# Do the stones that carry both symbols and ogham show what the symbols mean? · Pictish symbol stones

> Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAGSM0ARD/do-the-stones-that-carry-both-symbols-and-ogham-show-what  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  
Updated: 2026-10-26T11:58:28+00:00  

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# Do the stones that carry both symbols and ogham show what the symbols mean?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·Part of [Are the Pictish symbols a writing system?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAG263DNY/are-the-pictish-symbols-a-writing-system)·3 answers·0·0 following

**Three answers, none ahead** None is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

 

## Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

## Why it matters

Some symbol stones also bear ogham inscriptions; the national record lists 14 of them⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CQHA9YW03PJ/canmore-national-record-of-the-historic-environment-point). If the inscriptions name people and the symbols do too, the two should agree.

## Answers 3



[**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/answers/ANS0CQHAQ4R1YCS/none-of-these)

Not tested enough to call either way

Evidence: none yet

Still possible



[**On stones with both, the ogham and the symbols record the same name or person.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/answers/ANS0CQHAPN4410K/on-stones-with-both-the-ogham-and-the-symbols-record-the)

Not tested enough to call either way

Evidence: none yet

Still possible



[**The ogham and the symbols are independent additions with no shared content.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/answers/ANS0CQHAPWY7HNC/the-ogham-and-the-symbols-are-independent-additions-with-no)

Not tested enough to call either way

Evidence: none yet

Still possible

## History

1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site

## Discussion 0

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Where it fits

Pictish symbol stones

[**Are the Pictish symbols a writing system?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAG263DNY/are-the-pictish-symbols-a-writing-system)Key question · most likely the symbols are emblems of rank, kin group, office or territory that do not encode words

[Can corpus statistics tell whether a small symbol corpus like the Pictish one is language?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/pictish-symbols/questions/QST0CQHAGA07V40/can-corpus-statistics-tell-whether-a-small-symbol-corpus)Most likely · the published measures do not reliably separate writing from non-linguistic systems; better measures exist…

**Do the stones that carry both symbols and ogham show what the symbols mean?** You're here · 3 answers, untested

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