The “Pegasus” carving on the left side of the fourth big lintel.
Image credit: Howburn Digger
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Could it be something like the carving in Maeshowe instead of a winged horse... they aren't common in Scottish folklore.
9 years on... sorry about the delay... You are right Branwen... Winged horses aren't really that common in Scottish Folklore. This is one of over 70 pieces of worked Roman ashlar which has been used to construct this soutterain. The stonework is particularly finely finished, beautifully dressed with crisp, fresh chisel marks. The nearest permanent Roman installation we know of was a couple of miles away at Pathhead where the Legio II Augusta was stationed.
Pegasus was the emblem of the Legio II Augusta. It is thought the stones were robbed out of a Roman Building or roadside monument nearby, very shortly after the troop withdrawal at the end of the Antonine Period. Hence the excellent state of the unweathered Roman Stonework and hence the Pegasus Emblem.
canmore.org.uk/collection/336484