Bob Downie1d ago
I have just re-read The Fifth Elephant by #terrypratchett & was a bit embarrassed to say that on my first reading I had missed that a main feature of the story is a parody of the theft and return of the #Scottish Stone of Scone, aka Stone of Destiny, rendered by #Pratchett as the Scone of Stone. As in life & in the book, is the recovered stone/scone real or a fake, & more importantly does it actually matter? The symbolism is the thing.
#discworld https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_Scone
Stone of Scone - Wikipedia

Show threadInfoseepage22h ago
@geomannie I've seen it twice now, once at Edinburgh Castle and the second time this last year at the Perth museum. It's a thoroughly unimpressive rock. Seriously you look at it, circle around studying it and then you go "Wait, That?! That is the stone? No F$&king way."
Show threadInfoseepage22h ago
@geomannie I think Edward I got slipped a wooden nickel and the real one is out there, hidden away at the time and never come to light since. Personally, I'd take the Footprint of Fealty at Dunadd over the putative Stone of Scone any day.
Show threadBob Downie14h ago

@Infoseepage Your point about Ted I being slipped a dummy is quite possible, but if the symbolism is the issue it doesn't matter if most people think it is the "real" stone.

Regarding the footprint at #Dunadd, this is truly a fake. I'm a geologist & on my first visit I looked at it & realised that the stone around the impression didn't match the surrounding rock. I took my hand lense & realised it was a man made composite. The original is said to be below. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12357773.coronation-stone-not-all-that-it-appears/

Show threadInfoseepage14h ago
@geomannie Yeah I've been to Dunadd. The original was getting worn from too many tourists deciding that they wanted to play king, so they built the artificial cover.
Show threadInfoseepage
@geomannie Given some fairly contemporary descriptions describing it as a hollowed out rock, I imagine something like the Frith chair in Hexham abbey. Many 11th through late 13th century depictions of Scottish monarchs shown in charters, great seals and on coins show them seated on something like this as well.
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