[meteorite-list] The Stone of Scone

[mexicodoug at aim.com]

Dear Listees,

Here are some opinions regarding the Stone of Scone, the very heavy 
meteor-maybe that was seen as a source of power to Scottish Kings and 
Country, before it was seized by the King of England to be built into 
the British Coronation Seat 700 years ago.

There is clamor and publicity surrounding this in preparation for the 
upcoming relatively low budget movie (Does anyone know when it will 
fiinally be fully released since the 21 June Premier in at the Scottish 
Film Festival?), and the internal state of politics in Great Britain 
and Scottish separatists ...

There are doubts as to whether the English King Edward I was duped into 
getting a piece of common sandstone while the true [possible meteorite 
collected before the 9th century in the Middle East, having been used 
by Jacob in the Christian Bible times - see excerpted below] was hidden 
by Scottish monks and nobility.

After being returned to Scotland in 1996, controversy still shrouds the 
stone as the SNP leader Mr. Alex Salmond, has some interesting 
comments.  The other 'reputed' entered the equation when the the Stone 
was actually stolen and transported back to Scotland in 1950 by four 
activist students (and broken in two in the process) that it was 
swapped and when the whereabouts finally discovered in 1951, a fake 
make by an expert Scottish stonecutter was returned ... and the 
authentic one (or at least the authentic original fake)20remains 
hidden...

A National search was conducted in the year following the theft before 
ithe reputed stone's location was finally disclosed.
The movie will be about the four kids' comical escapades, Scottish 
style...  The ringleader is played by actor Charlie Cox, who is no 
stranger to meteorite hunting (he was Tristan in last years movie 
adaptation of Stardust ...)
Slàinte mhòr !  Cheers !
Doug

Excerpted from the above 2008.06.15 link: 
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4144587.ece

Mr Salmond appears to favour the former theory, saying: “What I believe 
cannot be in doubt is that the stone currently in Edinburgh Castle is 
the one that lay in Westminster Abbey for 700 years.”

He believes that the original stone may have been a fragment of 
meteorite. Medieval chroniclers described it as round, black and 
polished with carved symbols. According to legend, it was used as a 
pillow by Jacob when he dreamt of a ladder to heaven.

“At least one chronicler describes the stone as a shiny black object 
and you would think that if something was to be seen as Jacob's pillow, 
Scotland's most sacred relic, it would be very unusual to the medieval 
eye,” Mr Salmond added.

“I have a hunch that the sort of thing that would go down as the Stone 
of Scone would be more like a meteor or something like that - something 
very unusual, and a lump of Perthshir
e sandstone, interesting and nice, 
doesn't seem to be that.”

According to this theory, the real stone, which, according to 
mythology, came from Palestine and was carried through Egypt, Sicily, 
Spain and Ireland before arriving in Scone in the 9th century, was 
removed from the abbey by monks and hidden in a nearby cave before the 
English could seize it. According to recent claims, it may even be 
hidden to this day in the grounds of a Perthshire mansion.

excerpted from reader comments:

'The stone bears the inscription:
"Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocumque locatum Invenient lapidiem, regnasse 
tenetur ibidem"
(If the Destiny prove true, then the Scots are known to have been Kings 
where'er men find this stone).
Frank, Glasgow, Scotland