Brandsbutt Stone


The Brandsbutt Stone is a class I Pictish symbol stone in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Description

A large block of whinstone, high, wide and deep, the stone had been broken up and used in building a dry stone wall before 1866. The stone, now reassembled, bears two incised Pictish symbols, a crescent and v-rod and a serpent and z-rod, and an inscription in Ogham, IRATADDOARENS. The carvings of the Brandsbutt Stone are dated to around AD 600. It is a scheduled monument.

Inscription

The inscription borne by the Brandsbutt Stone, IRATADDOARENS, has been described by Katherine Forsyth as "utterly baffling". However, a handful of interpretations have been offered.
The inscription might conserve a personal name Ethernan, corresponding to English Adrian.
The ira- may be a Pictish verb cognate with Breton irha meaning "he lies".