Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
1
The history and folklore of the Outer Hebrides is inextricably linked to the sea. Situated
off the north-west coast of mainland Scotland, the islands have a remoteness that can
give a feeling of isolation which helps the reader to appreciate the life of the people who
have lived and worked here, leading hard and unrelenting lives. In terms of the light-
houses, this isolation is amplified and it can be said that the lighthouse on Eilean Mor is
a lonely and remote place in what is already considered to be an isolated area.
An understanding of the folklore lends background to one of the more outlandish the-
ories (
see Chapter 8
) concerning the disappearance of the lighthousemen on Eilean Mor.
There has been habitation in the Outer Hebrides for more than 5,000 years. Life in the
islands was nearly always hard as people battled primarily against the elements to carve
out an existence, and this continued up until the twentieth century. There is substan-
tial evidence of the Iron Age past with Iron Age forts and archaeological sites scattered
throughout the Isle of Lewis. The Vikings invaded the islands in the ninth century and
left their mark, with many of the place names being of Norse origin. Perhaps the most
lay close to the village of Callanish on the west coast of Lewis. They were construc-
ted between 2900 and 2600
BC
, and it is believed that part of them may have been con-
structed earlier than 3000
BC
. The thirteen primary stones form a circle roughly 40ft in
diameter with a long approach avenue of stones to the north and shorter stone rows to
the south, west and east. A tomb was later built into the site and excavations there in
1980 and 1981 discovered human remains and found evidence that the tomb had been
added later as well as modified many times, and also that it had been out of use from
2000
BC
and 1700
BC
Looking from above, the whole site appears very roughly like a
Celtic Cross. The main site is referred to as Callanish I as there are several other mega-
lithic sites in the area and these are numbered accordingly. For example, Cnoc Dubh, an
ancient settlement or 'Shieling' (a stone dwelling used while tending cattle on summer
pastures,) is known as Callanish VII. The other sites, which are mainly stone settings
or standing stones, are also named Callanish, with roman numerals to differentiate each
one. In respect of the Callanish Stones, the folklore has a couple of variations. One of
