"The Promise of the Fairy Stone"

The following poem was inspired by the “fairy stones” of Patrick County, Virginia.



"The Promise of the Fairy Stone"

Up in the mountains, long ago
‘Way back in grandpa’s day
When he was young, he had a place
Where he’d go hide and play.

It was a secret spot he’d found
Up on the mountainside.
So hidden that he had to use
A creek bed as a guide.

At home, sometimes, when life was hard,
He’d slip out when he could.
He couldn’t bear to stay and watch.
His mama understood.

His older brother had been hurt
About three months before.
He’d been half dead when he came home
From fighting in the war.

His legs were numb, they wouldn’t move.
He couldn’t stand or walk.
His brother wouldn’t feed himself;
He wouldn’t smile or talk.

He sat all day and looked outside.
Sometimes he’d start to cry.
He’d wipe his tears and pray out loud,
“Please God, just let me die.

On those days, Grandpa snuck away.
But this time, he looked down;
He saw a tiny cross-shaped stone
Its color was deep brown.

He’d heard about these “fairy stones”;
How hard they were to find,
And how they could cure illnesses
In body and in mind.

He picked it up and washed it off.
His heart was glad and sure.
This gift from God; this “fairy stone”
Would be his brother’s cure.

He hurried home to show his prize.
He saw his brother smile.
It was the first time he’d done that
In such a long, long while.

His brother said he’d asked the Lord
To send a sign today
For whether he should live or die,
He’d promised, he’d obey.

The sign was sent; the choice was made.
He held the fairy stone.
He felt the strength and love and knew
He would not be alone.

As time went by, with lots of help,
His mind and body healed.
He knew God’s grace and wisdom both
Were through that stone, revealed.

So, Grandpa’s special fairy stone
Got handed down to Dad.
Then Dad, one day, gave it to me
To use when things got bad.

So here I stand, with stone in hand
While my son’s in Iraq.
With God’s help and this fairy stone,
I'm sure I’ll get him back.


meter: 8-6-8-6
rhyme: abcb



Staurolites, better known as "fairy stones" are found in a field of about 50 acres on top of Bull Mountain, in the rugged foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Patrick County, Virginia. As the earth's crust heated, folded, and cooled during the formation of the Appalachian Mountain range, iron aluminum silicate—the basic ingredient of fairy stone crosses—crystallized into six-sided shapes. The staurolite crystals, like quartz and diamonds, are harder than surrounding materials. The crystals therefore erode slower and come to the earth's surface, retaining their original shape, as the softer surrounding material washes away. These crystals can be as large as an inch in length, are a dark brown color and the twinned staurolite crystals simulate the Roman, Maltese, and St. Andrew’s crosses.

The "Fairy Stones," as they were called by Blue Ridge mountain people, were considered good-luck pieces and were worn or carried to ward off illness, accidents, and denizens of the nether world. The early Scots-Irish settlers brought to Virginia the concept of trolls, spirits, and fairies. A mountain myth suggests that long ago when the forest fairies were dancing around a spring of water, a messenger arrived from a strange city far away, bringing the sad tidings of the death of Christ. When the fairies heard the terrible story of the crucifixion, they wept. As their tears fell upon the earth, they were crystallized into small pebbles and each pebble contained the formation of a beautiful cross. When the fairies disappeared from that enchanted spot, the ground around the spring and the adjacent valley were strewn with these unique pebbles, called “fairy stones” to symbolize Christ’s death.