Screaming Stones

The Darker side of Nature

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!Updated 30/12/2006 - a new link added.

Intro

During my time as a hiker and traveller I have been struck by the wealth of beauty about the world. My travels have taken me into the French Alps, North East Italy and Slovenia.

The last couple of years however, when I was at a low ebb, I became danger-seeking and took on more than one should without a lot of preparation. I hiked in the Alps during freezing thunder storms with nothing but shorts and t-shirt, got lost in freezing fog, and hiked alone in mountains after a thick snow layer without maps or sticks. It was during this time that I began to notice rock forms that stuck me as gruesome. At first I tried to ignore them, but over time I became curious and began collecting what I found.

“STONEKILLER”

With it's cold indifference, "StoneKiller" is the most dramatic of my collection and is instantly recognisable as Jason's baseball mask in the Friday 13th movies. Found in 2005 and is approximately the size of matchbox.

“BANSHEE”

The harrowing, distressing, human-like expression is what makes this piece unique. It's distasteful yet strangely fascinating. It represents the largest of my collection and will easily fill most of a hand. Found in 2004 on the edge of the Adriatic.

The First Stone

Banshee I found the first, when I was walking around a secluded bay in the north eastern part of Italy. It was tucked away under a large rock, which could only be got at when the tide had pulled out. It only happened by chance that I passed by and caught the eye of what I thought was the head of a large eel. In fact it was a stone, with two deeply-sunk eye sockets and a painfully agonising mouth. It looked like an animal in pain. I fished it out and cleaned it up a little and here you can see the pictures on the left. It's a decent size and large enough to comfortably fit in the size of a hand. A closer inspection reveals it is pitted all around with small holes and in some smaller cavities can be seen little crustacean residues.

It is a truly fascinating item and I have kept it, but kept it hidden from view. Like viewing Van Gogh's haunting picture The Scream for the first time, "Banshee", I have named it, fills me with dread everytime I see it. Although, it has a morbid fascination about it.

This was the find that sparked many further trips to the same region. I have seen forms in rocks before, in the mountains, and they were perhaps tricks of the eye because not everyone could see them. Yet this one, I can hold in my hand and turn it around every angle. It's a real creation (or is that destruction?) by nature.

The Second

The unique form piqued my curiosity and I began planning trips to find another. Not too far from where I found Banshee, I discovered the second stone, StoneKiller. It was lying face-up in a pebble beach, below an old tree that perched over the Adriatic. Having been a teenager in the 80's my education in horror B-movies is well made, and instantly I could see Jason. Jason, the serial killer from Friday 13th movies. This stone bears a striking resemblance to Jason's mask so I named it “StoneKiller” for its menacing appearance.

I've refined my collection over the years and I'll be putting a few more up soon. These are really good too. Nature really is amazing.

Be sure to check out the gallery for more photos. And feel free to join the forums and share your items and experiences.