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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:04,171 --> 00:00:06,173 WILLIAM SHATNER: A miraculous meteorite 2 00:00:06,298 --> 00:00:08,467 falling from the heavens. 3 00:00:09,801 --> 00:00:12,179 A priceless gemstone 4 00:00:12,304 --> 00:00:14,806 ‐with a deadly curse. ‐(blades clanging) 5 00:00:14,890 --> 00:00:18,185 And a chunk of sandstone considered so sacred 6 00:00:18,310 --> 00:00:20,670 ‐that wars have been fought ‐(horse neighs) 7 00:00:20,753 --> 00:00:22,839 ‐to protect it. ‐(shouting) 8 00:00:25,466 --> 00:00:27,635 Throughout history, 9 00:00:27,719 --> 00:00:30,388 many have insisted that simple stones 10 00:00:30,513 --> 00:00:34,142 can do everything from choosing a king 11 00:00:34,225 --> 00:00:35,894 to causing death. 12 00:00:36,019 --> 00:00:39,189 So, what is it about rocks and stones 13 00:00:39,314 --> 00:00:42,901 that inspires some people to worship them? 14 00:00:42,984 --> 00:00:44,944 Well, 15 00:00:45,028 --> 00:00:48,281 that is what we'll try and find out. 16 00:00:48,406 --> 00:00:50,408 ♪ ♪ 17 00:01:03,338 --> 00:01:05,006 Mecca. 18 00:01:05,131 --> 00:01:09,052 It is home to one of the world's largest religious structures, 19 00:01:09,177 --> 00:01:11,221 the Grand Mosque. 20 00:01:11,346 --> 00:01:14,098 In the center courtyard of this immense edifice 21 00:01:14,182 --> 00:01:18,603 stands a 43‐foot‐tall granite cube known as the Kaaba, 22 00:01:18,686 --> 00:01:20,980 the House of God. 23 00:01:21,064 --> 00:01:23,524 Five times a day, every day, 24 00:01:23,650 --> 00:01:26,361 almost two billion Muslims across the world 25 00:01:26,486 --> 00:01:30,865 turn and pray towards this striking black monument, 26 00:01:30,949 --> 00:01:35,620 the holiest and most sacred site in all of Islam. 27 00:01:35,662 --> 00:01:37,121 Why? 28 00:01:37,205 --> 00:01:40,875 Because embedded in the eastern corner of this shrine 29 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,963 is perhaps the most sacred stone in all the world, 30 00:01:45,046 --> 00:01:48,883 the Black Stone of Mecca. 31 00:01:51,052 --> 00:01:53,554 For the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, 32 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,807 this stone is crucial. 33 00:01:55,890 --> 00:01:59,060 When Muslims face in the direction of Mecca, 34 00:01:59,185 --> 00:02:02,355 they face in the direction of that stone. 35 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,315 ANDREW COLLINS: This object, 36 00:02:04,399 --> 00:02:07,318 as simple as it might be, 37 00:02:07,443 --> 00:02:12,782 is of incredible significance to the Muslim faith, 38 00:02:12,824 --> 00:02:17,620 because it is said to have fallen from heaven 39 00:02:17,662 --> 00:02:21,791 at the commands of Allah 40 00:02:21,874 --> 00:02:25,378 at the time of Adam and Eve. 41 00:02:25,503 --> 00:02:29,507 And it was said to have marked the position 42 00:02:29,632 --> 00:02:31,551 of the first temple, 43 00:02:31,676 --> 00:02:35,805 which obviously becomes Mecca itself. 44 00:02:35,930 --> 00:02:37,390 (thunder rumbling) 45 00:02:37,515 --> 00:02:40,268 HUSSAIN: Then the story is that stone gets lost during the flood, 46 00:02:40,351 --> 00:02:42,270 because Muslims have the same flood story 47 00:02:42,353 --> 00:02:44,314 that Jews do from the Hebrew Bible. 48 00:02:44,439 --> 00:02:48,026 Then that stone for Muslims is rediscovered by Abraham. 49 00:02:48,109 --> 00:02:51,070 So, Abraham, with his son Ishmael, 50 00:02:51,154 --> 00:02:53,031 build in Mecca 51 00:02:53,156 --> 00:02:54,949 the first place of prayer. 52 00:02:55,033 --> 00:02:57,618 That's why Mecca is important to Muslims, 53 00:02:57,702 --> 00:03:00,538 because this is the first place of prayer to the one God. 54 00:03:00,663 --> 00:03:03,583 Over time, it gets worn away. 55 00:03:03,666 --> 00:03:05,084 The building gets rebuilt. 56 00:03:05,168 --> 00:03:08,129 In 605, the prophet Muhammad himself 57 00:03:08,171 --> 00:03:10,840 is the one that places that stone in its place. 58 00:03:10,923 --> 00:03:14,135 That's part of what gives it power. 59 00:03:14,969 --> 00:03:16,346 SHATNER: Each year, 60 00:03:16,471 --> 00:03:18,723 millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage, 61 00:03:18,848 --> 00:03:21,726 or hajj, to the Kaaba. 62 00:03:21,851 --> 00:03:23,076 Once there, 63 00:03:23,159 --> 00:03:27,163 visitors take part in a series of rituals called Tawaf, 64 00:03:27,247 --> 00:03:30,125 which includes circling the Kaaba seven times, 65 00:03:30,208 --> 00:03:33,628 in the belief that it will bring about true humility 66 00:03:33,711 --> 00:03:37,132 by linking them with God. 67 00:03:37,257 --> 00:03:39,425 The Black Stone 68 00:03:39,509 --> 00:03:43,221 is therefore one of the focal points 69 00:03:43,304 --> 00:03:46,057 of the hajj ceremony 70 00:03:46,182 --> 00:03:50,103 that every Muslim certainly tries to achieve 71 00:03:50,228 --> 00:03:52,063 during their lifetime. 72 00:03:52,188 --> 00:03:56,192 And they will then enter the central court of Mecca 73 00:03:56,276 --> 00:04:00,655 and, if possible, try to kiss the Black Stone 74 00:04:00,780 --> 00:04:03,241 in emulation of Muhammad, 75 00:04:03,283 --> 00:04:06,411 who was said to have set it up in this position 76 00:04:06,494 --> 00:04:10,790 in the year 605 AD. 77 00:04:10,915 --> 00:04:13,042 This is the most mystical encounter 78 00:04:13,126 --> 00:04:18,298 with any material object that a loyal Muslim can possibly have. 79 00:04:18,423 --> 00:04:21,217 They're in such a hypnotic state, 80 00:04:21,342 --> 00:04:22,719 such a transcendent state, 81 00:04:22,844 --> 00:04:25,305 and they use the corner of the building to make sure 82 00:04:25,430 --> 00:04:27,056 it's seven times, 83 00:04:27,182 --> 00:04:31,019 to have the full effect of the ritual activity. 84 00:04:31,102 --> 00:04:34,397 With Muslims in Mecca, the Black Stone has 85 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,065 the power to communicate with people. 86 00:04:36,191 --> 00:04:38,401 And I mean literally talk with people. 87 00:04:38,526 --> 00:04:39,861 There's two million people nowadays 88 00:04:39,944 --> 00:04:41,237 that make that pilgrimage. 89 00:04:41,362 --> 00:04:43,031 You might get trampled, and, unfortunately, 90 00:04:43,114 --> 00:04:47,368 there have been people who have been trampled to death. 91 00:04:47,452 --> 00:04:50,580 But that's so important that it connects you back 92 00:04:50,622 --> 00:04:52,540 to the historic past. 93 00:04:52,624 --> 00:04:53,833 TOK THOMPSON: The Black Stone is 94 00:04:53,917 --> 00:04:55,418 a major material focus, 95 00:04:55,543 --> 00:04:56,920 the most sacred object 96 00:04:57,045 --> 00:04:58,963 in one of the world's most major religions, 97 00:04:59,047 --> 00:05:01,382 and it also was sacred to other people. 98 00:05:01,466 --> 00:05:04,052 HUSSAIN: So people who are outside the Islamic tradition 99 00:05:04,135 --> 00:05:06,971 may risk their lives to travel to see this. 100 00:05:07,055 --> 00:05:09,140 And if they're found out, they may well be killed. 101 00:05:09,265 --> 00:05:10,725 You have these accounts of people 102 00:05:10,808 --> 00:05:12,977 like Captain Richard Francis Burton, 103 00:05:13,102 --> 00:05:14,896 one of these famous explorers 104 00:05:15,021 --> 00:05:16,731 who disguises himself as a Muslim. 105 00:05:16,856 --> 00:05:20,735 There's a power there for him to see the ritual, 106 00:05:20,860 --> 00:05:23,571 to see the stone, to handle this thing. 