The Standing Stones of Stenness are a Neolithic monument located on the mainland of Orkney. The monument consists of four stones that stand upright in a circle that originally held 12 stones. The remaining megaliths are huge, up to 20 feet high. They are remarkably thin and have a slab like appearance. Their tops are knife-like, pointing towards the sky. The henge (ditch and bank) is no longer visible.
Signage
Three of the stones
Knife-like tops
Stenness is widely recognized as potentially the oldest henge and stone circle in the British Isles. According to carbon dating, it dates back over 5400 years to roughly 3100 BC -- older than Stonehenge! In 1814, a farmer toppled and destroyed some of the stones because he didn't like people walking across his crop fields to see the stones. One of the stones he destroyed was the mysterious Odin Stone, a 2.5 foot stone with a hole in it. Lovers would hold hands through it and swear their commitment to each other with the God Odin as their witness. The locals were so outraged with the farmer that they tried to burn his house down.
While the exact function of stones circles is not known, it is thought to be ceremonial in nature. Even in the 18th century, Stenness was still associated with traditions and rituals, by then, relating to Norse Gods. Other Neolithic sites near Stenness include Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodgar.