Ammonites are an extinct group of mollusk animals that are closely related to octopuses and squid. The earliest traces of Ammonite date back to 420 million years ago, while the last known traces fall to 60 million years ago. Its name is derived from the Egyptian god Ammon, who was depicted wearing a ram’s horn. Pliny the Elder first recorded these fossils in 79 A.D. near Pompeii and originally named them Ammonis Cornua after their horn-like shape. The creatures that lived in these shells swam in open waters, filling chambers of the shell with gas to maintain buoyancy. Ammonites are found all over the world, however, a large majority of the commercial supply comes out of Morocco.
During medieval times in Europe, Ammonites that were discovered were said to be fossilized snakes and given the name “snakestones” or “serpent stones”. In the early 1600’s Saxon Abbess Saint Hilda was tasked with removing snakes from the area so that their village could build a sacred church. Her duty was vital due to their belief in the representation of the devil through the snake. Hilda was said to have cast a spell that turned the snakes to stone, throwing them off the cliffs. This tale was so popular that carvers would sculpt snakeheads into the fossilized Ammonites to further portray the lore. Due to these stories, Ammonites were believed to be a protectant against snake bites.
Ammonites are one of the very few meditation trinkets that contain ancient life force energy capable of being channeled into the present day. Much like Petrified Wood and Orthoceras, Ammonites were alive and well during a much different world than what we see today. These creatures lived in a habitat capable of creating megalith animals partially due to the heightened oxygen levels within Earth’s atmosphere. The energies in which they held were abundant in strength, perseverance, and longevity. These attributes of Earth’s first biological creatures can still be felt today when meditating with a mind willing to understand and accept the past. Only when we learn from our ancestral past can we grow and change.
