The Devil's Arrows

On the outskirts of Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire stand three enormous prehistoric monoliths, rising from the surrounding landscape like the remnants of a forgotten civilisation. Known as the Devil's Arrows, these extraordinary stones are among the tallest standing stones in Britain. Their precise purpose remains uncertain, but their immense size, prehistoric origins and centuries of supernatural folklore have made them one of Yorkshire's most intriguing ancient monuments. The surviving stones stand approximately 5.5, 6.7 and 6.9 metres tall, arranged along an alignment extending some 174 metres. Archaeologists date the monument to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, placing its construction thousands of years before the arrival of Christianity in Britain. The stones were not always alone. Sixteenth-century antiquarians recorded a fourth standing stone, subsequently toppled and broken apart. For centuries, the fate of its remains was uncertain, although local traditions suggested that fragments had been incorporated into nearby structures. The monument's remarkable scale raises an obvious question: how did prehistoric communities transport and erect such enormous blocks without modern machinery? Geological research published in September 2026 traced the stone to the Brimham Rocks area, approximately eleven miles away. The findings indicate that Neolithic communities deliberately transported these massive blocks across the Yorkshire landscape. Their destination was no ordinary place. The Devil's Arrows stand within a much wider prehistoric ceremonial landscape associated with the River Ure, including ancient henges, burial monuments and other archaeological remains. Their alignment has prompted suggestions of astronomical significance, particularly possible relationships with lunar movements. However, their original purpose has never been conclusively established. As knowledge of the monument's builders disappeared, a very different explanation emerged. The Devil himself had placed the stones there. According to a longstanding Yorkshire legend, Satan became enraged with the inhabitants of nearby Aldborough and decided to destroy their settlement. Standing upon How Hill, he hurled three enormous stone arrows towards the town. But his aim failed. The missiles fell short, embedding themselves in the ground near Boroughbridge, where they supposedly remain to this day. The legend transformed an ancient prehistoric monument into the physical remains of an attempted act of supernatural destruction. Another tradition offers a considerably more disturbing possibility. It was said that anyone who walked twelve times anticlockwise around the stones could summon the Devil. The significance of moving anticlockwise, sometimes called widdershins, appears throughout British folklore, where reversing the customary direction of movement is frequently associated with witchcraft, misfortune and supernatural encounters. The Devil's Arrows also became associated with stories of ancient sacrifice. Later traditions suggested that human victims had once been offered upon the stones, although no reliable archaeological evidence establishes that such rituals occurred there. These darker stories reflect the tendency of later generations to associate mysterious prehistoric monuments with forbidden religious practices and malevolent forces. The stones themselves offer a different kind of mystery. Their weathered surfaces contain deep vertical grooves, once interpreted as possible deliberate carvings. Archaeological examination has shown that the prominent channels are largely the result of natural weathering over thousands of years. Yet their appearance remains extraordinary. Three towering monoliths, transported across the landscape by prehistoric communities, aligned within a region filled with ancient ceremonial monuments and subsequently transformed into the subject of centuries of supernatural storytelling. There is no convincing documented tradition of repeated ghost sightings or apparitions at the stones. Their paranormal significance lies principally in their association with Devil folklore, ritual traditions and the enduring mystery of their original purpose. The people who erected the Devil's Arrows left no written explanation. Later generations supplied one of their own. The Devil had tried to destroy a town — and missed. Type of Phenomena: Devil Folklore / Ritual Traditions / Supernatural Summoning Legends / Prehistoric Mysteries Haunting Classification: Ancient Monument / Supernatural Folklore Reported Traditions: → The Devil hurling enormous stone arrows towards Aldborough → The stones supposedly landing where they stand today → A ritual involving twelve anticlockwise circuits to summon the Devil → Historical traditions of human sacrifice → Possible ceremonial and astronomical significance → A lost fourth standing stone Association with the wider prehistoric ritual landscape of the River Ure