Remotely located near Penzance in the west Cornish moors is the unique and enigmatic Men-an-Tol stone. Archaeologists suggest that the three stones that comprise the Men-an-Tol are the remains of a Neolithic tomb because various types of holed stones have been found near the entrances to many burial chambers.
Ancient folklore of the surrounding region, however, explains that the central stone has fertilising and energising properties capable of curing almost any ailment when crawled through towards the sun.
Young children were passed three times, naked, through the hole and then dragged through the grass three times toward the east, in order to cure rickets or tuberculosis. Adults, seeking relief from rheumatism or spinal problems, crawled nine times through the hole in a sunwise direction.
The Men-an-Tol is also thought to be an instrument for measuring the May-August sunrise line, and in reverse direction, the February-November sunset
The name Mên-an-Tol means “holed stone” and refers to the central holed stone in the present arrangement of three stones in a row. The monument consists of four main stones, three standing and one fallen, all between just under 1 metre to 1.22 metres in height.
