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Brodgar Sunrise

                The Ring of Brodgar sits on a thin strip of land bordered by the salt-water Stenness Loch and the fresh-water Harray Loch on Orkney Island, Scotland. A ring of thirty-six stones, with twenty-seven of them still standing are what remain of the original sixty, erected as early as 3,000 BC. Often associated with Summer solstice, the Ring of Brodgar, or “Temple of the Sun” stands a short distance from the Stenness Stones, often called the “Temple of the Moon.”       

 As part of the Orcadian wedding tradition, a couple wishing to become engaged, would first visit the Ring of Brodgar where the man vowed his love to his bride-to-be, then together they walked nearly a mile south to the Stenness Stones where she would do the same. They then walked a short distance to the Odin Stone, and while kneeling from opposite sides, the couple held hands through the opening of the stone, and declared their love to each other. This wedding rite was binding as any mortal law.  The Ring of Brodgar, the Stenness Stones and the Odin Stone are often referred to as “The Wedding”.      

Brodgar Sunrise symbolizes the Ring of Brodgar, honored as the “Temple of the Sun” in that first breath of dawn during Summer Solstice.