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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:07,793 --> 00:00:09,862 WILLIAM SHATNER: A miraculous meteorite 2 00:00:09,965 --> 00:00:11,896 falling from the heavens. 3 00:00:13,275 --> 00:00:15,758 A priceless gemstone 4 00:00:15,862 --> 00:00:18,413 - with a deadly curse. - [blades clanging] 5 00:00:18,517 --> 00:00:21,827 And a chunk of sandstone considered so sacred 6 00:00:21,931 --> 00:00:23,517 - that wars have been fought - [horse neighs] 7 00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:25,551 - to protect it. - [shouting] 8 00:00:28,275 --> 00:00:30,517 Throughout history, 9 00:00:30,620 --> 00:00:33,241 many have insisted that simple stones 10 00:00:33,344 --> 00:00:36,896 can do everything from choosing a king 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,793 to causing death. 12 00:00:38,896 --> 00:00:42,206 So, what is it about rocks and stones 13 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:45,655 that inspires some people to worship them? 14 00:00:45,758 --> 00:00:47,793 Well, 15 00:00:47,896 --> 00:00:51,068 that is what we'll try and find out. 16 00:00:51,172 --> 00:00:53,275 โ™ช 17 00:01:06,034 --> 00:01:08,000 Mecca. 18 00:01:08,103 --> 00:01:11,827 It is home to one of the world's largest religious structures, 19 00:01:11,931 --> 00:01:14,310 the Grand Mosque. 20 00:01:14,413 --> 00:01:17,000 In the center courtyard of this immense edifice 21 00:01:17,103 --> 00:01:21,379 stands a 43-foot-tall granite cube known as the Kaaba, 22 00:01:21,482 --> 00:01:24,000 the House of God. 23 00:01:24,103 --> 00:01:26,379 Five times a day, every day, 24 00:01:26,482 --> 00:01:29,517 almost two billion Muslims across the world 25 00:01:29,620 --> 00:01:33,758 turn and pray towards this striking black monument, 26 00:01:33,862 --> 00:01:38,482 the holiest and most sacred site in all of Islam. 27 00:01:38,586 --> 00:01:40,068 Why? 28 00:01:40,172 --> 00:01:43,793 Because embedded in the eastern corner of this shrine 29 00:01:43,896 --> 00:01:47,931 is perhaps the most sacred stone in all the world, 30 00:01:48,034 --> 00:01:51,586 the Black Stone of Mecca. 31 00:01:53,931 --> 00:01:56,344 For the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, 32 00:01:56,448 --> 00:01:58,620 this stone is crucial. 33 00:01:58,724 --> 00:02:01,896 When Muslims face in the direction of Mecca, 34 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,241 they face in the direction of that stone. 35 00:02:05,344 --> 00:02:07,103 ANDREW COLLINS: This object, 36 00:02:07,206 --> 00:02:10,482 as simple as it might be, 37 00:02:10,586 --> 00:02:15,689 is of incredible significance to the Muslim faith, 38 00:02:15,793 --> 00:02:20,413 because it is said to have fallen from heaven 39 00:02:20,517 --> 00:02:24,586 at the commands of Allah 40 00:02:24,689 --> 00:02:28,413 at the time of Adam and Eve. 41 00:02:28,517 --> 00:02:32,344 And it was said to have marked the position 42 00:02:32,448 --> 00:02:34,413 of the first temple, 43 00:02:34,517 --> 00:02:38,793 which obviously becomes Mecca itself. 44 00:02:38,896 --> 00:02:40,413 [thunder rumbling] 45 00:02:40,517 --> 00:02:43,310 HUSSAIN: Then the story is that stone gets lost during the flood, 46 00:02:43,413 --> 00:02:45,275 because Muslims have the same flood story 47 00:02:45,379 --> 00:02:47,241 that Jews do from the Hebrew Bible. 48 00:02:47,344 --> 00:02:50,896 Then that stone for Muslims is rediscovered by Abraham. 49 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,827 So, Abraham, with his son Ishmael, 50 00:02:53,931 --> 00:02:56,000 build in Mecca 51 00:02:56,103 --> 00:02:57,793 the first place of prayer. 52 00:02:57,896 --> 00:03:00,724 That's why Mecca is important to Muslims, 53 00:03:00,827 --> 00:03:03,448 because this is the first place of prayer to the one God. 54 00:03:03,551 --> 00:03:06,413 Over time, it gets worn away. 55 00:03:06,517 --> 00:03:07,965 The building gets rebuilt. 56 00:03:08,068 --> 00:03:11,000 In 605, the prophet Muhammad himself 57 00:03:11,103 --> 00:03:13,724 is the one that places that stone in its place. 