107 00:05:23,655 --> 00:05:27,200 Richard Francis Burton goes in, sees this, 108 00:05:27,283 --> 00:05:30,370 is able to come back out and writes about this. 109 00:05:30,453 --> 00:05:33,122 So you can see from him the importance of this place 110 00:05:33,248 --> 00:05:36,000 because of the connection to the biblical prophets. 111 00:05:36,084 --> 00:05:38,461 THOMPSON: Certainly, the stories that have been built around it 112 00:05:38,586 --> 00:05:40,129 really pull people in. 113 00:05:40,255 --> 00:05:42,006 And some people suggest that maybe it's something 114 00:05:42,090 --> 00:05:45,051 in the stone itself, uh, that pulls people in. 115 00:05:46,261 --> 00:05:49,097 SHATNER: The stone itself pulling people in? 116 00:05:50,223 --> 00:05:52,225 But how? 117 00:05:52,308 --> 00:05:54,894 For the millions, if not billions, of Muslims 118 00:05:55,019 --> 00:05:58,398 who have made their pilgrimage to the Kaaba, 119 00:05:58,523 --> 00:06:03,569 there's no doubt that the Black Stone has an inexorable power 120 00:06:03,653 --> 00:06:07,031 that seems to draw them into its orbit. 121 00:06:07,115 --> 00:06:09,158 And according to some experts, 122 00:06:09,284 --> 00:06:14,205 that's because the Black Stone is not of this world. 123 00:06:16,165 --> 00:06:21,838 Muslims believe that this was sent down by God to Earth. 124 00:06:23,423 --> 00:06:25,967 If we're scientific, we may call that a meteorite. 125 00:06:26,092 --> 00:06:28,052 If we're not scientific, we may call that miraculous. 126 00:06:28,136 --> 00:06:31,681 Here's this stone that comes from the heavens. 127 00:06:31,764 --> 00:06:34,726 AARON CELESTIAN: When a meteorite hits the Earth and somebody witnessed it fall, 128 00:06:34,809 --> 00:06:36,477 and‐and they were to go to that location, 129 00:06:36,602 --> 00:06:39,355 there's a variety of things that they might be able to find. 130 00:06:39,439 --> 00:06:42,483 If the stone falls in a sandy area, for example, 131 00:06:42,608 --> 00:06:45,028 there might be a lot of heat associated with the meteorite 132 00:06:45,111 --> 00:06:48,364 as it falls, and that could cause a fusion 133 00:06:48,448 --> 00:06:52,118 of the sand to cause some kind of glass to form. 134 00:06:52,201 --> 00:06:54,495 And so, when you walk up onto it, you might find 135 00:06:54,620 --> 00:06:57,081 some interesting new features that you probably wouldn't 136 00:06:57,123 --> 00:07:01,878 have seen in that particular part of the‐the world before. 137 00:07:04,047 --> 00:07:06,049 Meteorites arrive from outer space. 138 00:07:06,132 --> 00:07:09,469 Being exposed to cosmic rays, they're slightly radioactive. 139 00:07:09,594 --> 00:07:13,556 To people not exposed to electromagnetic radiation, 140 00:07:13,639 --> 00:07:17,727 they would‐‐ might have been able to even feel that buzz 141 00:07:17,810 --> 00:07:19,937 from this rock, from the radiation, 142 00:07:20,021 --> 00:07:22,273 the beta particles especially. 143 00:07:22,357 --> 00:07:23,816 You know, whether you believe it was sent by God 144 00:07:23,941 --> 00:07:25,234 or whether you believe it was a random act, 145 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,196 it has literally extraterrestrial origins. 146 00:07:28,279 --> 00:07:32,658 And so, that creates a real power there. 147 00:07:32,784 --> 00:07:35,203 SHATNER: Could the Black Stone of Mecca really have the power 148 00:07:35,286 --> 00:07:39,040 to physically affect people who come near it? 149 00:07:39,123 --> 00:07:42,835 Well, the truth is, we may never know for sure, 150 00:07:42,919 --> 00:07:46,422 because no one has ever been officially allowed 151 00:07:46,547 --> 00:07:48,549 to inspect or analyze it. 152 00:07:51,761 --> 00:07:53,596 So, there are a lot of exciting and interesting questions 153 00:07:53,721 --> 00:07:55,306 about the Black Stone. 154 00:07:55,431 --> 00:07:58,226 I think the first initial one is, is it actually a meteorite? 155 00:07:58,351 --> 00:08:00,395 A lot of people propose that, and there's some evidence, 156 00:08:00,478 --> 00:08:04,190 particularly from a local impact crater, that it came from there. 157 00:08:04,273 --> 00:08:07,276 And is there some sort of radiation energy that it emits 158 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,322 or is coming from it that we just don't understand yet? 159 00:08:11,406 --> 00:08:13,491 So it would be really amazing to have the opportunity 160 00:08:13,574 --> 00:08:15,535 to analyze the Black Stone. 161 00:08:15,618 --> 00:08:17,078 There are obviously challenges, 162 00:08:17,203 --> 00:08:20,039 both sort of social as well as scientific. 163 00:08:20,123 --> 00:08:23,042 It's in the Muslim world, it's in a very sacred place, 164 00:08:23,084 --> 00:08:24,544 it's a very sacred stone. 165 00:08:24,627 --> 00:08:28,214 So, bringing in scientists and doing careful analyses 166 00:08:28,339 --> 00:08:31,092 have those social challenges and would be difficult. 167 00:08:31,217 --> 00:08:34,637 HUSSAIN: Even if you don't believe, uh, as a Muslim, 168 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:36,139 that this, you know, comes from God, 169 00:08:36,264 --> 00:08:38,307 and has this religious significance, 170 00:08:38,433 --> 00:08:40,893 you understand the power of this object, 171 00:08:40,977 --> 00:08:43,312 that for at least 1,400 years, 172 00:08:43,438 --> 00:08:47,358 Muslims have been circling, as they do their prayers. 173 00:08:47,442 --> 00:08:50,945 There's a tremendous power there, we want to touch that. 174 00:08:56,284 --> 00:08:58,202 SHATNER: Millions of people, 175 00:08:58,286 --> 00:09:00,329 drawn to a mysterious stone, 176 00:09:00,455 --> 00:09:06,752 imbued with strange physical powers, from another world? 177 00:09:06,836 --> 00:09:09,422 A far‐fetched notion, perhaps. 178 00:09:09,547 --> 00:09:13,468 But one that many people have believed in for centuries. 179 00:09:13,551 --> 00:09:16,137 Not unlike the belief in another sacred object, 180 00:09:16,262 --> 00:09:20,683 one that may have the ability to bring people back 181 00:09:20,766 --> 00:09:24,187 from the brink of death. 182 00:09:30,276 --> 00:09:33,988 SHATNER: While exploring the remains of an ancient Maya ruin, 183 00:09:34,071 --> 00:09:36,157 English adventurer Frederick Albert Mitchell‐Hedges 184 00:09:36,282 --> 00:09:38,242 and his daughter Anna find 185 00:09:38,326 --> 00:09:42,413 a human skull carved out of pure quartz. 186 00:09:42,497 --> 00:09:45,208 BILL HOMANN: It was high noon and she was at the top of the pyramid. 187 00:09:45,291 --> 00:09:48,586 And the way the sun came in, the way the rocks had moved on that, 188 00:09:48,711 --> 00:09:51,464 there was just a small opening, and the light from the sun 189 00:09:51,589 --> 00:09:54,342 went through and it hit the top of the skull. 190 00:09:54,425 --> 00:09:56,677 And, uh, she ran down and she's all excited. 191 00:09:56,761 --> 00:10:00,306 So they got a small hole big enough, and Anna was chosen, 192 00:10:00,431 --> 00:10:03,392 and they tied a rope to her and put her down into the hole. 193 00:10:03,518 --> 00:10:05,603 And she came up with the top of the skull. 194 00:10:05,728 --> 00:10:09,857 When the natives saw it, it was like their god had returned. 195 00:10:09,941 --> 00:10:11,150 They all started crying 196 00:10:11,234 --> 00:10:13,194 and kissing the earth and everything. 197 00:10:13,277 --> 00:10:14,737 They were just so excited. 198 00:10:14,779 --> 00:10:18,407 Mitchell‐Hedges seeing this, he presented it to the high priest. 199 00:10:18,491 --> 00:10:22,245 And they put it in an altar, and for 24 hours a day, 200 00:10:22,370 --> 00:10:25,581 they burned flames around the‐the crystal skull. 