• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “Eaglestone” come from and What does Eaglestone mean?

Where does the word “Eaglestone” come from and What does Eaglestone mean?

February 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

Actually these small, hollow, globular, stony balls, varying in size from a golf ball to a man’s head, were named eaglestones by the Greeks, aetites, which, translated, is “eaglestone.”

According to Pliny, that is, this early name arose from a belief that unless the eagle were able to transport one of these stones into its nest the eggs would not hatch.

How that belief came about is, of course, unknown, but as the nests are just about inaccessible, it is possible that an ancient climber, finding such a stone near a nest, embellished the tale of his daring ascent with the story, and the stone itself as proof of his discovery.

The Greeks had their “tall stories” too.

Related Facts

  • How do mountain climbers scale sheer rock walls using specific techniques?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • How did prehistoric humans transport and arrange the giant boulders at Stonehenge?
  • How did the ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid at Giza?
  • Who Were the First Explorers of Ancient Civilization?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the term “Streetwalker” come from and What does Streetwalker mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “Whortleberry” come from and What does Whortleberry mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy