Cached US #KindleGiveaway on bsky: 10 copies of #Ammonite by #NicolaGriffith, over at https://bsky.app/profile/kithrup.bsky.social/post/3m6plwgegmc2e

My dear, wonderful friend gifted me this STUNNING ammonite! She knows how much I love them. Partly because they're just so cool! Gorgeous, fascinating, and a connection to the ancient earth.
And, because spirals really matter to me. I chose a snail for my business logo partly because of spirals, particularly the notion that they represent both introspection and emergence/expansion. But eve more, they can symbolise cycles, evolution, interconnectedness, and change.

#Ammonite #Fossil #EarthMagic

#23Noviembre #DíadeFibonacci porque corresponde al inicio de su secuencia (1,1,2,3) #MiradaMatemática de un #Ammonite cuya forma adopta una espiral logarítmica o espiral de crecimiento, una clase de curva espiral, presente en la naturaleza, con patrón de secuencia de Fibonacci

Celebrating Hild

Today is the Feast Day of Hild of Whitby,1 patron saint of learning and culture (including poetry), who died on this day in 680, having spent 66 years kicking ass and not bothering to take names. We believe she was originally buried at her main foundation of Streoneshalh, now known as Whitby, but sometime after Whitby was destroyed by Viking raids, her remains were, apparently, translated to…well, somewhere else. No one knows. Various religious foundations have claimed her—not unlike Arthur; saintly relics were (and still are) big business—but no one knows for sure.

There are several grave markers from Whitby though I have images of none of them (and none are for Hild). However, there are also several from Hereteu, or Hartlepool (where Hild was abbess for a while before founding and moving to Whitby). One intriguing stone, dated ‘mid-seventh to mid-eighth century,’ was found under the head of some skeletal remains. The runes spell out hildi þryþ, that is, the feminine personal name Hildithryth:

As we don’t know Hild’s full name, it might be tempting to assume this is our Hild’s stone.2 But I doubt it. For one thing it was part of a group of similar burials, and as abbess, saint, and royal advisor I doubt she would have been buried among others. Plus, of course, she was more than likely buried at Whitby. And as Hartlepool was also most likely destroyed by Vikings (as with mos records of this time and place, much was lost in the Viking raids from the late eighth through ninth centuries—all we know is that, after Hild, Hartlepool essentially vanishes from history) no one in their right mind would have transferred her there.

So here’s how I imagine her pillow stone3:

You’ll see I’ve made her cross round-ended and equal-armed, more like the kind of cross I think she would have worn, rather than the more traditional long upright and shorter crosspiece of the Hartlepool marker.

Enough about her death. Back to her life: Why is Hild patron saint of learning and culture/poetry? Learning, because she trained five bishops who became renowned for their own erudition—one of whom, John of Beverley, was the one who ordained and mentored the Venerable Bede—the only British person ever to have been learned enough to be honoured as a Doctor of the Church. Poetry, because she pretty much midwived Engish literature: the earliest surviving piece of Old English is Cædmon’s Hymn, composed at Hild’s behest at Whitby.

I’m not religious but I mark the day because Hild—and Whitby, its abbey, and ammonites—marked my life, in particular my writing life, indelibly.

My first novel was Ammonite, which was published when I was 32. The author photo I used for that book was taken at Whitby Abbey when I was 30. You can tell from the look on my face how much the place affects me. (And in fact I like this photo so much it forms the basis for the cover of my upcoming book, She Is Here.)

In my third novel, The Blue Place, Aud talks longingly of Whitby—now mostly known for the abbey founded by Hild in 657. In Whitby you can commonly find three species of fossil ammonites, or snakestones—the beach is littered with them. A whole genus of ammonites, Hildoceras, is named for Hild. This is Hildoceras bifrons. It’s what I think of when I think of ammonites.

Ammonites fascinate me. Their shell growth—developing into that lovely spiral—is guided by phi. And phi (Φ = 1.618033988749895… ), the basis of the Golden Ratio or Divine Proportion, has all sorts of interesting mathematical properties. The proportions generated by phi lie at the heart of myriad things: the proportions of graceful buildings4, the orderly whorl of a sunflower, ammonites, Fibonacci numbers, population growth, and more. (If you’re interested, a good place to start is Wikipedia.) Phi is what creates the underlying pattern in much of nature. I think phi is responsible for what Hild may think of as God.