201 00:10:25,665 --> 00:10:29,544 SHATNER: But even more extraordinary than the skull itself 202 00:10:29,627 --> 00:10:33,005 was the fact that a legend came with it, 203 00:10:33,089 --> 00:10:35,883 one so amazing that Frederick Mitchell‐Hedges 204 00:10:35,925 --> 00:10:37,510 and his daughter Anna 205 00:10:37,593 --> 00:10:40,888 didn't know whether they should rejoice in their discovery 206 00:10:40,972 --> 00:10:43,432 or be intimidated by the burden of it. 207 00:10:43,516 --> 00:10:46,310 HOMANN: The legend of the crystal skulls. 208 00:10:46,394 --> 00:10:48,854 This was given to F. A. Mitchell‐Hedges 209 00:10:48,938 --> 00:10:52,149 by a medicine woman back in Lubaantun. 210 00:10:52,275 --> 00:10:55,987 Mayans say there are 13 skulls. 211 00:10:56,112 --> 00:10:59,991 And 13 skulls have been placed 212 00:11:00,116 --> 00:11:01,576 in various parts of the world 213 00:11:01,701 --> 00:11:05,079 but possibly on the different energy centers. 214 00:11:05,204 --> 00:11:07,081 And when they're all activated, 215 00:11:07,164 --> 00:11:10,835 all 13 of them, then they say that it's a time 216 00:11:10,918 --> 00:11:14,422 of peace and harmony in the world. 217 00:11:14,547 --> 00:11:17,008 What I think is, all those crystal skulls 218 00:11:17,091 --> 00:11:18,509 have a unique purpose. 219 00:11:18,593 --> 00:11:23,973 So I'm not exactly sure where all the 13 skulls are. 220 00:11:24,056 --> 00:11:27,226 You have to see it to really appreciate 221 00:11:27,310 --> 00:11:28,686 the Mitchell‐Hedges skull. 222 00:11:28,769 --> 00:11:31,647 It's, it's a pretty amazing piece of crystal just in itself, 223 00:11:31,731 --> 00:11:34,358 and then the‐the workmanship that went into it. 224 00:11:34,442 --> 00:11:37,403 How it was made is really a mystery. 225 00:11:37,486 --> 00:11:41,532 SHATNER: Weighing approximately 12 pounds, 226 00:11:41,616 --> 00:11:44,243 the crystal skull is remarkably accurate 227 00:11:44,327 --> 00:11:46,746 in its anatomical detail. 228 00:11:46,871 --> 00:11:50,875 CLIFF DUNNING: They've tried to analyze how it was cut, 229 00:11:50,958 --> 00:11:53,753 but they do not know, to this day. 230 00:11:53,878 --> 00:11:55,755 The technology is so sophisticated, 231 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,965 it's almost like from another world. 232 00:11:58,090 --> 00:12:01,218 MARTIN ETTINGTON: A lot of crystal skulls are actually known as fakes, 233 00:12:01,344 --> 00:12:04,889 because they were produced in the 19th century 234 00:12:04,972 --> 00:12:07,433 using modern machinery, 235 00:12:07,558 --> 00:12:11,228 and microscopes were able to show tool marks. 236 00:12:11,354 --> 00:12:14,065 But the skull in question that we're talking about 237 00:12:14,190 --> 00:12:18,736 is one that they can't find tool marks on it. 238 00:12:18,861 --> 00:12:24,158 So, if any of the crystal skulls are actual pre‐Mayan artifacts, 239 00:12:24,241 --> 00:12:27,662 then the Mitchell‐Hedges skull probably is the one. 240 00:12:27,787 --> 00:12:32,166 SHATNER: If modern technology is unable to replicate 241 00:12:32,249 --> 00:12:35,753 the Mitchell‐Hedges skull, then how was it created? 242 00:12:37,213 --> 00:12:39,799 To find out, teams of scientists were brought in 243 00:12:39,924 --> 00:12:41,384 to conduct a number of tests. 244 00:12:41,467 --> 00:12:46,472 DUNNING: At one point in the 1960s, a IBM engineer 245 00:12:46,597 --> 00:12:49,141 named Marcel Vogel began testing this skull. 246 00:12:49,266 --> 00:12:52,978 What he believed was that it is filled, 247 00:12:53,104 --> 00:12:54,689 uh, like a microchip, 248 00:12:54,772 --> 00:12:57,566 with the history of the world at that time. 249 00:12:57,692 --> 00:13:02,238 So, it's a very old, rough computer, basically. 250 00:13:02,321 --> 00:13:05,574 SHATNER: A quartz crystal computer? 251 00:13:05,658 --> 00:13:08,202 Storing history like a hard drive? 252 00:13:08,285 --> 00:13:09,704 It seems impossible. 253 00:13:09,787 --> 00:13:13,958 But in 2016, researchers at the University of Southampton 254 00:13:14,083 --> 00:13:15,626 were able to use a piece of quartz, 255 00:13:15,751 --> 00:13:17,878 similar to that found in the skull, 256 00:13:17,962 --> 00:13:21,841 to perform just such a function. 257 00:13:21,924 --> 00:13:25,219 CELESTIAN: What they did is, they used lasers to form dots 258 00:13:25,302 --> 00:13:27,888 with, inside of a quartz crystal, 259 00:13:28,013 --> 00:13:29,557 at different levels within it. 260 00:13:29,682 --> 00:13:32,268 And the pattern that they print is the data, 261 00:13:32,393 --> 00:13:33,519 you know, like zeros and ones 262 00:13:33,602 --> 00:13:35,479 that we use for computers right now. 263 00:13:35,604 --> 00:13:39,775 You could store about 360 terabytes of information. 264 00:13:39,859 --> 00:13:43,571 Even if humanity were to go completely extinct, 265 00:13:43,654 --> 00:13:45,906 this data and this information would last 266 00:13:46,031 --> 00:13:47,742 as long as the Earth would last. 267 00:13:47,825 --> 00:13:50,745 SHATNER: If it's true that the Mitchell‐Hedges skull 268 00:13:50,870 --> 00:13:53,664 could be storing vast amounts of information, 269 00:13:53,789 --> 00:13:57,626 what secrets might it divulge if, or when, 270 00:13:57,710 --> 00:14:00,880 someone figures out how to decrypt it? 271 00:14:00,963 --> 00:14:04,592 As the caretaker of the Mitchell‐Hedges crystal skull, 272 00:14:04,717 --> 00:14:07,511 it's my job carrying on the tradition, 273 00:14:07,595 --> 00:14:11,682 to let it out for people to see and be around and experience it. 274 00:14:11,766 --> 00:14:14,351 Some people, uh, claim the crystal skull 275 00:14:14,435 --> 00:14:19,106 has given them premonitions or visions of the future. 276 00:14:19,231 --> 00:14:20,691 But there are many people who believe 277 00:14:20,775 --> 00:14:23,319 that the Mitchell‐Hedges crystal skull 278 00:14:23,444 --> 00:14:26,071 was actually made in ancient times, 279 00:14:26,197 --> 00:14:28,908 originally as a healing device. 280 00:14:28,949 --> 00:14:30,993 SHATNER: A healing device? 281 00:14:31,118 --> 00:14:33,245 Is it possible that the Skull of Doom 282 00:14:33,329 --> 00:14:36,832 can actually have the power to save lives? 283 00:14:36,916 --> 00:14:40,836 According to one woman, the answer is yes. 284 00:14:46,467 --> 00:14:48,511 A local singer and costume designer 285 00:14:48,594 --> 00:14:52,014 named Phoenix Rising is going about her work day 286 00:14:52,097 --> 00:14:53,307 when, out of the blue, 287 00:14:53,390 --> 00:14:56,060 she's struck with an intense migraine headache. 288 00:14:56,185 --> 00:14:59,104 And although she has a lifelong history of migraines, 289 00:14:59,230 --> 00:15:03,859 for some reason this one feels different. 290 00:15:03,943 --> 00:15:05,736 RISING: I went to the emergency room, 291 00:15:05,861 --> 00:15:07,822 I said to the nurse, "Something is going on." 292 00:15:07,947 --> 00:15:11,116 She put me in for a scan, and when she came out, 293 00:15:11,242 --> 00:15:13,577 her face was white as a ghost. 294 00:15:13,661 --> 00:15:16,330 And literally it was three, two, one, and... 295 00:15:16,413 --> 00:15:18,707 paramedics, everybody, boom‐‐ 296 00:15:18,833 --> 00:15:20,000 IVs, the whole thing‐‐ 297 00:15:20,084 --> 00:15:22,711 and I was having a brain hemorrhage. 