A petrosomatoglyph is a supposed image of parts of a human or animal body in rock. They occur all over the world, often functioning as an important form of symbolism, used in religious and secular ceremonies, such as the crowning of kings. Some are regarded as artefacts linked to saints or culture heroes.
A footprint (replica shown) carved into the rock on Dunadd, in Argyll, is linked to the crowning of the Scots kings of Dál Riata.
The devil's talons at St Pancras chapel, St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury.
The Devil's Footstep in the Munich Frauenkirche.
According to legend, these impressions are a copy of the footprints of Jesus at the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, Rome.
A rock-cut basin is a natural cylindrical depression cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out these rock basins by their abrasive action. These basins are frequently found in streams and rivers with a relatively soft rock substrates such as limestones and sandstones. The rather unusual and man-made appearance of such depressions has led to various folk-tales becoming associated with them, such as their identification as petrosomatoglyphs, including knee prints, elbow prints, etc. of saints, heroes, kings or supernatural beings.
The Caaf Water running over limestone: a good site for rock-cut basins.
Men-an-tol and the 'holed stone' which may have been a rock-cut basin
A bullaun made from rock-cut basins in Chapeltoun, Ayrshire, Scotland
Small basins cut by pebbles in fast moving water near the edge of the waterfall
