Each of the 24 Stones in the listings below variously has carvings of animals, birds and fish which are known to have been revered in Celtic beliefs (either personal attributes or religious belief ) – some may have Roman associations, Pictish-Mithraic Symbols plus Christian Crosses and other carvings suggesting a Christian belief meaning. The intent is to determine whether the animal, bird and fish carvings may represent Celtic beliefs or prospectively have a Roman context (military or mythology) – or otherwise – then to assess if the meaning of an object is complementary to the Mithraic decodes and/or the Christian belief objects or if the Shared Space is based on acceptance of two or more beliefs.
A clear example of a Shared Space for complementary Mithraic, Celtic and Christian beliefs on one Stone is at Monifeith 2. Whilst there are Celtic attributes for a deer (messenger/guide from otherworlds, vision etc.) nothing specific has been found for a deer’s head – perhaps, due to the size of the animal and the similarity of its body with a horse, it was sufficient to include only a head on a Stone. A prospective linkage between Christian and P-M beliefs can be made between the meaning of the V-Rod & Crescent (soul travel) and the Cross. Maybe the robed figure was part of a larger scene.
In addition, 19 of these Stones have carvings noted as “People / Scene” and 19 as “Undecoded / Ogham” objects – adding to the complexity of selecting what relates to a belief and what does not. Investigation 4 covers the most diverse collection of carvings on the Symbol Stones.
Click here for the Investigation 4 PDF complete with analysis and evaluation by Stone, Evaluation Outcomes, Observations and Conclusions.