Long-nosed Goblin’s Nail Stone
South Carolina, U.S.A.
This fossil is introduced in Sekitei Kinouchi’s “Unkonshi” (written in mid-Edo Period) as “Long-nosed Goblin’s Nail Stone”.
Long-nosed Goblin (“Tengu”) is a traditional monster in Japanese legends. People in Edo Period considered the pointed-shaped fossil of shark’s tooth as the nail of scary Tengu.
Japanese temples, such as Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi, Iwate-ken and Yookoh-ji in Fujisawa, Kanagawa-ken, store this fossil carefully as treasure.
We hear that also in Europe since medieval time people call the fossil of shark’s tooth “ Glossopetra (Stone Tongue)” and keep it as lucky charm.
Tooth of Carcharodon megalodon