298 00:15:22,753 --> 00:15:26,173 So I spent the next two weeks in ICU. 299 00:15:26,257 --> 00:15:29,635 They were trying to figure out how in the world I was alive, 300 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,471 breathing, being able to see, being able to walk. 301 00:15:32,596 --> 00:15:35,307 SHATNER: After hearing about Phoenix's condition, 302 00:15:35,432 --> 00:15:36,809 a Native American Pueblo elder, 303 00:15:36,934 --> 00:15:39,186 who claimed to have once been a keeper 304 00:15:39,270 --> 00:15:41,063 of the Mitchell‐Hedges skull, 305 00:15:41,188 --> 00:15:43,315 offered to send her a piece of quartz 306 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,276 that had been kept in close proximity 307 00:15:45,401 --> 00:15:48,529 to the crystal skull for some time. 308 00:15:48,612 --> 00:15:50,906 RISING: He got me on the phone. His name is John Francis, 309 00:15:50,990 --> 00:15:54,910 and he said, "I'm gonna send you a quartz crystal 310 00:15:54,994 --> 00:15:58,080 "that's been charged from this Mitchell‐Hedges skull. 311 00:15:58,163 --> 00:16:00,708 "I want you to put it in water 312 00:16:00,791 --> 00:16:02,751 "and in the morning I want you to drink it, 313 00:16:02,877 --> 00:16:04,336 "and you're gonna drink it every morning, 314 00:16:04,420 --> 00:16:06,589 and I want you to see what's gonna happen." 315 00:16:06,714 --> 00:16:09,425 At this point I'm trying to recover, 316 00:16:09,550 --> 00:16:12,469 so I'm willing absolutely to do anything. 317 00:16:14,096 --> 00:16:17,474 SHATNER: Although skeptical, Phoenix felt she had nothing to lose 318 00:16:17,558 --> 00:16:19,685 by trying the bizarre remedy. 319 00:16:19,768 --> 00:16:23,063 For two days she followed the medicine man's instructions, 320 00:16:23,147 --> 00:16:26,275 seemingly without results. 321 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,320 And then, on the third day, 322 00:16:29,445 --> 00:16:32,531 something unexpected happened. 323 00:16:32,615 --> 00:16:34,366 RISING: I drank the water in the morning, 324 00:16:34,450 --> 00:16:39,455 and probably about five, six‐ish minutes later, 325 00:16:39,580 --> 00:16:40,581 I literally hear 326 00:16:40,706 --> 00:16:43,792 a sound inside that went... 327 00:16:43,918 --> 00:16:47,004 (makes vrooming sound) 328 00:16:47,087 --> 00:16:48,672 ...like a vibration. 329 00:16:48,756 --> 00:16:52,426 This quartz was healing me and repairing my body, 330 00:16:52,551 --> 00:16:54,386 my cells, my water, my DNA. 331 00:16:54,470 --> 00:16:56,680 And when I went back to the hospital, 332 00:16:56,764 --> 00:16:59,850 the doctors were absolutely, yes, 100% shocked 333 00:16:59,934 --> 00:17:03,938 that I was able to drain the blood out 334 00:17:04,063 --> 00:17:05,397 and that I was healing. 335 00:17:05,522 --> 00:17:08,359 SHATNER: Whether Phoenix's shocking recovery 336 00:17:08,442 --> 00:17:10,110 made sense to the doctors or not, 337 00:17:10,235 --> 00:17:11,987 it appeared undeniable 338 00:17:12,071 --> 00:17:15,282 that her condition had improved due to the unique properties 339 00:17:15,366 --> 00:17:17,409 of the crystal skull. 340 00:17:17,451 --> 00:17:21,538 RISING: For me, I definitely know that it unlocked something 341 00:17:21,622 --> 00:17:23,540 in my brain that healed me 342 00:17:23,666 --> 00:17:27,252 from a life‐threatening condition that then allowed me 343 00:17:27,378 --> 00:17:31,674 to move into success in my life, to be here. 344 00:17:33,509 --> 00:17:37,388 Could the crystal which forms the Mitchell‐Hedges skull 345 00:17:37,513 --> 00:17:39,640 really possess healing properties? 346 00:17:39,765 --> 00:17:42,142 Or are the skull's mystic powers, 347 00:17:42,267 --> 00:17:45,187 uh, only in the mind? 348 00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:46,605 Perhaps the answer can be found 349 00:17:46,689 --> 00:17:49,566 by examining one of the most valuable gemstones 350 00:17:49,650 --> 00:17:51,735 in the world, and which many believe 351 00:17:51,819 --> 00:17:56,198 is cursed by a kind of dark energy. 352 00:18:04,206 --> 00:18:07,751 SHATNER: Over one million people turn out for the funeral procession 353 00:18:07,835 --> 00:18:10,754 of Elizabeth Bowes‐Lyon, otherwise known 354 00:18:10,838 --> 00:18:12,965 as the Queen Mother of Great Britain's 355 00:18:13,090 --> 00:18:15,259 Queen Elizabeth II. 356 00:18:15,384 --> 00:18:18,053 Atop her casket, in addition 357 00:18:18,095 --> 00:18:20,222 to ceremonial flowers and her coat of arms, 358 00:18:20,347 --> 00:18:22,141 is the crown she wore 359 00:18:22,266 --> 00:18:27,771 at her husband King George VI's coronation in 1937. 360 00:18:27,855 --> 00:18:31,817 Although it is adorned with an estimated 2,800 diamonds, 361 00:18:31,900 --> 00:18:36,363 one in particular attracts more awe and fascination 362 00:18:36,447 --> 00:18:39,491 from the crowd than the rest. 363 00:18:39,575 --> 00:18:44,246 The diamond known as the Koh‐i‐Noor. 364 00:18:44,371 --> 00:18:46,373 NEWSMAN: That, an imperial crown, 365 00:18:46,457 --> 00:18:49,793 and at its center, in the front, 366 00:18:49,877 --> 00:18:51,754 the most famous diamond in the world, 367 00:18:51,879 --> 00:18:53,547 the Koh‐i‐Noor diamond. 368 00:18:53,589 --> 00:18:56,717 The name means "mountain of light." 369 00:18:56,759 --> 00:19:00,971 Since 1895, it has only been worn by a woman‐‐ 370 00:19:01,096 --> 00:19:02,389 by Queen Mary, 371 00:19:02,473 --> 00:19:03,766 the Queen Mother's mother‐in‐law, 372 00:19:03,849 --> 00:19:06,560 and then by the Queen Mother herself. 373 00:19:06,643 --> 00:19:10,439 SHATNER: Measuring a massive 105 karats 374 00:19:10,564 --> 00:19:14,068 and estimated to be worth over $1 billion, 375 00:19:14,151 --> 00:19:17,237 the Koh‐i‐Noor is one of the largest cut diamonds 376 00:19:17,321 --> 00:19:18,280 in the world. 377 00:19:18,405 --> 00:19:20,949 And according to historians, 378 00:19:21,033 --> 00:19:24,078 it is also one of the most feared. 379 00:19:25,621 --> 00:19:27,206 The Koh‐i‐Noor diamond, 380 00:19:27,289 --> 00:19:30,084 uh, is one of the, uh, more impressive diamonds 381 00:19:30,167 --> 00:19:34,379 that have ever been unearthed in the history of humankind. 382 00:19:34,463 --> 00:19:36,965 It was unearthed somewhere in India, 383 00:19:37,049 --> 00:19:39,718 which was the main spot that diamonds were unearthed. 384 00:19:39,802 --> 00:19:41,762 But this particular diamond, 385 00:19:41,887 --> 00:19:43,472 it has a very, very long 386 00:19:43,555 --> 00:19:46,016 and sort of tragic and bloody history. 387 00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:48,435 And there are legends attached to this, 388 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,729 where it is held to be accursed, 389 00:19:50,813 --> 00:19:54,566 and bring curses to especially any man who touches this. 390 00:19:54,650 --> 00:19:56,485 Uh, which is why, even in the British royalty, 391 00:19:56,610 --> 00:19:59,613 it remains a part of the, um, crown jewels, 392 00:19:59,696 --> 00:20:00,948 uh, for women only. 393 00:20:01,073 --> 00:20:04,910 SHATNER: A curse on any man who touches it? 394 00:20:05,035 --> 00:20:07,412 But what could give a beautiful stone 395 00:20:07,454 --> 00:20:09,373 such a dark power? 396 00:20:09,456 --> 00:20:11,542 Many believe the answer can be found 397 00:20:11,625 --> 00:20:14,378 by examining the Koh‐i‐Noor's storied history, 398 00:20:14,419 --> 00:20:15,879 which, according to records, 399 00:20:15,963 --> 00:20:19,883 dates all the way back to 14th century India. 400 00:20:19,925 --> 00:20:21,760 The Koh‐i‐Noor really catches your eye. 401 00:20:21,885 --> 00:20:24,012 It's, it's like a hundred‐karat stone. 402 00:20:24,096 --> 00:20:27,558 But what really catches your eye is the history. 