In Orkney tradition many farms had their own hogboon, living in the mound beside the buildings. The household kept it sweet with a share of milk, bannocks or ale, and it kept the stock and the family safe. If the family neglected it, or a newcomer showed it no respect, things began to go wrong.
The name comes from the Old Norse haug-bui, mound-dweller. It is generally linked with the Norse idea that the founder of a farm remained in his burial mound as a guardian. Two famous hogboon tales have their own records: the Hogboon of Hellihowe on Sanday, and the Hogboon of Maeshowe.
There is no single place for this record. The pin is a general point on Mainland Orkney.
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