Series of horn-shaped motifs on the Mané-Lud dolmen, at Locmariaquer.
Series of horn-shaped motifs on the Mané-Lud dolmen, at Locmariaquer.
Many monuments -some very ancient as at Barnenez in the Finistère and some dating from a later period as at Gavrinis - bear common 'U-shaped' motifs, with more or less divergent horns.
These motifs can be isolated or associated with others, such as the 'shield' for instance (illustrated by the small stele at Mané-er-Hroeg). Several motifs may also be joined or juxtaposed on the same stone (as on the Mané-Lud dolmen for instance).
Since they seemed to derive from a bull-cult similar to those of the Mediterranean basin, these signs were soon referred to as 'yoke-shaped' or 'horn-shaped'
The discovery in Gavrinis of bovine engravings confirmed this idea.