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Cuween Hill

Fairy Knowe    Finstown, Orkney Islands

All pictures and text copyright © 1995, 1998 Martin McCarthy
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The main chamber, looking north.
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The main chamber, looking south. The entrance is at the lower far end of the left wall; the spaces in the facing and right walls lead into subsidiary chanbers.
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Runes carved in Cuween cairn. These are probably fairly recent graffitti rather than genuine Viking runes.
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Enhanced image of the runes.
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Looking east from the eastern slope of Cuween Hill is a chambered tomb, sometimes known as the Fairy Knowe.

When the tomb was excavated in 1901, by M.M.Charleson, seven human skulls and twenty-four dog skulls were found within the main chamber and the side chambers. There has been some speculation that the dog was a tribal totem (as with red deer at Holm of Papa Westray North and eagles at Isbister).

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Find Cuween Hill (or the nearest known site) at the Megalithic Portal