Toadstone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Toadstone (not unlike the batrachite) is a mythical stone or gem thought to be found in, or produced by, a toad, and is supposed to be an antidote to poison. There were originally formed, however, as a fossil from Lepidotes, an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous era. The formation of what would be called toadstones were actually the fossilized teeth of the fish, which appear as stones that are perfect in form.[1] At some point, humans began to associate the fossils with jewels that some believed to form in the heads of toads due to supernatural causes, and appeared in recorded history originally during the lifetime of Pliny the Elder, who was born in AD 23 and died AD 79.[1]
According to Paul Taylor of the Natural History Museum, "Like tonguestones, toadstones were considered to be antidotes for poison and were also used in the treatment of epilepsy".[1] As early as the 14th century, people began to adorn jewelry with toadstones for their magical abilities. In their folklore, a toadstone was required to be removed from an old toad while the creature was still alive, and as instructed by the 17th century naturalist Edward Topsell, could be done by setting the toad on a piece of red cloth.[1]
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[edit] Allusions in literature
The toadstone is alluded to by Duke Senior in Shakespeare's As You Like It, in Act 2, Scene 1, lines 12 through 14:
"Sweet are the uses of adversity;
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head".
[edit] Various other names
Some various other names of the toadstone are:
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- A collection of notes maintained by James Eason of the University of Chicago comprising excerpts from Thomas Nicols and other authors.
- New Oxford American Dictionary, under the entry "toadstone".
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by Crown Publishers Inc
- NY Times reference, October, 1890
- "Whitehurst and the Volcanic Origin of Toadstone, 1778"
- "Toadstones: A note to Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Book III, chapter 13"
