Nine Ladies stone circle and their King Stone
2 min read
This bronze age stone circle is situated in a woodland clearing high on Stanton Moor, Derbyshire England.
The curious arrangement consists of nine upright stones purposefully set in an about 9-meters diameter circle and an additional lone stone sits about 30 meters away.
As with most stone circles, nobody really knows why it was built and, of course, generations of fertile imaginations have come up with their own mythological explanations.
According to a popular local legend, nine young maidens danced at the Sabbath to the tunes played by a lone fiddler. For their sin, they were turned to stone. The maidens formed the stones of the circle, and the unfortunate fiddler, known as the King Stone, became the lone stone. On one night of every year, he is said to come to life and play again untill dawn.
Today visitors to Stanton Moor are able to visit this place seven days a week without fear of being petrified.
The area is popular for walking, picnicking and, above all, the neo-Druid ceremony, a pagan rite that is held around the summer and winter solstices.