Scotland
Date: 14th – 15th May 2024
Visits to Perth Museum, Scone Abbey, Dunollie Castle and Iona to connect with the Stone of Destiny and Kenneth MacAlpin or Kenneth I of Scotland and the Kingdom of Alba.
Diary notes
‘Where is the Stone of Destiny? While historians protest that England’s Edward 1st reived it from Scotland back in 1296, archaeologists and ordinary folk hunt for it up mountains, in castles, beneath lochs and bogs, for Stone stories are part of Scottish folklore. The reappearance of the Coronation Stone north of the border in 1951 generated strong feelings, not only in Scotland, but around the globe.’ Pat Gerber, The Search for the Stone of Destiny.
Whilst the above quote puts the Stone of Destiny in context it’s Pat Gerber’s account of the history of the Stone that intrigues me. How the legend began!
The archaeological jigsaw that makes up the Stone’s past may start with Jacob and the Thunderstones or the stone pillow on which Jacob had his dream. From here we move with the seafaring tribe of Dan from Egypt to the mythical Irish fairy race, the Tuatha De Danann (or tribe of Dan). They are reported to have brought four treasures with them – the Sword of Nuada, the Spear of Lugh, the Cauldron of Dagda and the Stone of Destiny. The Dal Riada Kings are said to have brought the Stone of Destiny to Argyll on the west coast of Scotland from Ireland. In the eighth century, Kenneth 1, traditionally known as the first King of Scotland, moved it to Scone and from here the circle completes with Edward 1st.
