Lia Fail: The Ancient Stone Of Destiny
"Under thee lies the fair king of the men of Fail,
Dathi, son of Fiachra, man of fame:
O! Cruacha (Cruaghan), thou hast this concealed
From the Galls and the Gaels."
The Lia Fail is an ancient stone with a mystical and much debated
history that is also swathed in mythology. With strong roots in Gaelic
history and mythology, the Lia Fail is perhaps the strongest symbolic
link in the shared heritage of the Celtic people of Ireland and Scotland.
In the poem above, the "Gaels" refers to the Irish themselves, and the
term "Galls" refers to all foreigners. In the first line of the
quotation Ireland is called Fail, as Inis Fail (Island of Destiny) which
was a name given to Ireland by the Tua-de-Danan who carried the Lia
Fail, or Stone of Destiny, with them when they invaded Ireland from Spain.
The Lia Fail is believed to have originated in Israel and to be the
stone, or pillar, on which Jacob rested. This pillar had deep religious
significance to the Hebrews and is alleged to have been brought to
Ireland by way of Egypt and Spain by one of the lost tribes of Israel
with the prophet Jeremiah. Over the millennia, the Lia Fail has come
to be viewed as conferring symbolic and mystical powers upon those who
possess it.
Historians generally agree that the Lia Fail was used as the coronation
stone for the ancient high kings of Ireland (Ard Ri) for at least 500
years and as possibly as long as 1,000 years. The Ard Ri were crowned at
Tara, and, legend has it, that when a "true king of destiny" was
crowned, the Lia Fail wailed in recognition. The Lia Fail was also
blessed by Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint.
The more modern history of the Lia Fail is subject to significant debate.
According to one tradition, the Lia Fail was sent to Scotland in the
sixth century by the Irish Monarch Murcheartach Mor Mac Earca of the
Dalriada dynasty in Ireland. The Dalriada invaded Scotland and created
a colony on the western islands and provinces. According to this
tradition, Murcheartach Mor Mac Earca sent the Lia Fail to his
victorious brother Fergus for his coronation and the founding of the
Scottish Monarchy in Scotland. Ensuing generations of the Dalriada
dynasty eventually conquered the Picts and established a separate
Dalriadan kingdom in Scotland. The Lia Fail was subsequently used for
many centuries as the coronation of the Scottish kings, and eventually
was kept at the Abbey of Scone. When the English King Edward I invaded
Scotland, he brought the Lia Fail to England and placed it under the
coronation chair in Westminster Abbey as a symbolic gesture of English
domination of the Scots. Recently, the Lia Fail was returned to Scotland
with the understanding that it would be returned to London when needed
for a coronation.
According to another tradition, the true Lia Fail never left Ireland and
is a large pillar stone which still stands on the rath at Tara in
Ireland. Many historians claim that this is the original Lia Fail, the
stone in Scotland being either a section of the original Lia Fail or
another stone taken to Scotland as a symbolic gesture of the growing
power of the Dalriada dynasty.
Lingering doubts about the pedigree of the Lia Fail will probably never
be resolved, adding to the mystery and intrigue of the history and the
legend.