Druid’s Circle, Gwynedd, Wales is a large, open circle with a double portalled entrance at the SW, which has a strong resemblance to the Lakeland stone circle at Swinside. There are 29 stones in the circle, with thirteen of them still standing. The stones had been erected in a substantial bank of rubble, which gives the circle interior a dish-like appearance from some angles. The tallest stones stand at the NW, E and W, all of these are about 1.7m tall.At the west stands the Deity Stone, (photograph above) this stone has a strangely anthropomorphic appearance, resembling a hooded human figure, its "head" seems to look straight at the circle centre. According to legend, this stone will strike down anyone who swears near to it.
Although the portal stones have fallen and the northern inner stone is missing, the entrance is still pretty evident today. The southern pair of portal stones are said to be aligned on the major southern moonset when viewed from the centre of the circle. This astronomical alignment of portal stones is another feature shared with the large open circles of the Lake District.
The circle was excavated in 1958, yielding several finds. Non-local quartz was found scattered in the circle and a central mass of local stone covered two cremations. Both of the cremations were those of children, one of which was found in a small cist covered by an enlarged Early Bronze Age food vessel. Other finds included a second food vessel, three whetstones and a small bronze knife.
The many Late Neolithic features of the circle and its proximity to the Graig Lwyd axe factory, only a quarter of a mile away, suggest an early date for its construction, which is somewhat at odds with the Bronze Age material found within it.
