiction of nature? Or perhaps the Z-rod was a Pictish symbol of power, as it has that feel to it. The double disc can be found on other Pictish with or without the Z-rod as well, which is interesting to note. What do you think the double-disc and z-rod mean? Please let me know in the comments below. The bottom symbol is a mirror and comb, another pretty common Pictish symbol. This is the 2nd Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone. This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 3.
Sources:
University of Aberdeen - Rare Pictish symbol stone found near site of famous ancient battle youtube.com/watch?v=kpr1JMekkTM
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/aberlemno-sculptured-stones/
Double disc (Pictish symbol) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_disc_(Pictish_symbol)
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberlemno_Sculptured_Stones
Pictish Beast en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictish_Beast
Battle of Dun Nechtain en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dun_Nechtain
Gordon Noble & Nicolas Evans – Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North (Birlinn: 2022)
Creative Commons Imagery:
Catfish Jim and the soapdish at English Wikipedia commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serpent_stone.JPG Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
Aberlemno Cross Stone by Andrew Wood File:Aberlemno Cross Stone - geograph.org.uk - 1811209.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic | Creative Commons
Otter File:Aberlemno Roadside Cross Slab 20090616.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.5 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic | Creative Commons
Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Aberlemno III symbols.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Ablerlemno4.JPG - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6249.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6250.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Pictish stones - Pictish symbols - Picts of Scotland - Ancient Civilizations
#picts #ancientcivilizations #scottishhistory
Please Buy Me a Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/celtichistory
Check out my merch store and please help support this channel - celtic-history-decoded.creator-spring.com - Full terms and conditions can be found on Spring’s website.
Please support this channel on Patreon and get ad-free videos and other benefits: patreon.com/historydecoded
Please donate through PayPal using this link: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=QFB9ZECHZJDF6 – chdecoded@gmail.com
Subscribe to Celtic History Decoded: youtube.com/channel/UCCS3M_uNHH2iOJkpGhkO2SA?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Celtic History Decoded on Instagram - instagram.com/celtichistorydecoded
Subscribe to World History Decoded – youtube.com/@worldhistorydecoded
The Secrets of the Epic Pictish Standing Stones Revealed
This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 1. It forms a group of various stunning Pictish standing symbol stones in the village of Aberlemno near Forfar, with the stones dated to around 500 and 800 AD, serving as a glimpse into the mysterious culture of the ancient Picts. In this video, we will unravel the secrets of five Pictish standing stones, and look at why the Picts carved these stunning images into stone?
But back to the symbology of Aberlemno 1. The top symbol looks to be of a serpent, and animals are a common feature of Pictish symbol stones in general. The middle symbol is much more mysterious however. It is known as the double disc and Z-rod but the meaning of this symbol is unclear. Some argue that the double disc represents a wheel of some sort, with the Z-rod perhaps serving as some sort of axis to the wheel. Another theory suggests that the disc represents stones which were used for grinding grain, with the Z-rod representing a single stalk of wheat.
Perhaps the Z-rod represents a thunder bolt as well or another depiction of nature? Or perhaps the Z-rod was a Pictish symbol of power, as it has that feel to it. The double disc can be found on other Pictish with or without the Z-rod as well, which is interesting to note. What do you think the double-disc and z-rod mean? Please let me know in the comments below. The bottom symbol is a mirror and comb, another pretty common Pictish symbol. This is the 2nd Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone. This is the Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone 3.
Sources:
University of Aberdeen - Rare Pictish symbol stone found near site of famous ancient battle youtube.com/watch?v=kpr1JMekkTM
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/aberlemno-sculptured-stones/
Double disc (Pictish symbol) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_disc_(Pictish_symbol)
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberlemno_Sculptured_Stones
Pictish Beast en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictish_Beast
Battle of Dun Nechtain en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dun_Nechtain
Gordon Noble & Nicolas Evans – Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North (Birlinn: 2022)
Creative Commons Imagery:
Catfish Jim and the soapdish at English Wikipedia commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serpent_stone.JPG Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
Aberlemno Cross Stone by Andrew Wood File:Aberlemno Cross Stone - geograph.org.uk - 1811209.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic | Creative Commons
Otter File:Aberlemno Roadside Cross Slab 20090616.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. CC BY-SA 2.5 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic | Creative Commons
Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Aberlemno III symbols.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Catfish Jim and the soapdish File:Ablerlemno4.JPG - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6249.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Johnbod File:Pictish Stones in the Museum of ScotlandDSCF6250.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Pictish stones - Pictish symbols - Picts of Scotland - Ancient Civilizations
#picts #ancientcivilizations #scottishhistory
