Menhirs Babouin et Babouine, menhir à Trédion (Morbihan)

The Menhirs Babouin and Babouine are two sculpted granite stones in the Lanvaux forest near Trédion, about 20 m apart. Babouin, the eastern stone, stands 1.45 m high and 65 cm wide, its upper part carved with a face: eyes, a broad nose and a hollow mouth line, framed by an engraved circle. Babouine, 3.25 m high and slightly leaning, was cut into three stepped sections, with a protruding central part read as a breast and a carved arc as a necklace.

The stones date from the Neolithic period, roughly 3000 to 5000 years ago, and belong to a broader megalithic tradition found across Brittany. They gained official protection as historical monuments in 1933, ensuring their preservation as important archaeological heritage.

The name Babouin may recall Jean Babouin, who received the island of Groix from Duke Jean V in 1426, though the link remains unproven. The pair are also called Jean Babouin and Jeanne Babouine, and the Babouine stone's carved breasts and necklace arc have led to its interpretation as a fertility figure.

The two stones stand in the Lanvaux forest, about 500 m south-east of the hamlet of Le Lerman, south-east of Trédion. Babouin lies roughly 20 m east of Babouine, whose 3.25 m block is slightly leaning. The ground is covered with fallen leaves and the stones are mossy, so wear suitable footwear; there are no facilities on site.

The exact origin of the names Babouin and Babouine remains mysterious, though a local story possibly links them to Jean Babouin, who was granted the island of Groix in 1426. Researchers suspect the two stones may be remnants of a single megalithic stele that was later modified or recarved.