Wormy Hillock.
This is an exiguous or small mound, situated at the Southern base of the Hill of Finglenny, and overlooking the Ellachie Burn. Tradition hath it that a Hydra, which sprung, not from the Swamps of Lund as some people think, but from the flats of Morayshire, and among other notable exploids bit its way through Balloch Hill, and thus opened up the passage of “Glacks of Balloch,” from Mortlach to Cabrach.From what Hercules it received its death wound, or by what destiny this monster met its fate, on the Ellachie Burn, tradition saith not, but merely that here the monster’s course was arrested. A worm of the same genus named the Python, perished by Apollo’s shafts.
I don’t know how he knew it was in the same genus but it was an opportunity to show off a bit of classical education I suppose. Anyway, then there’s some notes in a different hand (James McDonald), and you can’t say he didn’t look into it properly, having ‘dug all over the place’. But it’s interesting if the henge was indeed an adaptation of an naturally existing landscape feature.
“Note: I examined this hillock and believe it is simply a “round” for the protection of a few sheep during snow storms. It has been originally a naturally formed Knoll and a deep trench has been dug out round the base, the material being used to form the circular dyke. On digging here and there over the centre mound there was no evidence of the ground ever having been disturbed. It is no doubt possible that an urn containing bones was deposited here but I dug pits all over the place and found nothing but a natural layer of gravel. A fort it never could have been. An enemy might have climbed the hill beside it and pelted the ‘garrison’ with stones until they were glad to flee for their lives. I would leave the name Wormy Hillock and cut out tumulus. I believe in the Dragon story but not about the Danes!”
(The ‘tumulus’ actually seems to refer to somewhere else nearby, maybe the cairn near Rhynie).
From the Aberdeenshire Ordnance Survey Name Books (1865-1), volume 78.