The Isle of Lewis Chess Pieces - 3.5" King - BROWN and NATURAL

These chess pieces are replicas of the originals which were discovered on the Isle of Lewis off the West Coast of Scotland and which are now housed safely and securely in the British Museum of London and in Edinburgh. Many pieces were discovered and this is our interpretation of the Isle of Lewis chess set. The Isle of Lewis chessmen were featured in the movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

In 1831 the sea carried away a sandbank on the Isle of Lewis uncovering a mysterious building that had been buried under the sand. A peasant working nearby found what he concluded to be a collection of Elves and Gnomes. The superstitious highlander flung down his spade and fled home in horror. Superstition in Lewis had survived in a powerful form. Thus, when the peasant first looked at the group of singular little handcarved figures it was natural that they should appear as the pigmy sprites of Celtic folklore. However, he was induced by his wife to return to the spot and take the figures home. He sold them to a local collector who realized they were chessmen. There were 78 pieces in all belonging to eight or more sets; 67 are now in the British Museum and the rest in the National Museum, Edinburgh. Experts are unanimous in regarding them as the most astonishing collection of ancient chessmen in existence.