Saturday, January 15, 2011

Toadstone



Have you  ever heard of Toadstone?  To the Tudors and Jacobeans it was something sought after and to be worn in amulet and jewelry.  This amazing “stone” desirability goes as far back as the days of ancient Rome.  This stone had such a reputation that even royalty wore them.  It was told that toadstone came from the head of toads and that it had miracleous power!  Toadstone was said to cure many ailments and offered protection against many diseases among which included, kidney diseases, protection for newborns, protection from epilepsy, palsy, counteract all kinds of poisons, cures fever, cures sores and bowl problems,  it was also helped to ease the pain of childbirth. Amazing!
Most often it was placed into an open bezel ring (twin bezels if you needed extra strength) the toadstone was thought to give off heat to the finger on which it was worn if the presence of poison were detected. Think of all the toads that had to die in order for people to feel protected!
In reality toadstone are the button-shaped fossil teeth of the fish Lepidotes.  In folklore they were once thought to have come from the heads of living toads.

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