Brandsbutt Stone

Brandsbutt Stone, Aberdeenshire — Photo: Otter / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Brandsbutt Stone is a Class I Pictish symbol stone in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, a large block of whinstone bearing two incised Pictish symbols — a crescent and V-rod and a serpent and Z-rod…

Brandsbutt Stone is a carved stone near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.

History

Brandsbutt Stone — historical view — Photo: Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Brandsbutt Stone is a Class I Pictish symbol stone in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, a large block of whinstone bearing two incised Pictish symbols — a crescent and V-rod and a serpent and Z-rod — together with an Ogham inscription reading IRATADDOARENS. The carvings are dated to around AD 600.

The stone had been broken up and reused in building a dry-stone wall before 1866; it has since been reassembled.

The Ogham inscription IRATADDOARENS has been described by Katherine Forsyth as appearing 'utterly baffling'. Among the interpretations offered, it may contain a corrupted form of the personal name Ethernan — possibly referring to the little-known 7th-century saint Ethernan, recorded in the Annals of Ulster (AD 669) as having been killed by the Picts along with Corindu.

Other readings of the inscription have been proposed: that 'ira-' may be a Pictish verb cognate with Breton irha, 'he lies' (though Rodway doubts the verb existed); and Thomas Clancy's suggestion that the text is the Gaelic phrase 'i rath Aduarén s-', meaning 'this is the property of Aduarén here'.

People

Katherine Forsyth

Scholar who described the Ogham inscription as appearing 'utterly baffling'
Saint Ethernan

7th-century saint venerated by the Picts; the inscription may preserve a corrupted form of his name
Thomas Clancy

Scholar who read the inscription as Gaelic for 'this is the property of Aduarén here'

Cultural influences

The Pictish symbol tradition — the crescent-and-V-rod and serpent-and-Z-rod are among the standard incised symbols of Class I Pictish stones.
The Ogham script — the stone is one of a group of Pictish monuments carrying Ogham inscriptions, here possibly recording the name Ethernan.

Connections

The Newton Stone

Other Pictish stone preserving the name Ethernan in Ogham (IDDARRNNN)
Photo: Calgacus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Rodney's Stone

Other Pictish stone with the name Ethernan in Ogham (EDDARRNON)
The Scoonie Stone

Other Pictish stone with the name Ethernan in Ogham (EDDARRNONN)
The Fordoun Stone

Pictish stone preserving the name Ethernan in Latin script (PIDARNOIN)

What to look for

The two incised Pictish symbols — a crescent and V-rod and a serpent and Z-rod.
The Ogham inscription IRATADDOARENS running along the stone.
Signs of the stone's reassembly, after it was broken up and built into a dry-stone wall before 1866.

Plan your visit

Location: 57.2916°N · 2.4000°W
Nearest settlement: Inverurie
Access: Open access
Terrain: Easy going
Start point: The Brandsbutt Stone · About 1m north-west of Inverurie off the A96. · On a pathway between Brankie Rd and Gordon Dr.
Best time: Open year-round.
Start point: Brandsbutt Stone path parking — Parking area immediately beside the pathway between Brankie Road and Gordon Drive where HES locates the stone.