Maeshowe is a Neolithic chambered cairn that was broken into in the 12th century by Norse visitors who left runic graffiti. James Farrer, an MP and antiquarian, opened it in July 1861 and it was published in 1862.
In his book Farrer reported what local people said about the mound: that it had been lived in by a man called Hogboy, of great strength. Hogboy is the hogboon, the mound spirit of Orkney farms, though the Maeshowe one is described as dangerously strong and not the friendly farm guardian.
Accounts of other mound openings in Orkney, collected in a Dig It! Scotland article, show that the same worry shadowed digging at several sites. Maeshowe is now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland and visited on timed tours.
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