Home  About Orkney  History  Tradition  Folklore  Placenames  Images  Downloads  About the Site  Contact   Links   Search Site   Awards	Orkneyjar update history Archaeology: The Ritual transformation of grain into ale - magic, ceremony, ritual and more. An introduction to grain processing, ritual and Grooved Ware pottery. Archaeology: The Links of Noltland - new section added. History: The "Orkney Venus" Folklore: The Black Dog o' Quholmsley Link: The Brough of Deerness and the Viking Age Diaspora : Excavations over the past two year has begun to shed light on this islet, and the settlement on top. History: When did St Magnus Die? A look at the usual years given for the Earl's death - and the suggestion of a new one - 1118. History: Video link added to the 2000 Time Team television special on Minehowe. Orkney: Updated the Orkney FAQ to outline the saga behind the county's new community flag. Link: www.orkneyislands.info - a new online guide for visitors to Orkney. Link: St Magnus Cathedral - a superb site from SCRAN, documenting the history of the cathedral, from the phases of its construction to modern day use. History: Updated information on the destruction of the Standing Stones o' Stenness "altar". Folklore: The Witchcraft Trial of Bessie Skebister. History: New photographs added to Cuween Cairn pages. History: New photographs added to Unstan cairn and the Orphir Round Kirk pages. Links: Added a link to a marvellous site detailing Orkney's geology and landscape. News: RSS feed added to archaeology news section General: Page design rewritten to restrict page size on monitor resolutions greater that 1024x768. History: New radiocarbon dates from the Tomb of the Eagles seems to indicate that eagle was not as significant to the tomb builders as once thought. History: New photographs added to Standing Stones o' Stenness and Barnhouse Settlement. History: New photographs added to Salt Knowe, Fresh Knowe and South Knowe pages of Around Brodgar. History: Investigating Darraðarljoð and the Clontarf link Folklore: The 1905 Shapinsay Sea Monster - newspaper account added. History: Additional picture added to the "altar" page of the Standing Stones o' Stenness, showing another old view of the structure. History: Eynhallow - section dealing with the sites on, and folklore surrounding, this island. History: Stones o' Stenness. Start of a section update with new photographs relating to the dolmen and possible Maeshowe alignment. History/Tradition: The Westray Dons and the Spanish Armada. Photoblog: Due to bandwidth constraints, I have had to temporarily suspend the photoblog. Dialect: 'Fleean Things'. The second of Gregor Lamb's articles. Dialect: 'Creepi-Craalies' - Insect terms in Orcadian Dialect. The first of two articles by Gregor Lamb. Portfolio: Panoramic image of Kirkwall from Wideford Hill added. Portfolio: Link restored to panoramic photograph section "A Monumental Landscape". Awards: Orkneyjar receives EduNET's Choice Award. Tradition: Odin in Orkney Tradition. Tradition: The Charm of the 'Wreestin' Threed'. History: Jo Ben's 1529 Descriptio Insularum Orchadiarum - the earliest account of Orkney after the transfer to the Scottish crown. History: Maeshowe acoustics. History: The Brough o' Deerness. History: Deepdale Stone - new photographs added. History: Brough o' Birsay section extended with new pictures. Tradition: The Eternal Battle. History: The Relics of Saint Magnus. Tradition: Notes on Weather Words in the Orkney Dialect. Tradition: Examples of Orkney dialect. History: Knowes of Trotty Bronze Age cemetery page updated with new site photographs. History: New photographs added to Dwarfie Stone and Quoyness Cairn pages. History: Knowes of Trotty Bronze Age cemetery page updated. History: Photograph of Maeshowe dragon added, along with enhanced version. History: Two photographic examples added to page detailing Maeshowe's runes. History: Midhowe broch and Yetnasteen. New pictures. History: Wideford cairn. New pictures. History: Comet Stone. New Pictures. Portfolio: Comet Stone panoramas. History: Dr John Rae - Orkney's greatest unsung hero. Portfolio: Standing Stones o' Stenness sunset Portfolio: The Moon and the Standing Stones o' Stenness added. History: Additional photographs added to Ring o' Bookan page. History: Picture of the Pictish symbol stone from the Knowe o' Burrian in Harray added. History: New photograph added to the Ring o' Bookan page. History: The Broch o' Borwick section expanded with new photographs. Portfolio: The Broch o' Borwick. History: Pictures of the Deepdale Stone. New images added together with a section rewrite. Portfolio: A Monumental Landscape: images of Orkney's best known archaeological sites. History: Rewrite and expansion of Skara Brae section has started. New images added to the first three pages so far. Orkneyjar named as 'Top Site' by Spirit and Sky website. History: Watchstone and Barnhouse Stone pages updated with new images added. Tradition: Gyro Night - Papay's forgotten night of the ogress Folklore: Origins of the selkie-folk: Documented accounts and Finmen sightings. Images: Sunset at the Standing Stones o' Stenness History: Photographs of the prone megaliths found by the Stenness loch added to the Building the Stone Circles page. History: Short page added detailing the five Viking treasure Hoards found in Orkney so far. History: Taversoe Tuick chambered cairn pages updated. Now includes information on the origin of the site's name and new photographs. History: The Picts and the Martyrs: Did Vikings Kill the Native Population of Orkney and Shetland. A paper by Brian Smith. Tradition: Orkney and the Arthurian Legends. History: Pictish Symbol Stones updated. Details symbols found in Orkney so far. History: The Earls of Orkney - The Norse Earls and the Angus Line. Placenames: Is 'the Orkneys' ever right?. Article by Dr Peter Anderson. History: New panoramic images showing Barnhouse Structure Eight and Two. History: The Battle of Summerdale. History: Orphir Round Kirk rewritten with new photographs added. History: Close up images of Birsay symbol stone designs now online. History: Standing Stones o' Stenness pages reorganised, with new photographs. History: New photographs added to pages dealing with the Brough o' Birsay and Broch o' Gurness.