Before palaeontology explained what fossils were, people found surprising forms in the rock: perfect spirals, pointed tongues, five-rayed stars, shells on mountain tops. Unable to recognise them as the remains of beings that had lived millions of years earlier, they interpreted them through myth, religion and legend. Thus arose a rich folklore of fossil stones, in which every form received a name and a story.
The tongue stones of Malta
Among the most famous fossils of European tradition are the glossopetrae, from the Greek for "tongue stones". They are fossil shark teeth, triangular and pointed, found in abundance in certain rock strata, particularly on the island of Malta.
Maltese tradition linked these stones to an episode in the Acts of the Apostles. After his shipwreck on the island, Saint Paul was bitten by a viper while gathering wood for the fire, but he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. According to local legend, from that moment the island's snakes lost their venom, and the tongue stones were their petrified tongues. For this reason they were also called "Saint Paul's tongues".
The Maltese tongue stones were collected, mounted in silver, exported throughout Europe and kept in cabinets of curiosities. They were considered objects of great value, linked to protection from snakes.
Steno's insight
The true nature of tongue stones was recognised in the seventeenth century. In 1667 the Danish scientist Nicolas Steno, working in Florence at the Medici court, dissected the head of a large shark caught off Livorno. Observing the animal's teeth, he noticed their perfect resemblance to tongue stones. He concluded that those stones were the teeth of ancient sharks, trapped in the rock.
From this observation Steno developed some of the fundamental ideas of modern geology, such as the principle that layers of rock are deposited in succession, the oldest below and the most recent above. It is a fine example of how the study of a legendary stone helped to found a science.
Ammonites and Saint Hilda
Ammonites are the fossil shells of marine molluscs, coiled in a perfect spiral. The name comes from the Egyptian god Amun, depicted with spiralling ram's horns, and Pliny already speaks of the "horns of Ammon".
In England, around Whitby on the Yorkshire coast, ammonites are abundant. A local legend tells that Saint Hilda, abbess of the monastery of Whitby in the seventh century, turned into stone the snakes that infested the area, and that the ammonites are those snakes, petrified and coiled. To make the legend more convincing, some craftsmen carved a snake's head at the end of the spiral, selling these "snakestones" to pilgrims and visitors. Whitby's coat of arms still shows ammonites.
Fossil urchins and fairy loaves
Fossil sea urchins, with their domed shape and five-rayed pattern, were given names in England such as "shepherd's crowns" or "fairy loaves". In some areas they were placed on thresholds or near the oven, because they were believed to bring good luck to the house and to the bread. Elsewhere they were placed in burials, a sign that they were already considered objects of symbolic value in ancient times.
The five-rayed star naturally engraved on their surface has always struck the imagination. A stone bearing the drawing of a star seemed a gift from heaven, a sign of order hidden in matter.
Belemnites
Belemnites, elongated and pointed fossils of ancient molluscs, were often interpreted as petrified thunderbolts, and in some regions they were called "devil's fingers" or "thunderstones". Their name comes from the Greek belemnon, "dart", and alludes precisely to their shape.
A map of interpretations
| Fossil | Popular name | Traditional interpretation | Actual nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| shark tooth | tongue stone, Saint Paul's tongue | petrified snake's tongue | ancient shark tooth |
| ammonite | snakestone, horn of Ammon | petrified snake | shell of a marine mollusc |
| fossil urchin | shepherd's crown, fairy loaf | good-luck charm for the house | fossil sea urchin |
| belemnite | devil's finger, dart | petrified thunderbolt | inner part of a mollusc |
The fossil as symbol
Symbolically, the fossil is a form of memory. It is the trace of a past life preserved in stone, something that was alive and has now become lasting. The legends that accompanied it were not simple mistakes: they expressed the intuition that those forms told a story, even if they did not yet know which one.
Today we know the true story, and it is no less marvellous than the legendary one: vanished seas, extinct creatures, immense spans of time. The fossil stone remains an invitation to think about duration and transformation.
In short
- The tongue stones of Malta, linked by legend to Saint Paul, are fossil shark teeth.
- In 1667 Steno recognised their true nature, laying important foundations for geology.
- The ammonites of Whitby were believed to be snakes petrified by Saint Hilda.
- Fossil urchins and belemnites received popular names and were used as symbolic household objects.