403 00:20:27,641 --> 00:20:31,603 The diamond was really first identified 404 00:20:31,687 --> 00:20:36,859 after Mogul Empire invaded what's now northern India. 405 00:20:36,942 --> 00:20:41,572 They settled in Delhi after their conquest 406 00:20:41,655 --> 00:20:45,075 and started collecting gemstones. 407 00:20:45,117 --> 00:20:49,830 Shah Jahan became the ruler in 1626. 408 00:20:49,955 --> 00:20:53,208 He designed this throne called the Peacock Throne 409 00:20:53,250 --> 00:20:56,378 that was in the tradition of biblical throne, 410 00:20:56,461 --> 00:20:57,713 like King Solomon. 411 00:20:57,796 --> 00:21:02,509 It took seven years and cost three to four times more 412 00:21:02,593 --> 00:21:05,012 than it cost to build the Taj Mahal. 413 00:21:05,095 --> 00:21:08,515 And you can understand the immense expense 414 00:21:08,599 --> 00:21:10,058 that this took to create. 415 00:21:10,142 --> 00:21:12,394 And then, at the centerpiece of this, 416 00:21:12,477 --> 00:21:15,647 was the Koh‐i‐Noor at the very top. 417 00:21:19,109 --> 00:21:21,195 SHATNER: In 1739, 418 00:21:21,278 --> 00:21:23,488 after 100 years of peace, 419 00:21:23,614 --> 00:21:28,118 a merciless Persian ruler named Nader Shah invaded India. 420 00:21:28,243 --> 00:21:33,999 Tens of thousands died in his relentless quest for power. 421 00:21:36,084 --> 00:21:40,088 Following his savage victory, Nader Shah seized the Koh‐i‐Noor 422 00:21:40,214 --> 00:21:43,133 and had it placed on his personal armband 423 00:21:43,258 --> 00:21:45,385 as a symbol of his might. 424 00:21:45,469 --> 00:21:47,221 SHOR: Nader Shah wasn't going 425 00:21:47,346 --> 00:21:48,597 to keep it in the chair. 426 00:21:48,722 --> 00:21:50,724 It was going to be with him at all times. 427 00:21:50,766 --> 00:21:56,730 Now, Nader Shah became a very, very repressive ruler. 428 00:21:56,855 --> 00:21:59,775 And even his allies began to hate him. 429 00:21:59,900 --> 00:22:02,736 And they poisoned him. 430 00:22:02,778 --> 00:22:05,906 After Nader Shah's death, the diamond passed 431 00:22:06,031 --> 00:22:09,993 through various rulers who‐who died in very violent ways. 432 00:22:10,077 --> 00:22:13,997 SHATNER: In the years after, the Koh‐i‐Noor would pass 433 00:22:14,122 --> 00:22:15,958 from one ruler to another, 434 00:22:16,083 --> 00:22:21,338 almost always drenched in the blood of its prior owner, 435 00:22:21,421 --> 00:22:24,841 as if the diamond itself demanded a mortal sacrifice 436 00:22:24,925 --> 00:22:27,094 in order to possess it. 437 00:22:29,054 --> 00:22:34,017 Because of battles, um, it fell from one person to a next, 438 00:22:34,101 --> 00:22:38,480 and started to build up this, uh, legend 439 00:22:38,605 --> 00:22:42,859 that it had some kind of a curse associated with it. 440 00:22:42,943 --> 00:22:47,072 Because as soon as it was in the hands of one ruler, 441 00:22:47,155 --> 00:22:50,158 they would be killed or their kingdom would be lost 442 00:22:50,284 --> 00:22:52,661 and it would be passed on to another. 443 00:22:52,786 --> 00:22:57,708 SHOR: Now, these rulers were wearing the Koh‐i‐Noor as the armband 444 00:22:57,791 --> 00:22:59,209 to be a protector. 445 00:22:59,293 --> 00:23:02,045 And this is probably where the curse legend came in, 446 00:23:02,129 --> 00:23:05,048 because the diamond certainly wasn't protecting them. 447 00:23:05,173 --> 00:23:11,555 COLLINS: And then, in the 19th century, when the British were in India, 448 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,058 it fell into the hands of the British Army, 449 00:23:15,183 --> 00:23:19,187 and it was said that from that point onwards, 450 00:23:19,271 --> 00:23:25,027 that no male should ever wear this diamond. 451 00:23:25,110 --> 00:23:30,365 SHATNER: But is it actually possible for an inanimate object 452 00:23:30,449 --> 00:23:34,411 to be imbued with so‐called dark energy? 453 00:23:34,453 --> 00:23:38,206 Human beings are unique in that we imbue objects with meaning, 454 00:23:38,290 --> 00:23:41,877 and so if we're bringing a darkness from within ourselves 455 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:43,628 and projecting it onto that object, 456 00:23:43,754 --> 00:23:46,882 then that's what results in this thing that we call a curse. 457 00:23:47,007 --> 00:23:50,594 SHATNER: Is the Koh‐i‐Noor's ability to make men kill 458 00:23:50,719 --> 00:23:53,889 in order to possess it all just a legend? 459 00:23:53,972 --> 00:23:56,892 Or is there any scientific evidence 460 00:23:56,933 --> 00:24:01,563 to prove that its deadly reputation is justified? 461 00:24:01,688 --> 00:24:05,609 So, diamonds are really good at taking heat away from a source 462 00:24:05,734 --> 00:24:07,152 and transmitting it elsewhere. 463 00:24:07,277 --> 00:24:09,738 If you've never held a large diamond in your life, 464 00:24:09,821 --> 00:24:11,281 and if you first encountered the stone 465 00:24:11,365 --> 00:24:13,575 and you're putting it on your chest or on a necklace, 466 00:24:13,700 --> 00:24:17,412 it would feel much colder than anything that you'd have, 467 00:24:17,454 --> 00:24:20,040 because the heat is being sucked out of your skin 468 00:24:20,123 --> 00:24:23,251 and transmitted through this diamond. 469 00:24:23,377 --> 00:24:25,128 It could be one reason why somebody might feel like 470 00:24:25,253 --> 00:24:27,005 the stone has got some magical properties 471 00:24:27,089 --> 00:24:28,840 or why it might be cursed. 472 00:24:28,924 --> 00:24:34,054 COLLINS: As long as we believe that something bad will happen 473 00:24:34,096 --> 00:24:38,433 if a male heir actually uses this or wears it, 474 00:24:38,517 --> 00:24:42,396 then I think that it needs to be taken seriously. 475 00:24:42,479 --> 00:24:48,944 So, very clearly, no British king will ever wear it. 476 00:24:49,069 --> 00:24:53,073 SHATNER: It has been said that a diamond is forever. 477 00:24:53,198 --> 00:24:55,283 If that's true, could the Koh‐i‐Noor's supposed curse 478 00:24:55,409 --> 00:24:57,452 also be eternal? 479 00:24:57,536 --> 00:24:59,287 Either way, it's doubtful we're going to see a king 480 00:24:59,413 --> 00:25:01,873 wearing the Koh‐i‐Noor any time soon. 481 00:25:02,999 --> 00:25:04,876 Luckily, the British have another method 482 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:06,461 of coronating their monarchs. 483 00:25:06,586 --> 00:25:11,967 One that also involves a mysterious, sacred stone. 484 00:25:12,092 --> 00:25:16,847 Only, this one doesn't kill kings, it creates them. 485 00:25:27,107 --> 00:25:28,900 SHATNER: Here on St. Andrew's Day, 486 00:25:29,025 --> 00:25:30,944 Scotland's official national holiday, 487 00:25:31,069 --> 00:25:35,073 a long‐awaited ceremony is finally taking place. 488 00:25:35,157 --> 00:25:37,075 The occasion will finally see the return, 489 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,453 after more than 700 years, 490 00:25:39,578 --> 00:25:42,456 of one of Scotland's most important artifacts: 491 00:25:42,581 --> 00:25:45,542 a roughly two‐by‐one‐foot sandstone block, 492 00:25:45,667 --> 00:25:51,381 weighing 335 pounds, called the Stone of Scone. 493 00:25:51,506 --> 00:25:57,262 Or as it's known according to legend, the Stone of Destiny. 494 00:25:57,387 --> 00:25:59,598 THOMPSON: The stone itself is just a stone, 495 00:25:59,723 --> 00:26:01,975 uh, somewhat unremarkable‐looking, 496 00:26:02,100 --> 00:26:05,103 and yet the stories of that stone have been so powerful, 497 00:26:05,228 --> 00:26:07,022 uh, reflecting so many wars 498 00:26:07,105 --> 00:26:12,027 and‐and contests between nations for hundreds of years. 