The Curious Story Around the Stone Of Destiny
The “Stone of Destiny ” or Lia Fáil was brought to Ireland by the Tuatha De Danann around 5,000 years ago – it was a stone that was said to roar out loud when the right King set foot on in. The Tuath who were descents from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. The literal meaning of this name “Tuatha De Danann” is “the Tribes of the God.”
They represented ancient Ireland, for they were the folks who lived in Pre-Christian Ireland for centuries. Before their unexplained disappearance, they stayed in Ireland for around four thousand years. There are many stories of where they came from.
According to Geoffrey Keating’s 1634 book Foras Feasa ar Éirinn “A History of Ireland” they left Greece after a battle with Syria, traveled via Norway, and “spent time in four cities—Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias. In these cities they taught their skills in the sciences, including architecture, the arts, and magic, including necromancy.
After a time in these cities, The Tuatha proceeded to the north of Scotland, so that they spent seven years at Dobhar and at Lardobhar.
They had four noble jewels, which they brought from those cities, namely, a stone of virtue from Fáilias; it is that which is called Lia Fáil; and it used to roar under each king of Ireland on his being chosen by them up to the time of Conchubhar, and it is to that stone is called in Latin Saxum fatale:”
The stone which is under my two heels,
From it Inis Fáil is named;
Between two shores of a mighty flood,
The plain of Fál (is for name) on all Ireland.
It was said that it did not matter which country the stone was in, for it would roar in the place of the true leader for that nation. “For it was in destiny for this stone, whatever place it would be in, that it is a man of the Scotic nation, i.e. of the seed of Míleadh of Spain, that would be in the sovereignty of that country.”
The Scotic nation, noble the race,
Unless the prophecy be false,
Ought to obtain dominion,
Where they shall find the Lia Fáil.
Current Modern Irish Literature places the stone on the Hill of Tara. But if you take a good look at it (picture below) you might be correct in thinking “how on earth is someone supposed to stand on that? Or sit on it for that matter”
The stone that is on the Hill of Tara looks rather phallic and it looks like someone is giving Ireland “The Middle Finger” – to me at any rate. Regardless, it is not the Stone of Destiny – a simple search (thanks to modern day resources) traces the “Stone of Destiny” to Scotland – but that’s not the stone either…let me explain.
The Stone that stands at Tara (picture above) has suffered its own share of abuse. It was said to have originally been positioned next to the Mound of the Hostages, the Neolithic passage tomb at Tara, and it was moved to its current position on top of the Forradh in 1824 in commemoration of the 1798 Rebellion.
The idea of moving it from where it was placed for probably over 4,000 years to a different location to mark a rebellion was not a good idea. This sort of thing frustrates me as the original placement of these stones had meaning related to their original purpose. Since then on a couple of occasions people have attacked it, most recently with hammers in 2012, and then some other genius poured two cans of green paint on it in 2014, and other such nonsense.
In “the History of Ireland” though from 1634, a more likely stone story is referred to. This one has the stone being requested in Scotland to serve for a coronation.
“When the race of Scot heard that the stone had this virtue, after Feargus the great, son of Earc, had obtained the power of Scotland, and after he had proposed to style himself king of Scotland, he sends information into the presence of his brother Muircheartach, son of Earc, of the race of Eireamhón, who was king of Ireland at that time, to ask him to send him this stone, to sit upon, for the purpose of being proclaimed king of Scotland. Muircheartach sends the stone to him, and he was inaugurated king of Scotland on the same stone, and he was the first king of Scotland of the Scotic nation;”
“Concerning the stone, they had it accordingly some space of time, age to age, till it reached after that to England, so that it is there now in the chair in which the king of England is inaugurated, it having been forcibly brought from Scotland, out of the abbey of Scone; and the first Edward king of England brought it with him, so that the prophecy of that stone has been verified in the king we have now, namely, the first king Charles, and in his father, the king James, who came from the Scotic race (that is to say, from the posterity of Maine son of Corc son of Lughaidh, who came from Eibhear son of Míleadh of Spain); who assumed the style of kings of England upon the stone aforesaid.”
A simple search will trace the “Stone of Destiny” moving from Scotland to England – from Briticanna “Stone of Scone, also called Stone of Destiny, Scottish Gaelic Lia Fail, stone that for centuries was associated with the crowning of Scottish kings and then, in 1296, was taken to England and later placed under the Coronation Chair. The stone, weighing 336 pounds (152 kg), is a rectangular block of pale yellow sandstone (almost certainly of Scottish origin (yes the one that is there now for sure)) measuring 26 inches (66 cm) by 16 inches (41 cm) by 11 inches (28 cm). A Latin cross is its only decoration.”
