menhirs
Ancient upright boulders
Menhirs are large upright stones set into the ground, typically from prehistoric times.
Found across Western Europe, especially in Brittany and the British Isles, they were erected by Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples for purposes now uncertain—possibly religious, territorial, or astronomical.
The field was dotted with ancient menhirs.
A single standing stone is a menhir; arranged in rows or circles, they form alignments or stone circles like Stonehenge.
Upright prehistoric monuments
- megalithsLarge prehistoric stones
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- CarnacBreton megalithic complex
- StonehengePrehistoric megalithic circle
Neolithic · Bronze Age · excavation · alignment · burial · ritual site · dolmens · henges
Worthy of reverence
- paganNon-mainstream religion follower
- druidicOf Celtic holy men
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
solstice · equinox · ley lines · energy · worship · ancestor · mystical · pilgrimage
Igneous rock, quartz-rich
- sandstoneCemented grain sediment
- quarryingOpen-pit stone mining
- transportMoving things between places
- erosionGradual wearing away
weathering · lichen · monolith · boulder · bedrock · glacial · bluestone · mineral
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- fairy taleMagical children's narrative
Obelix · cursed · enchanted · local tradition · storytelling · Breton · Welsh · Cornish
standing stones
Upright prehistoric monuments
- megalithsLarge prehistoric stones
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- CarnacBreton megalithic complex
Stonehenge · Neolithic · Bronze Age · excavation · alignment · burial · ritual site · dolmens · henges · barrows
sacred
Worthy of reverence
ceremony · solstice · equinox · ley lines · energy · worship · ancestor · mystical · pilgrimage · offerings
granite
Igneous rock, quartz-rich
erosion · weathering · lichen · monolith · boulder · bedrock · glacial · bluestone · mineral · outcrop
Asterix
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
Obelix · fairy tale · cursed · enchanted · local tradition · storytelling · Breton · Welsh · Cornish · Irish
erect
Vertical in position
towering · lone · row · circle · avenue · alignment · orientation · base · capstone · paired
menhirsdolmens
Ancient stone burial monuments
cairns · tumuli · barrows · quoits · stone circles