499 00:26:12,110 --> 00:26:14,905 And another fascinating aspect of this is that we know 500 00:26:15,030 --> 00:26:17,616 that this stone was religiously important. 501 00:26:17,741 --> 00:26:21,411 The Stone of Scone has really interesting religious roots. 502 00:26:21,536 --> 00:26:24,456 And this goes back to the biblical tradition. 503 00:26:24,581 --> 00:26:28,627 The patriarch Jacob in the Book of Genesis has this dream 504 00:26:28,752 --> 00:26:33,089 at this place called Beit El, literally the "House of God." 505 00:26:33,215 --> 00:26:37,719 He's sleeping, and he uses stones to rest his head on. 506 00:26:37,802 --> 00:26:41,181 There's a tradition that says Jeremiah, a later prophet, 507 00:26:41,264 --> 00:26:43,517 takes this stone to Ireland. 508 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:48,188 The stone then finds its way to Scotland. 509 00:26:48,271 --> 00:26:51,399 SHATNER: In 840 AD, a nobleman named Kenneth MacAlpin 510 00:26:51,525 --> 00:26:55,195 brought the sandstone slab to the medieval town of Scone. 511 00:26:55,278 --> 00:26:58,406 According to Scottish legend, it was the stone itself 512 00:26:58,490 --> 00:27:03,745 that proclaimed him Kenneth I, the original king of Scotland. 513 00:27:03,828 --> 00:27:06,248 According to the stories, uh, when the rightful ruler 514 00:27:06,331 --> 00:27:09,209 would place their foot on the stone, the stone would speak out 515 00:27:09,334 --> 00:27:12,587 and proclaim them as the rightful ruler of the land. 516 00:27:12,712 --> 00:27:19,302 HUSSAIN: It's used in Scottish rituals as a way of coronation. 517 00:27:19,386 --> 00:27:24,057 It's this stone that is really key, and the idea here 518 00:27:24,099 --> 00:27:28,562 is that the monarch isn't just selected by the people; 519 00:27:28,687 --> 00:27:31,231 God has chosen the monarch. 520 00:27:31,356 --> 00:27:35,610 SHATNER: For centuries, the Stone of Destiny was considered 521 00:27:35,735 --> 00:27:38,780 not only one of the greatest treasures in all of Scotland 522 00:27:38,905 --> 00:27:40,949 but also a legitimate means 523 00:27:41,074 --> 00:27:43,159 by which someone could rule the country. 524 00:27:43,285 --> 00:27:45,829 Which is why, in 1296, 525 00:27:45,954 --> 00:27:48,873 the English monarch Edward I wanted it, 526 00:27:48,957 --> 00:27:52,711 and the Scottish throne, for himself. 527 00:27:52,752 --> 00:27:55,589 In the 13th century the English come in and conquer. 528 00:27:55,714 --> 00:27:59,801 We always talk about conquerors taking out valuable objects, 529 00:27:59,926 --> 00:28:02,721 and we think of gold, diamonds, jewels. 530 00:28:02,804 --> 00:28:04,264 We don't think about stones. 531 00:28:04,389 --> 00:28:06,266 But what's one of the first things that they take? 532 00:28:06,391 --> 00:28:09,352 Well, they take this stone, the Stone of Destiny. 533 00:28:09,436 --> 00:28:12,105 YOUNG: The reason Edward I took the stone 534 00:28:12,230 --> 00:28:14,232 was to demoralize the Scots. 535 00:28:14,357 --> 00:28:16,359 This was the treasure of Scotland, 536 00:28:16,443 --> 00:28:18,403 this was the center of their power system. 537 00:28:18,445 --> 00:28:22,490 And now he controlled it and had himself crowned on this stone, 538 00:28:22,616 --> 00:28:25,577 and then could declare that he was not only the king 539 00:28:25,660 --> 00:28:29,080 of the English but the king of the Scots as well. 540 00:28:29,164 --> 00:28:32,542 COLLINS: It was placed in Westminster Abbey 541 00:28:32,626 --> 00:28:37,380 beneath a Coronation Chair known as Edward's Seat. 542 00:28:37,505 --> 00:28:40,383 And thereafter, 543 00:28:40,467 --> 00:28:45,597 it was used in the coronations of all English rulers. 544 00:28:47,265 --> 00:28:49,059 HUSSAIN: Edward basically builds it into a chair, 545 00:28:49,142 --> 00:28:50,393 covers it over with‐with wood, 546 00:28:50,518 --> 00:28:52,854 and it becomes a throne, essentially, 547 00:28:52,937 --> 00:28:56,691 but the idea is that the power comes from this stone, 548 00:28:56,775 --> 00:28:58,568 the Stone of Destiny. 549 00:28:58,693 --> 00:29:00,070 SHATNER: Destiny, 550 00:29:00,195 --> 00:29:03,281 the idea that the course of one's entire life 551 00:29:03,406 --> 00:29:08,036 has been predetermined by a power beyond our understanding. 552 00:29:08,119 --> 00:29:10,163 Back in the Middle Ages, it might make sense 553 00:29:10,288 --> 00:29:11,748 that people would think that greatness 554 00:29:11,873 --> 00:29:15,710 could be bestowed upon someone by a divine force. 555 00:29:15,835 --> 00:29:20,924 But what is it about this unremarkable slab of rock 556 00:29:21,049 --> 00:29:25,261 that still holds such importance today? 557 00:29:25,387 --> 00:29:27,389 We tend to think of these rituals as somehow going back 558 00:29:27,514 --> 00:29:29,140 to older, superstitious people, 559 00:29:29,224 --> 00:29:32,268 but the fact that the British in the 21st century 560 00:29:32,394 --> 00:29:37,399 still will proclaim the monarch on the throne of this stone, 561 00:29:37,482 --> 00:29:39,109 that becomes really important. 562 00:29:39,234 --> 00:29:41,111 Th‐These are not ancient, archaic people 563 00:29:41,236 --> 00:29:42,821 who don't know anything about the world. 564 00:29:42,946 --> 00:29:47,409 These are modern 21st century Brits who are still saying, 565 00:29:47,534 --> 00:29:49,786 you know, that‐that we still need to be able to show 566 00:29:49,911 --> 00:29:53,832 that our queen or our king comes from this divine‐‐ 567 00:29:53,957 --> 00:29:56,876 that God has chosen this person. 568 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,630 SHATNER: Nearly every British king or queen since the 14th century 569 00:30:00,755 --> 00:30:03,717 has been coronated on the Stone of Destiny. 570 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,678 It was last used in 1953, during the coronation ceremony 571 00:30:06,761 --> 00:30:10,682 of the current monarch Queen Elizabeth II. 572 00:30:10,765 --> 00:30:13,017 But as a growing number of Scottish people 573 00:30:13,101 --> 00:30:15,019 have begun to speculate, 574 00:30:15,103 --> 00:30:18,064 was Elizabeth's coronation legitimate? 575 00:30:18,148 --> 00:30:20,775 Because, as many have come to believe, 576 00:30:20,900 --> 00:30:25,780 the Stone of Destiny may not be the real thing. 577 00:30:27,866 --> 00:30:30,660 NEWSMAN: A Christmas Day sensation at Westminster Abbey. 578 00:30:30,785 --> 00:30:33,455 The Stone of Destiny, which had been there for some 600 years, 579 00:30:33,580 --> 00:30:36,040 was stolen from the Coronation Chair. 580 00:30:36,124 --> 00:30:38,209 COLLINS: In 1950, 581 00:30:38,293 --> 00:30:43,214 a group of Scottish students actually got into 582 00:30:43,298 --> 00:30:47,051 Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone of Scone 583 00:30:47,135 --> 00:30:50,263 and took it back to the altar 584 00:30:50,388 --> 00:30:53,975 of Arbroath Abbey in Scotland, 585 00:30:54,100 --> 00:30:57,562 and thus giving it into the hands of the Church of Scotland. 586 00:30:57,687 --> 00:31:02,567 The Church of Scotland then gave the stone back to England. 587 00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:07,280 However, there is a strong rumor that the original stone 588 00:31:07,363 --> 00:31:10,241 never reached Westminster, 589 00:31:10,325 --> 00:31:15,872 a‐and that the one that is there was a fake. 590 00:31:15,955 --> 00:31:20,835 However, whether this story is true or not, we may never know. 591 00:31:20,919 --> 00:31:24,214 SHATNER: A fake Stone of Destiny? 592 00:31:24,297 --> 00:31:25,715 It's an interesting claim, 593 00:31:25,799 --> 00:31:28,218 but one that is not without its problems. 