58 00:03:13,827 --> 00:03:16,862 That's part of what gives it power. 59 00:03:17,758 --> 00:03:19,413 SHATNER: Each year, 60 00:03:19,517 --> 00:03:21,517 millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage, 61 00:03:21,620 --> 00:03:24,482 or hajj, to the Kaaba. 62 00:03:24,586 --> 00:03:26,172 Once there, 63 00:03:26,275 --> 00:03:30,482 visitors take part in a series of rituals called Tawaf, 64 00:03:30,586 --> 00:03:33,482 which includes circling the Kaaba seven times, 65 00:03:33,586 --> 00:03:36,620 in the belief that it will bring about true humility 66 00:03:36,724 --> 00:03:40,103 by linking them with God. 67 00:03:40,206 --> 00:03:42,586 The Black Stone 68 00:03:42,689 --> 00:03:46,241 is therefore one of the focal points 69 00:03:46,344 --> 00:03:49,344 of the hajj ceremony 70 00:03:49,448 --> 00:03:53,137 that every Muslim certainly tries to achieve 71 00:03:53,241 --> 00:03:55,172 during their lifetime. 72 00:03:55,275 --> 00:03:59,482 And they will then enter the central court of Mecca 73 00:03:59,586 --> 00:04:03,689 and, if possible, try to kiss the Black Stone 74 00:04:03,793 --> 00:04:06,551 in emulation of Muhammad, 75 00:04:06,655 --> 00:04:09,448 who was said to have set it up in this position 76 00:04:09,551 --> 00:04:13,896 in the year 605 AD. 77 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,275 This is the most mystical encounter 78 00:04:16,379 --> 00:04:21,379 with any material object that a loyal Muslim can possibly have. 79 00:04:21,482 --> 00:04:24,344 They're in such a hypnotic state, 80 00:04:24,448 --> 00:04:26,000 such a transcendent state, 81 00:04:26,103 --> 00:04:28,310 and they use the corner of the building to make sure 82 00:04:28,413 --> 00:04:30,241 it's seven times, 83 00:04:30,344 --> 00:04:34,413 to have the full effect of the ritual activity. 84 00:04:34,517 --> 00:04:37,517 With Muslims in Mecca, the Black Stone has 85 00:04:37,620 --> 00:04:39,379 the power to communicate with people. 86 00:04:39,482 --> 00:04:41,517 And I mean literally talk with people. 87 00:04:41,620 --> 00:04:43,068 There's two million people nowadays 88 00:04:43,172 --> 00:04:44,586 that make that pilgrimage. 89 00:04:44,689 --> 00:04:46,103 You might get trampled, and, unfortunately, 90 00:04:46,206 --> 00:04:50,655 there have been people who have been trampled to death. 91 00:04:50,758 --> 00:04:53,517 But that's so important that it connects you back 92 00:04:53,620 --> 00:04:55,655 to the historic past. 93 00:04:55,758 --> 00:04:57,034 TOK THOMPSON: The Black Stone is 94 00:04:57,137 --> 00:04:58,482 a major material focus, 95 00:04:58,586 --> 00:05:00,068 the most sacred object 96 00:05:00,172 --> 00:05:02,103 in one of the world's most major religions, 97 00:05:02,206 --> 00:05:04,793 and it also was sacred to other people. 98 00:05:04,896 --> 00:05:07,482 HUSSAIN: So people who are outside the Islamic tradition 99 00:05:07,586 --> 00:05:10,137 may risk their lives to travel to see this. 100 00:05:10,241 --> 00:05:12,448 And if they're found out, they may well be killed. 101 00:05:12,551 --> 00:05:13,827 You have these accounts of people 102 00:05:13,931 --> 00:05:16,310 like Captain Richard Francis Burton, 103 00:05:16,413 --> 00:05:18,000 one of these famous explorers 104 00:05:18,103 --> 00:05:19,931 who disguises himself as a Muslim. 105 00:05:20,034 --> 00:05:23,862 There's a power there for him to see the ritual, 106 00:05:23,965 --> 00:05:26,758 to see the stone, to handle this thing. 107 00:05:26,862 --> 00:05:30,517 Richard Francis Burton goes in, sees this, 108 00:05:30,620 --> 00:05:33,724 is able to come back out and writes about this. 109 00:05:33,827 --> 00:05:36,241 So you can see from him the importance of this place 110 00:05:36,344 --> 00:05:39,241 because of the connection to the biblical prophets. 