To be a rock and not to roll...
Posted on 09/03/2010 10:11:28 PM PDT by thecodont
Reporting from London — It isn't much to look at: a gray lump of rock behind an ugly metal grill, attached to an even uglier building. You have to crouch down to see it, and its admittedly modest (or maybe nonexistent) charm can seem trifling compared with the glories of St. Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Abbey.
Unloved and neglected, lost in the shadows of gleaming bank towers and the bustle of a city hard at work, the London Stone gets short shrift from the tourist hordes and even Londoners themselves. But it's one of the city's most ancient and storied relics. Modern legend even says London's existence depends on it.
This chunk of limestone has sat in or around the same spot on present-day Cannon Street, in London's financial district, for at least one millennium, possibly two, throwing up mysteries and inspiring myths as to its origins and purpose.
Was it a mile marker? Did it represent the center of London? Was it a place of sacrifice, a symbol of authority, a source of mystical power, a guardian spirit?
No one knows for sure. But Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and poet William Blake all wrote about the stone. One 15th century rebel declared himself ruler of London by striking it with his sword.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and poet William Blake all wrote about the stone. One 15th century rebel declared himself ruler of London by striking it with his sword.
Probably came from Wensleydale’s.
Sometimes a stone is just a stone, but a good cigar is forever.
To be a rock and not to roll...
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
;-)
Interesting, thanks. I have seen the Stone of Scone and kissed the Blarney Stone but I never heard of this one.
Interesting looking stone as it almost looks melted or like it once was molten on the top.
absolutely...
Needs a link to the Stone of Scone.
The rock is a very old unit of mensuration that defines limit of movement to "within a stones throw".
But in the 1990's the English gave it back to the Scots. It is now in Edinborough Castle. Supposedly, it will be sent back to Westminster for the coronation of the next monarch, which hopefully won't be horseface.
Scone (”skoon”) was stolen in the 1950s, was missing for some years, and then supposedly returned in the, hmm, 1970s? Some claim that the real stone wasn’t returned.
The most intriguing story is that the stone's origin is Biblical, from the Holy Land. I'd need to see some solid scientific testing to back that up, though.
No Blarney would be Irish.
yes, but if I said “sounds like a load of arse”, it wouldn’t be funny.
Yeah but these kind of things add color to life. Sure its probably just a lump of rock, but then you could equally say that the liberty bell is just a cracked piece of metal. It’s the belief that’s important, not the item itself. Ascribing alleged mystical properties to inanimate objects is a uniquely Human thing to do - it’s what separates us from the animals. As long as you dont get too carried away with that kind of thing, it doesn’t do too much harm.
Two words: fire hydrant
er....you’ll have to unpack that a bit for me. Sorry.
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