594 00:31:28,343 --> 00:31:30,678 Because when the English returned the Stone of Destiny 595 00:31:30,762 --> 00:31:34,724 to the Scots, they did so on one condition. 596 00:31:34,808 --> 00:31:38,436 HUSSAIN: In 1996, when the stone is returned back to Scotland, 597 00:31:38,561 --> 00:31:40,688 there's an agreement that, "Okay, you have it, 598 00:31:40,772 --> 00:31:43,233 but we'll use it the next time we coronate a monarch." 599 00:31:43,358 --> 00:31:47,570 COLLINS: The point is that we believe in its power. 600 00:31:47,654 --> 00:31:50,198 We believe in its potency. 601 00:31:50,281 --> 00:31:54,285 And I'm sure that when Charles or Wills 602 00:31:54,410 --> 00:31:58,873 are themselves crowned kings of Britain, 603 00:31:58,957 --> 00:32:03,211 that they will themselves use that coronation stone, 604 00:32:03,336 --> 00:32:07,799 and they will believe wholly in its potency. 605 00:32:09,634 --> 00:32:13,471 Could the Stone of Scone really possess a mystic power? 606 00:32:13,555 --> 00:32:16,182 Or is its power merely based on a legend? 607 00:32:16,266 --> 00:32:18,977 A fairy tale meant to inspire awe 608 00:32:19,102 --> 00:32:20,353 in the weak‐minded. 609 00:32:20,436 --> 00:32:22,438 Well, believe it or not, some ancient legends 610 00:32:22,564 --> 00:32:24,899 are based on fact, much like the stone 611 00:32:24,983 --> 00:32:28,570 located in an Italian chapel that some believe 612 00:32:28,653 --> 00:32:32,907 contains a power from heaven. 613 00:32:40,665 --> 00:32:42,750 SHATNER: Near the rustic town of Chiusdino 614 00:32:42,876 --> 00:32:46,713 stands the haunting ruins of San Galgano Abbey. 615 00:32:48,006 --> 00:32:50,717 Constructed around 1220 AD to memorialize 616 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,761 the Catholic saint Galgano Guidotti, 617 00:32:53,887 --> 00:32:56,681 the abbey's once proud roof has decayed, 618 00:32:56,764 --> 00:33:01,477 leaving its soaring cathedral exposed to the ravages of time. 619 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,274 But nearby, inside a round mausoleum, 620 00:33:06,399 --> 00:33:09,569 originally built to entomb St. Galgano, 621 00:33:09,652 --> 00:33:12,488 is a sacred artifact so remarkable 622 00:33:12,614 --> 00:33:16,200 that it has been encased beneath a protective shell: 623 00:33:16,284 --> 00:33:19,829 the sword in the stone. 624 00:33:19,954 --> 00:33:23,207 So, many people are aware of the Arthurian legend, 625 00:33:23,291 --> 00:33:24,334 you know, the sword in the stone. 626 00:33:24,417 --> 00:33:26,753 But this is a story that comes much earlier. 627 00:33:26,878 --> 00:33:29,797 You can go to this chapel in Italy 628 00:33:29,923 --> 00:33:33,760 and see this sword that's stuck in the middle of this stone. 629 00:33:33,885 --> 00:33:36,721 And you're thinking how did that sword get there? 630 00:33:36,846 --> 00:33:39,015 SHATNER: For centuries, visitors have struggled 631 00:33:39,098 --> 00:33:40,516 with the same question: 632 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:42,185 how did a medieval sword, 633 00:33:42,268 --> 00:33:44,896 which were known to be brittle and often break easily 634 00:33:44,979 --> 00:33:46,731 on the battlefield, 635 00:33:46,773 --> 00:33:48,816 come to be driven nearly up to its hilt 636 00:33:48,942 --> 00:33:50,735 in solid rock? 637 00:33:50,818 --> 00:33:52,487 According to local legends, 638 00:33:52,612 --> 00:33:55,990 St. Galgano had some divine help. 639 00:33:56,115 --> 00:34:00,745 COLLINS: Galgano was said to have been a ruthless character. 640 00:34:00,870 --> 00:34:05,416 He started receiving visions of the archangel Michael, 641 00:34:05,541 --> 00:34:09,212 and these visions told him to change his ways, 642 00:34:09,295 --> 00:34:11,631 become a more pious character, 643 00:34:11,756 --> 00:34:17,053 and he ignored them until he was passing this local landmark 644 00:34:17,178 --> 00:34:19,138 known as Montesiepi. 645 00:34:19,222 --> 00:34:21,891 HUSSAIN: In the story, Galgano is on his horse, 646 00:34:22,016 --> 00:34:24,394 and the horse takes him up to the top of this hill. 647 00:34:24,477 --> 00:34:26,562 And the horse refuses to go any further. 648 00:34:26,646 --> 00:34:28,898 Michael appears to him and tells him 649 00:34:29,023 --> 00:34:33,152 that he is to serve the church and to renounce his wealth. 650 00:34:33,277 --> 00:34:35,613 Galgano basically says, "It's just as easy for me 651 00:34:35,697 --> 00:34:37,615 "to renounce my wealth as it is for my sword 652 00:34:37,740 --> 00:34:38,908 to go into this stone." 653 00:34:39,033 --> 00:34:41,494 COLLINS: At this point, he got out his sword... 654 00:34:41,619 --> 00:34:44,914 and stuck it down into the rock. 655 00:34:44,998 --> 00:34:48,418 And it penetrated through the rock, it was said, 656 00:34:48,501 --> 00:34:51,671 like a knife going through butter. 657 00:34:51,754 --> 00:34:56,384 And thereafter it remained stuck within the rock, 658 00:34:56,467 --> 00:34:58,302 like King Arthur's Excalibur. 659 00:34:58,386 --> 00:35:01,889 SHATNER: Legends of both King Arthur and St. Galgano 660 00:35:01,973 --> 00:35:04,559 have long been considered myths illustrating the power 661 00:35:04,684 --> 00:35:08,771 of the divine, rather than actual historical accounts. 662 00:35:08,896 --> 00:35:13,026 But unlike Excalibur, this sword in the stone 663 00:35:13,109 --> 00:35:14,569 is one that can be seen. 664 00:35:14,652 --> 00:35:17,238 In fact, it's been scientifically proven 665 00:35:17,321 --> 00:35:20,700 to be an authentic medieval blade. 666 00:35:20,783 --> 00:35:24,620 HUSSAIN: What's interesting is that, in the 21st century, 667 00:35:24,746 --> 00:35:26,914 they did some testing on the sword 668 00:35:26,998 --> 00:35:29,417 and realized that, no, this is actually a sword 669 00:35:29,542 --> 00:35:30,877 from the 12th century, 670 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:32,670 that the material is actually 12th century. 671 00:35:32,754 --> 00:35:34,714 So whether the thing actually happened or not, 672 00:35:34,797 --> 00:35:37,925 it's certainly‐‐ the‐the pieces are of the time. 673 00:35:38,051 --> 00:35:41,679 SHATNER: Even though it appears the San Galgano sword 674 00:35:41,763 --> 00:35:43,723 is indeed authentic, 675 00:35:43,806 --> 00:35:46,184 there's one question that remains unanswered. 676 00:35:46,267 --> 00:35:49,604 Because, despite our advanced technology and understanding, 677 00:35:49,729 --> 00:35:52,899 we still don't know how this simple metal blade 678 00:35:53,024 --> 00:35:57,028 was able to be driven so perfectly into stone. 679 00:35:57,111 --> 00:35:59,489 It's pretty hard to believe that this piece of metal 680 00:35:59,614 --> 00:36:01,240 could be driven into a stone. 681 00:36:01,324 --> 00:36:05,286 When I'm out mineral collecting, I commonly take my rock spike, 682 00:36:05,411 --> 00:36:09,290 I'll take a hammer, and I will drive that spike into stone. 683 00:36:09,373 --> 00:36:11,709 When I'm hammering, I'm pounding and pounding and pounding, 684 00:36:11,751 --> 00:36:13,419 and the metal is deforming 685 00:36:13,503 --> 00:36:15,254 every time I strike it with the hammer. 686 00:36:15,379 --> 00:36:18,091 Now, to get a sword into the stone, 687 00:36:18,216 --> 00:36:22,512 but on one motion without any other deformation 688 00:36:22,595 --> 00:36:24,722 of the sword taking place, without any deformation 689 00:36:24,806 --> 00:36:27,433 of the rock taking place... 690 00:36:27,558 --> 00:36:29,894 that would be absolutely miraculous. 