There is a legend that ammonites result from Hild getting pissed off one day and turning all the local snakes to stone. The legend was so well-established after her death, that, in the later middle ages and even up until Victorian times, enterprising locals carved heads on the stones and sold them as the snakes she petrified.5

Here’s what H. bifrons looks like as a snakestone:

And here’s a much more finely carved specimen:

When I was working on my black and white zoomorphic series, I tried to draw a snakestone. It turned out to be remarkably difficult to get the proportions mathematically pleasing. I started with a different genus, a ceratite, with a kind of wavy division to each of its segments, because they seemed to grow in more mathematically predictable ways. They’re just not what I think of as a classic ammonite; they seemed a bit, well, boring. I tried jazzing them up a bit—make them look as though they’re dancing to form a kindof ammonite triskele inside a Lindisfarne Gospels style interlace wreath. Better—but not great.

So then I tried yet another genus, a…well, actually I forget what it’s called, maybe a baculite? Anyway:

You won’t find these in Britain, but I like the crinkly look. It had possibilities. So I copied that, and then turned it into a snakestone. Much better!

Earlier this year we were at Worldcon, where we bumped into a friend, Wendy, aka MaudPunk, and got talking about all things metal work—Wendy loves to forge Early Medieval replicas from bronze, silver, copper, etc. (She’s made me several things, including this brooch.) She was wearing a great pendant she’d made, based on the Fairford Duck. Kelley really wanted one. No, she wanted two—one silver, one copper.

I like the duck well enough, but that’s not what fired up my neurones. Ever since Tor commissioned a lovely enamel brooch/pin for Spear, I’ve enjoyed wearing it on my jacket lapel. I get many compliments (“Is that Tiffany?”). The Spear pin is boldly coloured, which I love, but it does occasionally limit my sartorial choices. So I’ve been subconsciously looking for something more neutral. And I thought: A snakestone! In silver! And wouldn’t you know, Wendy had already designed a snakestone pendant; it did not take much persuasion to commission one as a pin.

And, lo, just in time for our birthdays, we got a package with what we’d asked for:

And here’s the pin in all its glory—straight out of its lovely linen pouch:

It’s hand-carved in wax then cast in the metal of your choice, then ground and polished by hand. Here it is on my jacket lapel, where it will stay for at least a couple of weeks, after which I’ll probably alternate with the enamel pin:

So Hild and her ammonite are still bringing me enormous pleasure, and still—as is only fitting for the patron saint of culture and education—helping me learn new things.

Tonight I will raise a glass to Hild, to ammonites, to Whitby, and to all things beautifully made and perfectly proportioned. wes þu hal! Or maybe wæs hæil! I dunno, Old English is not exactly my forte—but drinking and merrymaking is :)

1. At least it’s her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church. The Anglican Communion celebrates on the 18th. I’m not a practising Christian but was raised Catholic, so tend to follow their dates. No one knows when Hild was born, but long ago I decided it was some time in the last half of October. At some point I’ll pick a day, and then I’ll have two dates to celebrate! ↩︎
2. Hild means ‘battle’, and thryth translates to something like ‘strength’ or ‘power’, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility. There again, I’ve always preferred the idea of Hild being Hildeburg, that is Battle Fortress: obdurate, adamant, immovable. ↩︎
3. Yep, it would have made more sense for it to be square, or more landscape than portrait format, but, well, I didn’t think of that until just now… ↩︎
4. Ever wondered why Georgian mansions feel so gracious and pleasing? Their formal rooms follow the Golden Ratio. ↩︎
5. The legend is so well established that it forms part of Whitby’s coat of arms. ↩︎

#ammonite #brooch #CædmonSHymn #feastDay #hild #jewellery #MaudPunk #menewood #oldEnglish #phi #pin #snakestone #theBluePlace #whitby

Ammonite Masterpieces volume 2024 - versione inglese - Un volume diventato subito indispensabile per coloro che ammirano e collezionano fossili - libro riccamente illustrato che avvicina il lettore a quasi 150 dei più belli esemplari di ammonite provenienti dai siti più famosi del mondo.

I testi informativi, divertenti e comprensibili forniscono conoscenze approfondite sull'aspetto e sulla vita

#ammonitemasterpieces #ammoniti #ammonite #fossiliammoniti #fossili #ammonitefossile #libroamoniti

🪷 12 Nov is the sacred festival of #Quetzalcoatl, the #Aztec Feathered Serpent creator and wind god armed with spiral conch Wind Jewel. #Opal #Ammonite invokes him. 🪷

Mary Anning byla bezpochyby jednou z nejvlivnějších postav rané historie paleontologie, ale za svého života byla tak často přehlížena. 19. část projektu Kniha týdne na blogu Blogorgonopsid pojednává o knize The Fossil Hunter od Shelley Emling, vydané v roce 2009, jež vypráví životní příběh Mary Anning.

