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Erected approximately 5,000 years ago, the Kerloas menhir is, until proven otherwise, the tallest megalith currently standing. It is located in the countryside between Plouarzel and Saint-Renan, surrounded by fields. The surroundings are particularly peaceful.
The menhir is still nicknamed "the hunchback" or "the wrong one" by some, because of two humps located on either side of it. These two protrusions, about thirty centimeters high, were once the object of a fertility rite. Newlyweds would come naked and rub their bellies against the humps of the menhir, the woman on one side, the man on the other. The man was assured of having male offspring, the woman of ruling her husband as she pleased.
Kerloas, known as "the hunchback" or "the crooked one" (or "the wrong one"), stands 9.50 meters above ground level. However, the original height of this monolith was much greater, exceeding 10 meters, because in the 18th century, it was struck by lightning, which broke off its top. The main fragments lying at its base were used, one to make a trough, the other as a boundary stone for a field. The latter has since been repurposed as a lawn ornament at the neighboring farm.
Kerloas, the tallest menhir in France (and the world)
The circumference of the menhir at ground level is 6.20 meters; at 1.20 meters high, it is 6.70 meters; at 3.65 meters, it is 6.96 meters, after which the stone becomes thinner. At 5 m, the circumference is 6.45 m and at 6 m it becomes 5.95 m. The weight of the menhir is estimated at 150 tonnes.
In 1911, Guénin also reported that the megalith was reputed to have healing powers and that sick people secretly came to rub themselves against the bumps of the menhir in the hope of being cured. This same author also tells us that it was a "good woman" who brought it in her apron... Others attribute it to Gargantua, who placed it, along with all the granite blocks that dot the fields of Plouarzel, to take revenge on the inhabitants of the parish because they had only given him gruel to eat.
Legend also says that a treasure is hidden there, visible only on Christmas Eve. This legend says that at the first stroke of midnight, the menhirs would run to drink from the ocean. But when the twelfth stroke sounded, they had already returned to their places, stoic, motionless, impervious to the ravages of time. And woe to the imprudent ones who, dazzled by the revealed riches, had forgotten the time! They were crushed...
A ritual has been passed down to us by several 19th-century travelers. Jacques Cambry, a Breton writer, tells us, for example, in 1805:
“New brides bring their husbands here, make them kiss the stone, so they can be mistresses in their own homes. A strange superstition leads men and women to rub their navels against this pillar to conceive boys rather than girls, and the stone is worn and polished to waist height.”
For his part, in 1832, Christophe-Paulin de la Poix, Chevalier de Fréminville, tells us:
“Newlyweds devoutly go to the foot of this menhir, and after partially undressing, the woman on one side, the husband on the other, rub their bare bellies against one of these bumps.” The man claims that this ridiculous ceremony will produce male children rather than female ones, and the woman claims that it will give her the advantage of being the absolute mistress of the house and completely controlling her husband."
Another legend claims that the stones scattered throughout the area, including the Kerloas menhir, were hurled by the giant Gargantua at the inhabitants of Plouarzel because he was dissatisfied with the food they had given him.
Several excavations have been carried out around the monument. They revealed a paved area approximately 20 meters long, as well as 26 pottery shards from the deposit of a Bronze Age ceramic vessel, dating from a period much later than the erection of the menhir. In 1961, following a clandestine excavation by a treasure hunter, another pottery hoard was discovered at the foot of the monument. The shards were deposited at the Penmarc'h Museum of Prehistory.
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