# Lightning, sand and superstition **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247 "2015-12-02T20:18:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/1 "2015-12-02T20:18:06Z")
I was thinking about iron and the superstition around its ability to ward evil spirits. That in turn led to meteoritic iron and its supernatural properties. But what about lightning fused sand? Here you have a powerful, godly force transmuting a common item. I would think that people would go out and craft any number of traditions around these fulgurite formations but I can’t quickly find any. So Dopers…are there any? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/2 "2015-12-03T01:48:50Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > I was thinking about iron and the superstition around its ability to ward evil spirits. That in turn led to meteoritic iron and its supernatural properties. > > But what about lightning fused sand? Here you have a powerful, godly force transmuting a common item. I would think that people would go out and craft any number of traditions around these fulgurite formations but I can’t quickly find any. 😕 Didn’t check [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite)? > [@](#): > > There is philological and archaeological evidence that many ancient cultures venerated fulgurites, and recognized their relationship to cloud-ground lightning. A fulgurite was found within the contents of the ash altar at Lykaion, conforming to the Type II typology (mixed clayey/silty soil). It was assumed that the object was contemporaneously transported and deposited post factum, and not produced authigenically; this interpretation does not necessarily withstand scrutiny, as it was falsely surmised by the scientist[s] involved with the geological interpretation of the site that fulgurites require sand to form, and since no sand was found within the altar, it must therefore indicate that the fulgurite represents a symbolic sacrificial offering, although it is also possible that this fulgurite formed in situ, reinforcing belief in the power of its divine “host.” If they’re not very commonly preserved, I would think it might be due to the fact that they’re kind of fragile and mostly unobserved when they actually form. Would you recognize a crumbly fulgurite in a drift of sand if you stepped on it? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/3 "2015-12-03T02:42:08Z")
I did but to veneration is different from utilization (buried iron knife wards off witches) and rocks falling from the sky happen less frequently than lightning strikes but “sky iron” was sought out. You’re likely right that their fragile nature compared to something like iron would make them interesting but not “useful”. I just thought the seeming lack of traditions around it was odd. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/4 "2015-12-03T02:53:56Z")
Here in our country (Philippines), it’s trees that got hit by lightning. People try to dig out the “lightning stone” left as a result of the hit, believing it to be a powerful amulet or good luck charm. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/5 "2015-12-03T03:13:10Z")
There did exist a common European folklore around [thunderstones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderstone_(folklore)), objects percieved as the remnants of lightning strikes, but which in most cases actually were either neolithic artifacts or [belemnites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belemnitida). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/6 "2015-12-03T03:37:35Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Here in our country (Philippines), it’s trees that got hit by lightning. People try to dig out the “lightning stone” left as a result of the hit, believing it to be a powerful amulet or good luck charm. Cool! You mean, trees that show [Lichtenberg figures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenberg_figure#History) or branching patterns made by lightning? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-sand-and-superstition/739247/7 "2015-12-03T08:35:33Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Would you recognize a crumbly fulgurite in a drift of sand if you stepped on it? After a strike vaporized part of our home lightning rod we actually went looking for a fulgarite - it wasn’t that obvious even though we knew exactly where to look for it. And they are pretty fragile. If you stepped on one it would almost certainly break. You also might get shards in your foot if you weren’t wearing shoes.