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a land of castles and ruins of the middle ages , yet this was different , a combination of the more recent Christian symbols and the pagan images that seemed so beautiful . The Maiden Stone lay northwest of Aberdeen heading towards Inverness . Like all of these markers experts can only surmise what they actually mean . The more worn side is definitely Christian yet has pagan symbols top and bottom , the reverse and more detailed face looks to be entirely pagan , probably of the Pictish people .
No one really knows what it means ; a large centaur , and two smaller ones , some sort of rod , another beast of legend , and possibly a mirror and comb . No one truly knows yet the legends are plentiful , none more so than that of the daughter of the Laird of Balquhain , who made a bet with a stranger that she could bake a flat bread quicker than he could build a road to the top of a nearby hill .
The daughter hadn ’ t realised that she ’ d placed a bet with the devil and when she did she ran for her life . God turned her to stone to protect her and a notch that is in the stone is where the devil tried to grab her .
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