Thunderstone (folklore)

Thunderstone (folklore)

A thunderstone is an apparently worked stone object - often wedge-shaped, like an axe blade - alleged to have fallen from the sky. Tales of thunderstones are found in many cultures around the world, from Greece to China, and are often associated with a thunder god.

In recent times, it is known that these objects are often the result of a lightning strike into the ground.Fact|date=June 2008 Under the enormous heat induced by the lightning, sand in the soil melts into a solid block of silica. This is why "thunderstones" in a desert tend to be larger and more cylindrical, whereas in grassland they are often shaped like a blade and are significantly thinner.

They are also known as "thunderaxes", "storm stones", "sky arrows", "thunderbolts", "lightning stones", "sky axes", and "thunder teeth". In Brazil, a thunderstone is known as a "raio" ("lightning flash").

ee also

*Meteors
*Star Jelly
*Perkwunos
*Mjolnir
*Ukonkirves
*Battle-axe culture
*Celt (tool)

References

*Blinkenberg, Christian Srensen. "The Thunder Weapon in Religion and Folklore". Cambridge University Press, 1911. pg. 100.
*Fort, Charles. "The Book of the Damned." 1919. [http://www.resologist.net/damn08.htm Chapter 8] .
*Tyler, Edward Burnett. "Primitive Culture". 1871. v.2, pgs. 237-9.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Thunderstone — can refer to: *Thunderstone (album), an album by Thunderstone. *Thunderstone (band), a Finnish power metal band. *Thunderstone (folklore), a worked stone object often associated with a thunder god. *Thunderstone (software), a large supplier of… …   Wikipedia

  • Scandinavian folklore — Painting by John Bauer Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the Swedish speaking parts of Finland. Collecting folklore began when …   Wikipedia

  • English folklore — Poor little birdie teased, by the 19th century English illustrator Richard Doyle depicts an elf as imagined in English folktales. English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. Some stories can… …   Wikipedia

  • Médecine dans la Préhistoire et la Protohistoire — Crâne de jeune fille trépané au silex, Néolithique (3500 Av. J. C.) ; la cicatrisation des os indique que la patiente a survécu à l opération Sommaire 1 Sources …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Folk religion — For religions sometimes described as folk religions or ethnic religions , see Ethnic religion. Folk religion consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of an organized religion, but outside of official doctrine and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”