The Nine Maidens Stone Circle (also known as the Nine Maidens stone row) is found three kilometres to the north of St. Columb Major in Cornwall. The site is an ancient monument Neolithic stone row, which is set along a field beside the A39, between Wadebridge and St. Columb Major.
The row measures 80m in length, and has stones that vary in height from .6m to two meters. There is no set spacing pattern between the stones and they are aligned to face the northeast, towards a stone that is called The Fiddler, which is found about 730m away from the stone circle.
According to one researcher, there is a possibility that at one time the Nine Maidens Stone Circle may have been large enough to include the fiddler.
The common belief is that the Nine Maidens Stone Circle, like most Neolithic monuments, were used for pagan ritual purposes, due to the fact that there is no proof that any other activities were ever commonly practiced in the area.
Additionally, the stones are also found at the four cardinal points of a compass (North, South, East, and West) which suggests that the Nine Maidens Stone circle may have been used to define the calendar or agricultural year. It is also significant to note that Cornwall does not have any other Neolithic structures outside of the Nine Maidens Stone Circle.
There are several myths that surround the Nine Maidens Stone Circle, such as one that the nine maidens were cast into stone because they engaged in dancing on a Sunday. In accordance with this myth, the fiddler who is also encased in stone is the musician that chose to play for them so that they could dance.
There are also several other myths that surround the stones, and tales of bad luck to visitors which may could possibly be attributed to the Christian church of early times, in an effort to discourage the use of the sites for pagan rituals.