111 00:05:39,344 --> 00:05:41,517 THOMPSON: Certainly, the stories that have been built around it 112 00:05:41,620 --> 00:05:43,310 really pull people in. 113 00:05:43,413 --> 00:05:45,137 And some people suggest that maybe it's something 114 00:05:45,241 --> 00:05:48,000 in the stone itself, uh, that pulls people in. 115 00:05:49,586 --> 00:05:52,068 SHATNER: The stone itself pulling people in? 116 00:05:53,172 --> 00:05:55,517 But how? 117 00:05:55,620 --> 00:05:58,034 For the millions, if not billions, of Muslims 118 00:05:58,137 --> 00:06:01,896 who have made their pilgrimage to the Kaaba, 119 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,724 there's no doubt that the Black Stone has an inexorable power 120 00:06:06,827 --> 00:06:10,344 that seems to draw them into its orbit. 121 00:06:10,448 --> 00:06:12,379 And according to some experts, 122 00:06:12,482 --> 00:06:17,172 that's because the Black Stone is not of this world. 123 00:06:19,344 --> 00:06:24,827 Muslims believe that this was sent down by God to Earth. 124 00:06:26,896 --> 00:06:29,137 If we're scientific, we may call that a meteorite. 125 00:06:29,241 --> 00:06:31,206 If we're not scientific, we may call that miraculous. 126 00:06:31,310 --> 00:06:35,241 Here's this stone that comes from the heavens. 127 00:06:35,344 --> 00:06:37,862 AARON CELESTIAN: When a meteorite hits the Earth and somebody witnessed it fall, 128 00:06:37,965 --> 00:06:39,896 and-and they were to go to that location, 129 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,724 there's a variety of things that they might be able to find. 130 00:06:42,827 --> 00:06:45,896 If the stone falls in a sandy area, for example, 131 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,137 there might be a lot of heat associated with the meteorite 132 00:06:48,241 --> 00:06:51,655 as it falls, and that could cause a fusion 133 00:06:51,758 --> 00:06:55,206 of the sand to cause some kind of glass to form. 134 00:06:55,310 --> 00:06:57,896 And so, when you walk up onto it, you might find 135 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,206 some interesting new features that you probably wouldn't 136 00:07:00,310 --> 00:07:04,896 have seen in that particular part of the-the world before. 137 00:07:07,206 --> 00:07:09,310 Meteorites arrive from outer space. 138 00:07:09,413 --> 00:07:12,931 Being exposed to cosmic rays, they're slightly radioactive. 139 00:07:13,034 --> 00:07:16,965 To people not exposed to electromagnetic radiation, 140 00:07:17,068 --> 00:07:20,827 they would-- might have been able to even feel that buzz 141 00:07:20,931 --> 00:07:23,068 from this rock, from the radiation, 142 00:07:23,172 --> 00:07:25,379 the beta particles especially. 143 00:07:25,482 --> 00:07:27,000 You know, whether you believe it was sent by God 144 00:07:27,103 --> 00:07:28,551 or whether you believe it was a random act, 145 00:07:28,655 --> 00:07:31,344 it has literally extraterrestrial origins. 146 00:07:31,448 --> 00:07:36,103 And so, that creates a real power there. 147 00:07:36,206 --> 00:07:38,310 SHATNER: Could the Black Stone of Mecca really have the power 148 00:07:38,413 --> 00:07:42,103 to physically affect people who come near it? 149 00:07:42,206 --> 00:07:46,000 Well, the truth is, we may never know for sure, 150 00:07:46,103 --> 00:07:49,517 because no one has ever been officially allowed 151 00:07:49,620 --> 00:07:51,517 to inspect or analyze it. 152 00:07:55,172 --> 00:07:56,655 So, there are a lot of exciting and interesting questions 153 00:07:56,758 --> 00:07:58,482 about the Black Stone. 154 00:07:58,586 --> 00:08:01,517 I think the first initial one is, is it actually a meteorite? 155 00:08:01,620 --> 00:08:03,655 A lot of people propose that, and there's some evidence, 156 00:08:03,758 --> 00:08:07,413 particularly from a local impact crater, that it came from there. 157 00:08:07,517 --> 00:08:10,517 And is there some sort of radiation energy that it emits 158 00:08:10,620 --> 00:08:14,517 or is coming from it that we just don't understand yet? 159 00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:16,586 So it would be really amazing to have the opportunity 160 00:08:16,689 --> 00:08:18,586 to analyze the Black Stone. 161 00:08:18,689 --> 00:08:20,344 There are obviously challenges, 162 00:08:20,448 --> 00:08:23,241 both sort of social as well as scientific. 