Hero stones

March 14, 2005 11:01 PM

Hero stones are carved stones (found all over India) erected in the honor of a brave man or woman who perished while defending the interests of the village. Image search.
posted by dhruva (6 comments total)

These are awesome. I've read lots about rune-stones in Europe, which are quite similar in form and function, but never seen a mention of these. So thank you!
posted by nomis at 11:17 PM on March 14, 2005

My home town was supposedly named after one of these.
posted by dhruva at 11:43 PM on March 14, 2005

These are beautiful, dhruva - thank you! I was thinking only the other day about how insane it was that I knew the names of the legendary founders of sundry Greek and Italian cities but almost nothing about the ktistic stories of South Asia...

In the Netherlands there are hunebedden, which are a kind of bicycle-riding, socially liberal runestone.
posted by tannhauser at 1:03 AM on March 15, 2005

Cool. Thank you!
posted by LittleMissCranky at 1:10 PM on March 15, 2005

Nice, thanks!
posted by carter at 3:46 PM on March 15, 2005

My home town was supposedly named after one of these

(and there I was thinking it was a corruption of bhang-galore!)

How about "sati-stones"? I have seen a few of these - in one case, with something like a hundred carved hand "prints" of the wives of a local ruler who had immolated themselves upon his death.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:20 PM on March 15, 2005