This quartz stone is typically clear, with a touch of salmon or deep red. It is said to fall from the skies to the person for whom it will provide protection, though other records describe it as a stone mined from the ground. It is said to provide protection against strikes of lightning, drowning, misfortunes, and disasters of all kinds. On a positive note, it will provide its owner with a restoring, blissful night of sleep.
Ceraunia comes from Latinized Greek “keraunos,” meaning “thunderbolt.” This word typically was reserved for stones believed to have formed from lightning strikes. So, ceraunia are known as thunderstones.
In some stories, these bolts of lightning would strike deep into the ground and rise back to the surface, causing the formation. Other tales simply said the stones formed at the place of impact.
Roman Naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about ceraunia, one specifically that was supposedly formed when lightning struck.
These ideas persisted over the years, manifesting from time-to-time in various stories or interpretations. Eventually, these thunderstones would become prized for protection rituals and beliefs. Many sought it out in hopes to protect their homes from lightning strikes. The stone would later have other properties associated with it, such as bestowing good sleep.
Were Thunderstones Really Created by Lightning?
In most cases, thunderstones were not actually created by lightning. Rather, many of these “thunderstones” were actually prehistoric stone tools. However, they still were incredibly important discoveries for archaeology and understanding how these cultures interpreted these objects.