163 00:08:23,344 --> 00:08:26,310 It's in the Muslim world, it's in a very sacred place, 164 00:08:26,413 --> 00:08:28,000 it's a very sacred stone. 165 00:08:28,103 --> 00:08:31,448 So, bringing in scientists and doing careful analyses 166 00:08:31,551 --> 00:08:34,275 have those social challenges and would be difficult. 167 00:08:34,379 --> 00:08:37,793 HUSSAIN: Even if you don't believe, uh, as a Muslim, 168 00:08:37,896 --> 00:08:39,344 that this, you know, comes from God, 169 00:08:39,448 --> 00:08:41,620 and has this religious significance, 170 00:08:41,724 --> 00:08:44,000 you understand the power of this object, 171 00:08:44,103 --> 00:08:46,517 that for at least 1,400 years, 172 00:08:46,620 --> 00:08:50,517 Muslims have been circling, as they do their prayers. 173 00:08:50,620 --> 00:08:53,931 There's a tremendous power there, we want to touch that. 174 00:08:59,586 --> 00:09:01,551 SHATNER: Millions of people, 175 00:09:01,655 --> 00:09:03,586 drawn to a mysterious stone, 176 00:09:03,689 --> 00:09:09,931 imbued with strange physical powers, from another world? 177 00:09:10,034 --> 00:09:12,724 A far-fetched notion, perhaps. 178 00:09:12,827 --> 00:09:16,896 But one that many people have believed in for centuries. 179 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,344 Not unlike the belief in another sacred object, 180 00:09:19,448 --> 00:09:23,724 one that may have the ability to bring people back 181 00:09:23,827 --> 00:09:27,206 from the brink of death. 182 00:09:35,172 --> 00:09:37,724 SHATNER: While exploring the remains of an ancient Maya ruin, 183 00:09:37,827 --> 00:09:40,000 English adventurer Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges 184 00:09:40,103 --> 00:09:41,896 and his daughter Anna find 185 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,241 a human skull carved out of pure quartz. 186 00:09:46,344 --> 00:09:49,034 BILL HOMANN: It was high noon and she was at the top of the pyramid. 187 00:09:49,137 --> 00:09:52,379 And the way the sun came in, the way the rocks had moved on that, 188 00:09:52,482 --> 00:09:55,413 there was just a small opening, and the light from the sun 189 00:09:55,517 --> 00:09:58,034 went through and it hit the top of the skull. 190 00:09:58,137 --> 00:10:00,586 And, uh, she ran down and she's all excited. 191 00:10:00,689 --> 00:10:04,068 So they got a small hole big enough, and Anna was chosen, 192 00:10:04,172 --> 00:10:07,344 and they tied a rope to her and put her down into the hole. 193 00:10:07,448 --> 00:10:09,310 And she came up with the top of the skull. 194 00:10:09,413 --> 00:10:13,448 When the natives saw it, it was like their god had returned. 195 00:10:13,551 --> 00:10:14,827 They all started crying 196 00:10:14,931 --> 00:10:17,000 and kissing the earth and everything. 197 00:10:17,103 --> 00:10:18,413 They were just so excited. 198 00:10:18,517 --> 00:10:22,068 Mitchell-Hedges seeing this, he presented it to the high priest. 199 00:10:22,172 --> 00:10:25,965 And they put it in an altar, and for 24 hours a day, 200 00:10:26,068 --> 00:10:29,241 they burned flames around the-the crystal skull. 201 00:10:29,344 --> 00:10:33,448 SHATNER: But even more extraordinary than the skull itself 202 00:10:33,551 --> 00:10:36,655 was the fact that a legend came with it, 203 00:10:36,758 --> 00:10:39,482 one so amazing that Frederick Mitchell-Hedges 204 00:10:39,586 --> 00:10:41,241 and his daughter Anna 205 00:10:41,344 --> 00:10:44,517 didn't know whether they should rejoice in their discovery 206 00:10:44,620 --> 00:10:47,068 or be intimidated by the burden of it. 207 00:10:47,172 --> 00:10:49,931 HOMANN: The legend of the crystal skulls. 208 00:10:50,034 --> 00:10:52,517 This was given to F.A. Mitchell-Hedges 209 00:10:52,620 --> 00:10:55,724 by a medicine woman back in Lubaantun. 210 00:10:55,827 --> 00:10:59,620 Mayans say there are 13 skulls. 211 00:10:59,724 --> 00:11:03,655 And 13 skulls have been placed 212 00:11:03,758 --> 00:11:05,482 in various parts of the world 213 00:11:05,586 --> 00:11:08,655 but possibly on the different energy centers. 