Granite Blessings of the Woman's Stone: Clach Bhan

Stories of Scotland

Annie and Jenny

History, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8 • 728 Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2022

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join Annie and Jenny deep in the Cairngorms, as they climb Ben Avon, but the summit isn’t the goal, instead, they take a detour to an astounding rock formation called Clach Bhan, or in English, the Women’s Stone. This rock formation overlooks the surrounding glens, and has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years. Pregnant women from miles around would undertake an arduous trek to this point and ask the stone for a safe childbirth. But why this stone, three-quarters of the way up a mountain? What caused it to be here? Why are there numerous bowl-shaped holes, perfect for sitting? And most importantly, what drew women to this spot, in search of solace and safety? This episode is sponsored by WeeBox - go to www.weebox.co.uk and enter the code ‘Story10’ for an exclusive discount!You can support Stories of Scotland on patreon, visit www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland to join up!Some of the music you heard in this episode was beautifully played by Nicky Murray and Chloe Rodgers.References:Aberdeen Press and Journal. Old North Country Superstitions. 1877.Gordon J, Wignall R, Brazier N, Bruneau P, ‘Cairngorms, A landscape Fashioned by Geology’, Scottish National Heritage, 2006.Mason D. Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, volume xiv, 1887-1888. Inverness: Gaelic Society of Inverness; 1889.Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express. A Highland Village in the 18th Century. 1911.Sinclair J. Statistical Accounts of Scotland. Edinburgh: William Creech; 1794.Smith A. The history and antiquities of new and old Aberdeen. Aberdeen: A. Murray; 1882. Get bonus content on Patreon

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Stories of Scotland, a podcast about Scottish heritage, nature and folklore.
0:16.3	I'm Jenny, a mountain of mischief.
0:19.0	And I'm Annie, a high-altitude rock formation lurking in the mist.
0:24.4	This week we're exploring a very special place relating to fertility and childbirth.
0:33.1	Located in the heart of the Kerngorms, which is a mountain range in north-east Scotland.
0:39.3	This is a place of incredible tradition and folklore, so we'll be popping on our boots for quite the track.
0:49.3	Luckily I've already got mine on Annie, because I always wear hiking books when recording.
0:56.8	Really lets me get a good grip of the subject matter.
0:59.9	But strangely a looser grip on reality.
1:11.5	I'm so thrilled for this episode because ever since we've discovered this place and the stories around it, we've been enthralled. Yes, and after we found out about it, we journeyed to this spot together in 2020,
1:17.0	hoping for all kinds of blessings. So it's really close to our hearts and our hiking boots.
1:23.3	Not only is it deep in the cairngorms, it's also high upon a mountain side.
1:28.5	And the mountain that it's upon is called, bend your da sells aven.
1:33.9	Jenny, stop ruining my emotional bond with the landscape.
1:37.9	Oh, come on, that deepens my emotional bond with the landscape.
1:42.7	You're just a little mountain troll journey.
1:45.6	This is true.
1:46.3	And the mountain you are trolling today is called Ben Avon,
1:50.6	deriving from the Gaelic for River.
1:53.6	Ben Avon sits at the head of the gorgeous and powerful River Gairn.
1:59.5	But it's not really Ben Avon itself that we're investigating today.
2:05.2	Ooh, is it the nearby child summit of Knapp Achlerich,
	...

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