Blarney

This is an interesting word that has evolved (or devolved) into a synonym of nonsense. "What a load of blarney!" The history behind this word is quaint, even more so because the stone that gave rise to it still stands and is a major tourist attraction. As wikipedia puts it-

The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens.

An early story involves the goddess Clíodhna.Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, the builder of Blarney Castle,being involved in a lawsuit, appealed to Clíodhna for her assistance. She told MacCarthy to kiss the first stone he found in the morning on his way to court, and he did so, with the result that he pleaded his case with great eloquence and won. Thus the Blarney Stone is said to impart "the ability to deceive without offending." MacCarthy then incorporated it into the parapet of the castle.

Another story suggests that Queen Elizabeth I, while requesting an oath of loyalty to retain occupancy of land, received responses from Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, which amounted to subtle diplomacy, and promised loyalty to the Queen without "giving in." Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "(a lot of) blarney," thus apparently giving rise to the legend.


The version I read in my old encyclopedia goes like this-

The legend may have begun when an old woman cast a spell to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. If the king kissed the stone while under the spell, he would gain the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.

From kissing a frog to kissing Sleeping Beauty, I thought I'd heard it all. It's funny that kissing a stone, of all things, could give one the gift of gab, but as someone who believes that what we call 'magic' is possible and in ancient times, perhaps common place, I'm enthusiastic about this word. Overall, this is just amusingly fascinating- a word that so directly owes its origin to a stone with a story...