#books #science #history #maryanning #lymeregis #ichthyosaur #plesiosaur #ammonite #fossil #book #biography

https://blogorgonopsid.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-fossil-hunter-dinosaurs-evolution.html

Mary Anning was undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the early history of paleontology, yet in her life she was so often overlooked. The 19th part of the Book of the Week project on Blogorgonopsid covers Shelley Emling's book The Fossil Hunter from 2009 which tells Mary Anning's life story.

#books #science #history #maryanning #lymeregis #ichthyosaur #plesiosaur #ammonite #fossil #book #biography

https://blogorgonopsid.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-fossil-hunter-dinosaurs-evolution.html

"Drinkable Fossil" Latest Protein Supplement Causes Side Effect: Biceps Transform into Ammonites

A wellness-conscious gym announced a new protein supplement cultivated from Jurassic-era microbes. With just one sip, your muscles transcend time and evolve into precious specimens that will astound archaeologists millions of years from now.

https://alt.andpaper.net/en/articles/20251109-ancient-microbe-protein/

#protein-supplement #side-effects #ammonite #muscle-training #jurassic

Bonjour ! #unjourunephoto
JOUR 2 : SOUVENIR

Double souvenir avec cette ammonite qui appartenait à ma grand-mère :

Transmission de vies anciennes et révolues.
Carpe Diem intemporel.

#itkacreations
#fossile
#ammonite
#nature
#photo

DRIFTWOOD FANTASY (2022)
Acrylic - 8” x 10”

Like most of my Leftovers and Palette Gremlins, this was born from accident, inspiration, and materials at hand. The palette of warm tones came from a recently completed painting. The graduated blue was overspray on a scrap of board. 1/3

#leftoversandpalettegremlins #ammonite #personalvisions

Ammonite Masterpieces volume 2024 - versione inglese - Un volume diventato subito indispensabile per coloro che ammirano e collezionano fossili - libro riccamente illustrato che avvicina il lettore a quasi 150 dei più belli esemplari di ammonite provenienti dai siti più famosi del mondo.

#ammonitemasterpieces #ammoniti #ammonite #fossiliammoniti #fossili #ammonitefossile #libroamoniti

For the final day of #CephalopodAwarenessDays - #FossilDay: iridescent #ammonite fossil (Caloceras johnstoni), historical #sciart color plate from James Sowerby's _The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain_ v.5 (1825)

For the final day of #CephalopodAwarenessDays - #FossilDay: "Ammonitida," Plate 44 in _Kunstformen der Natur_ by Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919), 1904. #Ammonite fossils!

#HappyBirthday #katewinslet #actress #heavenlycreatures #SenseandSensibility #titanic #holysmoke #quills #iris #eternalsunshineofthespotlessmind #findingneverland #littlechildren #TheHoliday #revolutionroad #divergent #thedressmaker #stevejobs #mareofeasttown #ammonite #Avatar #TheWayofWater #fireandash #lee @hbomaxlat @DisneyPlusLA

All the bases are belong to us ! I'm very happy with my work here, it's almost a shame to use these as bases. I think having a limited colour palette and reproducing existing natural objects forced me to get a better grasp at the colours (though I didn't go for exact replicas). I'm especially happy about the ammonite. I wasn't sure how to replicate the shinyness of pyrite, but it came out quite right (greenish grey basecoat, dark purple wash, light salmon highlights, that's it !).

#miniatures #miniaturePainting #ammonite #seashell

A rare 19-centimetre fossil is found in Lithuania.

The ammonite fossil was discovered last week during a field expedition near Jurbarkas in western Lithuania, the Vaclovas Intas Stone Museum announced Tuesday.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250930-a-rare-19-centimetre-fossil-is-found-in-lithuania?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

#Fossil #Ammonite #Lithuania #Paleontology #Science

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙖 (Sowerby 1814) #fossile di #ammonite

🔍 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼
Le ammoniti come Promicroceras erano cefalopodi marini, parenti lontani dei calamari e delle seppie moderne. Queste creature dominavano gli oceani del Giurassico e sono un esempio affascinante di come la vita sulla Terra si sia evoluta nel tempo.

🏞️ 𝗨𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼
Visitare la costa del Dorset è come fare un salto indietro nel tempo. Ogni fossile trovato racconta una storia di un'epoca passata, un ricordo di

10 Sci-Fi Books About Post-Human Evolution

Humanity needs a makeover.
https://www.themarysue.com/10-sci-fi-books-about-post-human-evolution/

#Books #alltomorrows #Ammonite #ChildhoodsEnd #Dawn
@indieauthors

A 75-million-year-old ammonite from near Lethbridge shows two surprises: bite marks from a mosasaur and brilliant colours from its shell turning into ammolite (Alberta’s provincial gemstone).

On display in the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Breakthroughs exhibit!

#fossilfriday #ammonite #ammolite #alberta