Saint
St Hild's Snakestones
She prayed them into stone.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- A ruined Gothic abbey on a clifftop
- Legend from
- Whitby tradition (medieval)
- Best time
- Any
- Tone
- Wondrous
Hild prayed, and the snakes of Whitby lost their heads and turned to stone.
Whitby Abbey stands on the East Cliff where Hild, or Hilda, led a monastery for men and women in the 7th century. English Heritage says a legend dating back to the Middle Ages tells how Whitby was plagued by snakes. Locals asked Hild for help, and she prayed first that the snakes would lose their heads and then that their bodies would turn to stone. Whitby Museum tells it differently: Hilda picked one up and threw it over the cliff, where it curled and turned to stone. The 'snakestones' are fossil ammonites. Victorian collectors carved snake heads on them to sell to tourists.