In his chapter on standing stones, John Spence notes that in the popular mind they were usually put down to a race of giants, of whom a faint tradition lingers. It was the giant of Ronas Hill, he says, who in a combat with the giant of Papa Stour threw a stone at his foe on the distant island, which fell short and is now known as the Standing Stone of Busta.
Similar tales are told of other stones. In the Unst story the giant Herman overshot his target, whereas this one fell short. Both fit the pattern of landscape explained by thrown rocks.
The stone is pinned approximately at Busta, which is where the name puts it, and the origin tale is the only content of the record.
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