691 00:36:29,977 --> 00:36:33,397 HUSSAIN: To become a saint, you have to have 692 00:36:33,481 --> 00:36:34,607 miracles that are tested. 693 00:36:34,732 --> 00:36:35,733 In Galgano's case, 694 00:36:35,817 --> 00:36:37,735 this is the, the miracle. 695 00:36:37,860 --> 00:36:42,490 The rock opens, it accepts this sword. 696 00:36:42,615 --> 00:36:45,910 And so you have the sword in this stone. 697 00:36:46,035 --> 00:36:48,579 Galgano, just a few years after his death, 698 00:36:48,663 --> 00:36:50,456 is made a saint. 699 00:36:50,581 --> 00:36:54,794 I think, for religious people, miracles precisely are that. 700 00:36:54,919 --> 00:36:58,798 They're miraculous. There is no explanation for this 701 00:36:58,923 --> 00:37:00,633 that's scientific, that's rational. 702 00:37:00,758 --> 00:37:05,596 You can say that if you take this sword and hit this rock 703 00:37:05,721 --> 00:37:07,640 a million times, on one of those tries 704 00:37:07,765 --> 00:37:08,891 you might go through. 705 00:37:09,016 --> 00:37:10,518 From the point of view of the religious, 706 00:37:10,601 --> 00:37:11,769 that's not the argument. 707 00:37:11,894 --> 00:37:13,479 The argument is that this is miraculous. 708 00:37:13,604 --> 00:37:15,606 This is completely outside our understanding 709 00:37:15,690 --> 00:37:18,609 of how the world normally is. 710 00:37:18,734 --> 00:37:21,070 This is an item of faith. 711 00:37:21,112 --> 00:37:23,573 And items of faith are something 712 00:37:23,656 --> 00:37:25,783 that affects us deeply, 713 00:37:25,908 --> 00:37:29,412 affects us within our human consciousness. 714 00:37:29,495 --> 00:37:32,582 It's something that we either believe in or we don't. 715 00:37:32,665 --> 00:37:35,042 And if we do believe it, it gives it power, 716 00:37:35,126 --> 00:37:39,380 it gives it energy, and that's what's important here. 717 00:37:39,505 --> 00:37:42,633 And around this strange monument 718 00:37:42,758 --> 00:37:46,220 was built a round church and a chapel. 719 00:37:46,304 --> 00:37:50,558 And even today, this is the site of pilgrimages. 720 00:37:50,641 --> 00:37:54,729 People come from all over Italy, you know, to pay their respects 721 00:37:54,770 --> 00:37:58,774 to this saint, and obviously to God as well. 722 00:38:01,319 --> 00:38:03,404 SHATNER: Whether or not the Sword of San Galgano 723 00:38:03,529 --> 00:38:06,574 found its way into the stone through divine intervention 724 00:38:06,657 --> 00:38:08,951 or something more mundane, 725 00:38:09,076 --> 00:38:12,788 to millions of faithful it remains an enduring symbol 726 00:38:12,914 --> 00:38:14,957 of the power of miracles. 727 00:38:15,082 --> 00:38:17,376 But it's one thing to see a symbol of miracles... 728 00:38:17,460 --> 00:38:18,961 (thunder cracks) 729 00:38:19,086 --> 00:38:20,922 ...it's quite another when you're actually able 730 00:38:21,047 --> 00:38:24,050 to witness one firsthand. 731 00:38:33,434 --> 00:38:37,230 SHATNER: Crowds gather as workers prepare to transport 732 00:38:37,313 --> 00:38:41,067 one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. 733 00:38:41,192 --> 00:38:45,196 23 feet tall and weighing 160 tons, 734 00:38:45,279 --> 00:38:48,491 the massive idol dates back over a thousand years. 735 00:38:48,616 --> 00:38:50,326 And although workers are extremely careful 736 00:38:50,451 --> 00:38:54,914 with their preparations as they load it onto the trucks 737 00:38:55,039 --> 00:38:58,000 that will carry it, there's palpable tension in the air. 738 00:38:58,084 --> 00:39:01,671 Because this is no ordinary statue 739 00:39:01,754 --> 00:39:06,842 but one of the mighty Aztec god Tlaloc. 740 00:39:06,926 --> 00:39:11,555 The Aztec religious system had a vast number of gods. 741 00:39:11,639 --> 00:39:13,933 There were water gods and goddesses. 742 00:39:14,058 --> 00:39:17,561 There were sky gods and goddesses. 743 00:39:17,687 --> 00:39:21,190 Fire divinities and earth divinities. 744 00:39:21,274 --> 00:39:25,903 One particularly important sacred god was Tlaloc, 745 00:39:26,028 --> 00:39:29,365 a fertility divinity associated with weather... 746 00:39:29,448 --> 00:39:30,825 (thunder cracks) 747 00:39:30,950 --> 00:39:32,910 ...and thunder and lightning. 748 00:39:32,994 --> 00:39:35,913 So it is feared, but it is also greatly revered 749 00:39:35,997 --> 00:39:37,415 because life comes from this. 750 00:39:37,540 --> 00:39:42,378 The life‐giving waters of the rain come from Tlaloc. 751 00:39:42,461 --> 00:39:46,924 SHATNER: More than 25,000 people eagerly wait into the night 752 00:39:47,049 --> 00:39:49,844 to welcome Tlaloc to his new home in Mexico City 753 00:39:49,927 --> 00:39:51,512 after his long journey. 754 00:39:51,595 --> 00:39:56,142 But as the trucks carrying the hulking statue finally arrive, 755 00:39:56,267 --> 00:39:59,895 the crowd isn't expecting what would arrive along with him. 756 00:39:59,979 --> 00:40:02,315 COLLINS: As this statue was erected... 757 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:06,027 (thunder cracks) 758 00:40:06,110 --> 00:40:08,904 ...suddenly the heavens opened up, 759 00:40:08,988 --> 00:40:13,409 and for several days there was intense rain 760 00:40:13,492 --> 00:40:14,744 and thunderstorms. 761 00:40:14,827 --> 00:40:17,121 (thunder rumbling) 762 00:40:17,246 --> 00:40:20,249 Now, this was done in the summer months when, 763 00:40:20,374 --> 00:40:24,211 in theory, there should be very little rain at all. 764 00:40:24,253 --> 00:40:28,883 This was so uncharacteristic for this time of year. 765 00:40:28,966 --> 00:40:31,927 SHATNER: Rain during the dry season? 766 00:40:32,053 --> 00:40:34,764 Most people would see such an occurrence 767 00:40:34,889 --> 00:40:37,266 as nothing more than a coincidence. 768 00:40:39,018 --> 00:40:42,605 But some believe the rain was actually a good omen 769 00:40:42,730 --> 00:40:48,736 sent by Tlaloc in response to the warm welcome he received 770 00:40:48,861 --> 00:40:50,946 from the Mexican people. 771 00:40:53,199 --> 00:40:55,743 THOMPSON: Certainly a lot of people believe that these events‐‐ 772 00:40:55,785 --> 00:40:57,036 for example, the downpour 773 00:40:57,119 --> 00:40:58,871 following the arrival of Tlaloc‐‐ 774 00:40:58,954 --> 00:41:00,498 are connected. 775 00:41:00,623 --> 00:41:02,917 And perhaps they're connected because of the divine force. 776 00:41:03,042 --> 00:41:06,253 Or perhaps it's actually the believers' belief 777 00:41:06,379 --> 00:41:09,799 and their faith that is helping to shape these events. 778 00:41:09,924 --> 00:41:12,385 (thunder cracks) 779 00:41:12,510 --> 00:41:15,096 So, certainly faith is powerful. 780 00:41:20,309 --> 00:41:22,853 The fact is that it doesn't really matter, 781 00:41:22,937 --> 00:41:24,438 because it's about belief. 782 00:41:24,563 --> 00:41:27,733 If people believe strongly enough in an object, 783 00:41:27,817 --> 00:41:30,986 that can create a reality. 784 00:41:34,198 --> 00:41:40,037 An ancient god of rain that triggers a massive thunderstorm? 785 00:41:40,121 --> 00:41:42,039 Just a coincidence, right? 786 00:41:42,123 --> 00:41:45,209 Or was there something more mysterious at work? 787 00:41:45,292 --> 00:41:47,420 Well, how about the Koh‐i‐Noor diamond? 788 00:41:47,545 --> 00:41:49,463 Would you wear it? Huh? 789 00:41:49,588 --> 00:41:53,634 Or are you among those who believe that stones really can 790 00:41:53,759 --> 00:41:55,719 possess special powers? 791 00:41:55,845 --> 00:41:59,473 Powers that for now keep them very much among 792 00:41:59,598 --> 00:42:01,684 the unexplained. 64927

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