Elly Griffiths writing has such depth,and the way she portrays the spirituality of her characters brings us closer to understanding them. a b c "Boa". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008 . Retrieved 6 October 2010. Boa Island is believed to be named after Badhbh, Caillech Bhéarra the Celtic goddess of war. Badhbh was known to shapeshift and take the form of a crow, who was seen upon the shoulder of, Cúchulainn after he died in battle. At other times she is pictured as a wolf.

She is one of three Celtic war goddesses that included her sisters,MachaandMorrigan. Their mother was the goddess, Ernmass who was said to be one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Boa Island bilateral figure is 73cm (29in) high, 45cm (18in) wide on its two broader surfaces, and 30cm (12in) wide on its two narrow surfaces. [9] Each side of the figure has a face and torso. On the sides of the stone where the two carved figures are joined, is an interlace design that may represent hair. The faces are large and ovals, with big eyes, straight noses, and half open mouths with protruding tongues above pointed chins. [ citation needed]When carbon dating proves that the child's bones predate the home and relate to a time when the house was privately owned, Ruth is drawn ever more deeply into the case. But as spring turns into summer it becomes clear that someone is desperate to put her off the scent by frightening her to death... The larger of the figures is the Boa Island bilateral figure. It is regarded as one of the most enigmatic and remarkable stone figures in Ireland. It is called a Janus-figure because it has two faces, reminding some of the Roman two-headed deity Janus, however, it is not a representation of Janus. It is thought to represent a Celtic deity and could represent a Celtic goddess as readily as a god, especially given the name of the island. The east side of the statue faces the sunrise and some have said that it appears to be speaking. It has arms crossed over his chest in an almost Egyptian pose.

Rynne, Etienn. "Celtic Stone Idols in Ireland". In: Thomas, Charles. The Iron Age in the Irish Sea province: papers given at a C.B.A. conference held at Cardiff, January 3 to 5, 1969. London: Council for British Archaeology, 1972 Irish Writers Online. "Francis Harvey". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007 . Retrieved 24 November 2007. Set in the 1950 and 60s in (unsurprisingly) Brighton, this series begins with The Zig Zag Girl, published in 2014, with the most recent addition, The Midnight Hour, published in 2021. The books feature police officer Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto and are high on period detail and humour as well as containing some masterful plot work.Elly Griffiths has turned out a complex plot rich with intriguing characters, some recurrent and others case-related. Her Norfolk is a watery, frequently misty county with just the right atmosphere for a murder mystery and she seamlessly works in lots of mythology and folklore. Halloween is perfect time to set a crime novel, and as A Room Full of Bones opens we find Ruth attending a rather offbeat event at a museum in Kings Lynn. She’s there to supervise the opening of a coffin containing the bones of a medieval bishop. However, things take a sinister turn with the discovery of the museum curator’s body beside the casket. A second death with connections to the museum has both Ruth and Nelson on high alert, and as the investigation progresses, Ruth is about to find herself severely tested, in more ways than one… The Caldragh graveyard on Boa Island contains two anthropomorphic carved stone statues known as the Boa Island figure and the Lustymore Island figure. [4] The graveyard dates from the Irish early Christian period (400–800 AD). [3] Both figures were badly damaged when they were first found. They have been placed beside each other on unrelated pillars in the graveyard which is the original location of the Boa figure. [9] A canopy was placed over them to protect them from the weather, however this has since been removed. Both of the stone figures are generally accepted to be the likeness of pagan deities. [3] Dr Ruth Galloway's forensic skills are called upon when builders, demolishing an old house in Norwich, uncover the bones of a child - minus the skull - beneath a doorway. At one point in time, the figures were protected by awnings but over time the weathering has become worse. Both figures are described as Celtic Idols. e Irishmegaliths.org.uk

Boa is a long and narrow island, which is now connected to the mainland by a road bridge at each end and located in the northern part of Lower Lough Erne. The Janus Stone Boa Island You will drive down what appears to be a farmer’s tractor lane with crops on either side, and follow the road to the end where you will see a small parking lot on the left-hand side and a cow gate. The cow gate has a small sign telling you that you are at Caldragh Cemetary.Stone figures [ edit ] The bilateral Boa Island figure and, in the foreground, the similar Lustymore Island figure ( which was moved to Boa in 1939)