Ok – so the original stone came to Ireland with the Tuath De Dannan, went to scotland, got switched out and then went to England. I really do not this was the original stone at this point as in the picture it is depicted it is a dark stone and not sand stone – so was probably and undoubtedly switched along the way
From then on generally it resided in the UK and became the subject of a number of disputes, and on Christmas morning 1950 the stone was stolen from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalists who took it back to Scotland (they dropped it and broke it in two). Why would a stone that strong break in two? The damage may be from when the Suffragettes detonated a bomb under it to destroy it, but that’s another story.
Four months later it was recovered and restored to the abbey (repaired). In 1996 the British government returned the stone to Scotland.
The Stone of Destiny was last used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – and so it still performs its ancient duty, and to far greater effect, making not only the monarch of the Scots but of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Why the long story?
First – these stories were individually pieced together before the internet. Irish people are very accepting of things coming from authority as fact. Here is the thing – nowhere in Keatings book from 1634 does it mention the stone on Tara. Also of all the different stories, the stone in the drawing of Westminster looks like a stone you can actually put your feet on.
I don’t know what the Stone in Tara is – but it’s not the stone that came in with the Tuath de Dannan.
So where is the original Stone of Destiny? There are more than a couple of side stories discussing that including one which involves two people falling into a vault under sconce that had a metallic/meteorite stone hidden there along with a number of other items believed to be from McBeth.
According to Wikipedia:
A letter to the editor of the Morning Chronicle, dated 2 January 1819, states:
On the 19th of November, as the servants belonging to the West Mains of Dunsinane-house, were employed in carrying away stones from the excavation made among the ruins that point out the site of Macbeth’s castle here, part of the ground they stood on suddenly gave way, and sank down about six feet, discovering a regularly built vault, about six feet long and four wide. None of the men being injured, curiosity induced them to clear out the subterranean recess, when they discovered among the ruins a large stone, weighing about 500lb [230 kg], which is pronounced to be of the meteoric or semi-metallic kind. This stone must have lain here during the long series of ages since Macbeth’s reign. Beside it were also found two round tablets, of a composition resembling bronze. On one of these two lines are engraved, which a gentleman has thus deciphered.— ‘The sconce (or shadow) of kingdom come, until Sylphs in air carry me again to Bethel.’ These plates exhibit the figures of targets for the arms. From time immemorial it has been believed among us here, that unseen hands brought Jacob’s pillow from Bethel and dropped it on the site where the palace of Scoon now stands. A strong belief is also entertained by many in this part of the country that it was only a representation of this Jacob’s pillow that Edward sent to Westminster, the sacred stone not having been found by him. The curious here, aware of such traditions, and who have viewed these venerable remains of antiquity, agree that Macbeth may, or rather must, have deposited the stone in question at the bottom of his Castle, on the hill of Dunsinane (from the trouble of the times), where it has been found by the workmen. This curious stone has been shipped for London for the inspection of the scientific amateur, in order to discover its real quality.
And what became of this stone?
My point is – we are sold stories all the time that are not real, but it’s not the legends that are not real. What is not real is how we have tried to force these legends to make sense based on our understanding and what is not real is the stories that we have been told such as the Stone on the Hill of Tara is the Lia Fail that the Tuath De Danann brought to Ireland – it is not.
If a stone had such great power (and it probably had) that would not have been left available to us in a field on a hill.
Stories don’t get written about ordinary lives and boring existence unless something ‘extraordinary’ has happened.
I believe the Irish Legends.
My hunch is that these legends are from a time when people really understood energy and they were just light years ahead of us in those capabilities. And also that the world became a very dense place with our ‘advancement’ so that things that were possible then are not necessarily possible now as the planet’s energy is currently pretty dense – but it’s hopefully getting better.
Don’t ask me how they did all that – I have no clue. But I am convinced that the legends hold huge elements of truth – otherwise they would not have survived as stories.
Yes, of course the stories are embellished – just do Chinese whisper in a room – but there are elements of them all over the country, from the ring forts to the common elements across lands and in entirely different parts of the world.
So I do think we have been sold a bag of goods with regards to the Stone of Destiny and potentially a lot of other things. It does not matter if it was intentional or accidental. The point is – follow your hunches, do some investigating, do some exploring.
The world will become a better place for you doing it and you will too.
If you are looking to live a legendary life – connect with me here. I would love to hear about your journey to date.