Mythical magic stones and rocks in stories

[Peasnbeans]

Can anyone tell me anything about magic stones in stories ?
Or list any stories / novels that use stones as a plot or anything?

@evtheria ‘the grey king’ by Susan cooper has a dog pinned to the ground by a stone. It’s a later book in the ‘over sea under stone’ series

Ah sorry @FatOaf already recommended it!

‘Marianne Dreams - an odd liminal book and film, in which an ill girl draws a house and finds it come to life in her dreams, but surrounded by the scribbled watching stones she added.’

thats what it was called! Used to terrify me and brother. Brilliant.

Arthur and the Seeing Stone

The Time Travelling Stone

Pendorric
Legend of the Seventh Virgin

Both Gothic romance by Victoria Holt

Callanais features in Disney's Brave (though it's not called that)

The Modern Antiquarian is the real life guide to some of the most famous although it's shot up in price since I had a copy.

Ooh - just remembered some more:
The Crystal Singer (Anne McCaffrey). Nominally sci-fi but basically fantasy, about a world where some people are able to mine precious powerful crystals by “singing” them.

The Jewel Seed - odd little novella by Joan Aiken with (i vaguely remember) Russian witches and magic?

Pet dog is from Susan Cooper's The Grey King, part 4 of The Dark Is Rising series.

There's the story of Jacob's Pillow, also known as the Stone of Scone or the Stone of Destiny

Children of the Stones, a short 1970s TV series is brilliant. You can watch it on YouTube.

I think the magicians nephew , a prequel to the lion the witch suns the wardrobe has jewellery stones in it,

Oh wow - you are brilliant, my friends! I knew of some of these, but not all.
Many of the ones mentioned are for children.
I was wondering why, apart from sci-fi, not many 'stony' books make it to mainstream? Or adult fiction?
@Screamingabdabz what was the wishing stone like / made of? What did it do?

@GennyLec YES!! I had this ancient tape!

@Peasnbeans i think it’s because a jewel/gem/stone as main focus will always be magical (because otherwise what distinguishes it from all the other stones outside), and the stone therefore becomes The Magical MacGuffin That Will Save Everything, which lends itself to YA/ children's stories more than adults. Not to say you can’t do it with adults, but you have to be a more skilled writer to pull it off.

In adult fiction I suppose 'stones' may be more likely to be jewels and feature in detective stories eg the Moonstone, The Mazarin Stone.

Just remembered the Arkenstone in The Hobbit.

That’s true - i hadn’t thought of that. So The Blue Carbuncle for Sherlock Holmes & The Western Star for Poirot are stone-themed.
i suppose you can have grown-up ritual significance as well - eg the Stone of Scone.

Marianne Dreams gave me horrible nightmares as a child but I still read it several times!

Has anyone mentioned the sword in the stone yet?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Alan Garner again - there's the donkey stone in Treaclewalker

The Silver Crown. I can't remember if the crown itself has gems in it, just that it's flexible rather than hard metal (I think). But there is one scene set in a cave that is made of crystals.

I love that book, was my favourite as a child.

Thank you - lots of ideas here 🙏🏽
I think there's a lack of contemporary adult fiction, maybe? Would love to be proved wrong.
With a lucky stone / crystal/🔮/plain old geological theme running through it - murder mystery, killed with a stone and buried under the patio...

I don't think geology runs through it (it's decades since I read it so I can't remember the plot) but I remember Cleopatra's Sister by Penelope Lively begins with geology, fossils more than rocks.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0140175938/ref=asliisstl?ie=UTF8&tag=bsio-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0140175938

Comic books / films, the avengers had the infinity stones.

N.K. Jemisin's Broken earth trilogy has a lot of stone related magic - very dystopian and dark.

Tanya Huff's The Fire's Stone is fun aand aimed.at adults.

And of course there's Soul Music (music with rocks in)!

Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Loved that book since I was about nine. Agree there's never been a good cover illustration though!