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Meteorites, or Celestial Stones: Roden

A curious survival of the adoration of stones is reported by the Earl of Roden in his "Progress of the Reformation in Ireland." A correspondent informed Lord Roden that in Inniskea, an island off the coast of Mayo, there was, in 1851, a stone idol called in the Irish tongue Neevougi. This was said to have been preserved and worshipped from time immemorial. The stone is described as having been wrapped in so many folds of homespun flannel that it looked like a mass of that material. This is explained by the custom of dedicating a dress of this flannel to the stone whenever its aid was sought, the garment being sewed on by an old woman who officiated as the priestess of the stone. Prayers were offered to this strange idol for the cure of diseases, as it was supposed to be endowed with extraordinary powers. A stranger petition sometimes made was that a storm might arise and wreck a ship upon the coast so that the thrifty islanders might profit by its misfortune; on the other hand, with charming inconsistency, when they wished to go a-fishing or pay a visit to the mainland, the trusty stone was expected to assure them fair weather and a calm sea.

In Tavernier's time (about 1650) many poor families living in the woods and on the hillsides in India, far from any village where there was a temple, would take a stone, probably one of a peculiar shape, and would roughly paint on it a nose and eyes in red or green color. This being done, the whole family would gather about this stone and reverently adore it as their idol. In certain districts in Norway, up to the end of the eighteenth century, superstitious peasants used to preserve round stones, and set them up in a conspicuous place in their houses. At Yule-tide these stones were sprinkled with fresh ale. Some of them were worshipped as divinities, and every Thursday, or oftener, they were smeared with butter, or some similar substance, before the fire. This ointment was allowed to dry on the stone, which was then returned to its place of honor. These ceremonies were supposed to insure the health and happiness of the household. The fact that special ceremonies were performed in connection with these stones on Thursday, as well as the name "Thor-stones" applied to many of them, indicates that in early times they were associated with the worship of the god Thor. The so-called thunderbolts--usually flint axe-heads--are believed to have been hurled at the trolls or elves by the thunder, so that these evil-disposed spirits might be subdued and prevented from fulfilling an old saying, according to which they would desolate the earth. Originally it was Thor himself who was believed to hurl the thunderbolt. These stones were supposed to be endowed with wonder-working powers. When a woman was in labor, ale was allowed to drip over a stone of this kind, and was then given to the woman to drink. All through the Scandinavian countries the peasants believed that if such a stone were hung up in a house or on cattle, the trolls and other malevolent spirits would be driven away, and all spells and witchcraft would be rendered harmless.

In Sir William Brereton's account of his travels (1634-1635) we read that he saw in the School of Anatomy at Leyden a stone called "Fulminis Sagitta, or the dart of the thunderbolt, about the size of your little finger." This was either a belemnite or a stone arrow-head of somewhat similar form. It bore a Latin inscription to the following effect: "Many believe that nursing children can be cured of rupture if this stone be attached to their thighs, or if they do not suffer from this complaint, they will be preserved from it." On the ridge-beam of an Irish cottage at Portrush was found a neolithic celt of the kind believed by the peasantry to be "thunderbolts." This celt had been placed on the roof of the cottage to protect it from being struck by lightning, a notion thoroughly in accord with the theory of sympathetic magic. In Surrey, England, a like belief is held as to the fossil belemnites, and nodules of iron pyrites such as have been found in Cretaceous formations near Cragdon are also thought to have fallen from the sky during a thunder-storm, and to possess peculiar powers in reference to the lightning. In Ireland the prehistoric stone arrow-head is believed to have been shot at man or beast by the fairies. Should an old woman be so lucky as to find one she will become highly honored in her village, and it is used as a cure for diseases produced by the wiles of evil spirits. To effect a cure, the saigead ("arrow") must be placed in water, which is then given to the sick person to drink. Cows which have been wounded by the "fairy-darts" are also made to drink of this water. The Irish peasants wore the stone arrow-heads, set in silver, as amulets for protection against injury from like weapons at the hands of the fairies. Similar superstitions exist in the North of England. Nilsson believes that the "elf-shots" (the arrow-points or axe-points) of the Irish peasantry are identical with the "Lap-shots" of the Swedish peasantry. These stones were thought to have belonged to the Laplanders, the "black elves" of the Edda, and were therefore used as a protection against the witcheries of these elves. The idea that the substance or thing that has caused an injury can effect a cure of this injury, appears in the Edda. The shepherds in the French Alps value the "thunder-stones" (peyros de tron) very highly. They are handed down from father to son as precious heirlooms, and when the flocks are driven to the pasturage, one of these wonder-working stones is embedded in a tuft of wool on the back of the bell-wether; this is supposed to serve as a protection for the whole flock. In Spain the peasants call these stones piedros del rayo, or "lightning-stones." The names bestowed on such prehistoric stone implements by the inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago, of Java and Sumatra, all indicate that they are believed to have fallen from the sky. In Malacca they are called batu gontur, "lightning-stones," and in Sumatra we have the name anak-pitas, "child of the lightning." In the island of Nias, near Sumatra, they are worn as amulets on the head or attached to the sword. The Watubela islanders denominate them "teeth of the thunder," a name which suggests the appellation glossopetra ("stone-tongue"), and like this is evidently derived from the form of certain of these prehistoric celts.

The Burmans have given the highly poetic name of "rainbow-disease" to the disorder known to us as appendicitis, and they use the axe-heads and other pointed or sharpened arrow-heads of the Stone Age for the cure of this malady, stroking the region affected with one of these implements. The natives share in the delusion almost universal among primitive peoples, that these stone implements have fallen from the sky during thunder-storms, and that they partake of the nature of thunderbolts; hence they are supposed to destroy the rainbow-disease, as the approach of heavy storm clouds, charged with lightning, darken the sun and put an end to the beautiful natural phenomenon. In the island of Mindanao, one of the Philippine group, the heathen Manobos called the thunder the "speech of the lightning," and regarded the latter as a kind of wild animal, so that whenever the lightning struck the earth or a tree they believed that the animal had buried its teeth in the spot. They therefore looked upon any stone implement found there as one of these teeth. The ancient stone hammers found in Japan are called rai fu seki, "thunderbolts," or tengu no masakari, "battle-axes of Tengu," the warder of the heavens. Other stone implements bear the name "fox-axes," or "fox-planes." These peculiar designations are employed because the fox is a symbol of the devil, and the stone axes are regarded as weapons of the devil. Of course this in no wise prevents their use as amulets or medicinally; indeed, their powder is thought to be an especially effective remedy for boils and ulcers. Many such stones may be seen in the temples, where they are carefully preserved and shown to the pilgrims who visit the different shrines. Even at the present day, the superstitious belief in the magic properties of the prehistoric stone implements still survives among some of the Scandinavian peasants. They believe that these offer protection against lightning, and they are very unwilling to part with them. In some regions the stone axes or arrow-heads are supposed to afford protection against lightning, and they are occasionally used to relieve the pangs of childbirth. In the latter case they are placed in the bed of the suffering woman. Another curious use to which they are put is as a cure for an eruptive disease of children. Here the flint is struck sharply with a piece of steel, so that the sparks fall upon the child's head. This gives us an added proof of the association of these stone axes, etc., with fire and with the lightning flash.