Gowk stane

Celtic mythology in particular is rich in references to cuckoos and the surviving folklore gives clues as to why some stones were given the gowk name.

[10] A local belief of the Gaelic-speaking community on the Isle of Lewis was that when the sun rose on midsummer morn, the "shining one" walked along the stone avenue at Callanish, his arrival heralded by the cuckoo's call.[11][relevant?]

The cuckoo traditionally sends forth its first call in spring from the gowk stone at Lisdivin in Northern Ireland.

The various gowk stones often had other functions, such as acting as boundary markers or meeting places in what may have sometimes been featureless landscapes.

The gowk stone at Whitelee may have been used as a pulpit of sorts by ministers preaching at conventicles held on this remote spot in Covenanting times.