Fossil Myths and Folklore (part 2)
Crinoids - "St. Cuthbert's Beads and Star Stones"
Crinoids are commonly preserved in limestones. Their disc-shaped columnals which make up their segmented stems are often found in abundance, and it is around these that folklore has developed.
The folklore name of St. Cuthbert's Beads originated from a belief that the monk St. Cuthbert (634-687 AD), who became Bishop of Lindisfarne, carved the disc-shaped beads on a stormy night so they could be found on the beach the next morning. This legend is depicted in Sir Walter Scott's Marmion (1808):
If, on a rock by Lindisfarne,
Saint Cuthbert sits, and toils to frame
The sea-born beads that bear his name:
Such tales had Whitby's fishers told
And said they might his shape behold,
And here his anvil sound:
A deadened clang - a huge dim form
Seen but and heart when gathering storm
And night were closing round.
But this, a tale of idle fame,
The nuns of Lindisfarne disclaim"
Crinoids have also been known as Star Stones, so called because of their pentagonal shaped columnals. Star Stones were thought to have come to earth from the heavens. It was believed the star shaped columnals were generated in the clouds and sent to earth in times of thunder and violent showers.
Shark Teeth - "Tongue Stones"
The fossil record of sharks largely comprises of their teeth because they are composed of resistant calcium phosphate minerals. Shark's teeth are one of the most abundant fossils, which is not suprising given that a Great White Shark has more than 300 teeth!
Before the origin of fossilised shark teeth became fully understood they were popularly known as Tongue Stones, due to their shape. Tongue Stones were considered to have grown naturally within the rock and to spontaneously generate themselves. Some show smaller lateral projections which were considered to be offspring still attached to their parents. In medieval times it became common practice to dip Tongue Stones in a glass of wine to neutralise any poison that an enemy may have added to the drink.
Fish Teeth - "Toadstones and Serpents' Eyes"
Toadstones, so named because of their similarity to that of a warty-skinned toad, are actually the fossilised teeth of the fish Lepidotes. Lepidotes is a Jurassic and Cretaceous (205-65 million years ago) bony fish which inhabited both fresh and salt waters. Its jaws were lined with button-shaped teeth which enabled to crush the shells of the Lepidotes molluscan prey.
In folklore Toadstones were once thought to have come from the heads of living toads. They supposedly held medicinal powers against the bubonic plague if worn as amulets around the neck or wrists. This was believed because the toad's warty skin resembled the spots developed by plague victims.
Much has been written about toadstones in literature as far back as the Romans. They were even mentioned in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It:
"Sweet the uses of adversity.
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."
Duke Senior, Act 2, Scene 1
Fish teeth have also been mistaken for petrified Serpent's Eyes. The palatal teeth of the bony fish Sargus have a pale yellow or orange-coloured centre surrounded by a dark brown ring, giving them an eye-like appearance. According to the myth, St. Paul the apostle when shipwrecked on an island cursed all of the snakes. The curse caused the snakes to loose their eyes, which then became embedded in the island's rocks.
Bivalves - "Devil's Toenail"
The bivalve Gryphaea was nicknamed the Devil's Toenail because its robust curved shape, marked with prominent growth bands, seemingly resembles a thick toenail. Orthodox wisdom heralded that these strange objects were made as the Devil clipped his toenails, and were believed to cure arthritic joint pains.
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