Tandragee Idol

The Tandragee Idol is a carved granite figure dated to the Iron Age, with some sources suggesting a date as early as 1,000 BC. The sculpture was found in the 19th century in County Armagh, Ireland. It is 60 cm (24 in) high and depicts the torso and head of a grotesque, brutish figure who crosses his body with his right arm to hold his left arm in what appears to be a ritualistic pose. The idol has a vulgar and gaping mouth, pierced nostrils and the stubs of what may be the ends of a horned helmet. The sculpture belongs to a group of similarly ancient stone idols found on or near Cathedral Hill in Armagh. The group were likely hidden sometime after the 12th century AD to avoid plunder during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. Based on its dating and iconography, especially the positioning of the right arm, the most probable source is the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann chieftain Nuadha of the Silver Arm. The figure's pose closely resembles the 5th century BC "Celtic Prince of Glauberg", ground in Germany, and the c. 400–800 AD Janus head from Boa Island, from County Fermanagh. The idol is kept in the crypt of St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh along with other ancient stone idols from the so-called "Tandragee group" rediscovered in the mid-19th century.