214 00:11:08,758 --> 00:11:10,758 And when they're all activated, 215 00:11:10,862 --> 00:11:14,517 all 13 of them, then they say that it's a time 216 00:11:14,620 --> 00:11:18,310 of peace and harmony in the world. 217 00:11:18,413 --> 00:11:20,620 What I think is, all those crystal skulls 218 00:11:20,724 --> 00:11:22,241 have a unique purpose. 219 00:11:22,344 --> 00:11:27,620 So I'm not exactly sure where all the 13 skulls are. 220 00:11:27,724 --> 00:11:31,068 You have to see it to really appreciate 221 00:11:31,172 --> 00:11:32,448 the Mitchell-Hedges skull. 222 00:11:32,551 --> 00:11:35,482 It's, it's a pretty amazing piece of crystal just in itself, 223 00:11:35,586 --> 00:11:37,965 and then the-the workmanship that went into it. 224 00:11:38,068 --> 00:11:41,068 How it was made is really a mystery. 225 00:11:41,172 --> 00:11:45,344 SHATNER: Weighing approximately 12 pounds, 226 00:11:45,448 --> 00:11:47,793 the crystal skull is remarkably accurate 227 00:11:47,896 --> 00:11:50,655 in its anatomical detail. 228 00:11:50,758 --> 00:11:54,517 CLIFF DUNNING: They've tried to analyze how it was cut, 229 00:11:54,620 --> 00:11:57,413 but they do not know, to this day. 230 00:11:57,517 --> 00:11:59,413 The technology is so sophisticated, 231 00:11:59,517 --> 00:12:02,000 it's almost like from another world. 232 00:12:02,103 --> 00:12:04,965 MARTIN ETTINGTON: A lot of crystal skulls are actually known as fakes, 233 00:12:05,068 --> 00:12:08,517 because they were produced in the 19th century 234 00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:11,172 using modern machinery, 235 00:12:11,275 --> 00:12:14,965 and microscopes were able to show tool marks. 236 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:17,793 But the skull in question that we're talking about 237 00:12:17,896 --> 00:12:22,482 is one that they can't find tool marks on it. 238 00:12:22,586 --> 00:12:27,862 So, if any of the crystal skulls are actual pre-Mayan artifacts, 239 00:12:27,965 --> 00:12:31,310 then the Mitchell-Hedges skull probably is the one. 240 00:12:31,413 --> 00:12:35,965 SHATNER: If modern technology is unable to replicate 241 00:12:36,068 --> 00:12:39,275 the Mitchell-Hedges skull, then how was it created? 242 00:12:40,931 --> 00:12:43,482 To find out, teams of scientists were brought in 243 00:12:43,586 --> 00:12:45,103 to conduct a number of tests. 244 00:12:45,206 --> 00:12:50,137 DUNNING: At one point in the 1960s, a IBM engineer 245 00:12:50,241 --> 00:12:52,793 named Marcel Vogel began testing this skull. 246 00:12:52,896 --> 00:12:56,551 What he believed was that it is filled, 247 00:12:56,655 --> 00:12:58,517 uh, like a microchip, 248 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:01,275 with the history of the world at that time. 249 00:13:01,379 --> 00:13:05,896 So, it's a very old, rough computer, basically. 250 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,413 SHATNER: A quartz crystal computer? 251 00:13:09,517 --> 00:13:11,758 Storing history like a hard drive? 252 00:13:11,862 --> 00:13:13,379 It seems impossible. 253 00:13:13,482 --> 00:13:17,655 But in 2016, researchers at the University of Southampton 254 00:13:17,758 --> 00:13:19,586 were able to use a piece of quartz, 255 00:13:19,689 --> 00:13:21,551 similar to that found in the skull, 256 00:13:21,655 --> 00:13:25,586 to perform just such a function. 257 00:13:25,689 --> 00:13:28,896 CELESTIAN: What they did is, they used lasers to form dots 258 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,551 with, inside of a quartz crystal, 259 00:13:31,655 --> 00:13:33,241 at different levels within it. 260 00:13:33,344 --> 00:13:35,931 And the pattern that they print is the data, 261 00:13:36,034 --> 00:13:37,172 you know, like zeros and ones 262 00:13:37,275 --> 00:13:39,241 that we use for computers right now. 263 00:13:39,344 --> 00:13:43,655 You could store about 360 terabytes of information. 264 00:13:43,758 --> 00:13:47,172 Even if humanity were to go completely extinct, 265 00:13:47,275 --> 00:13:49,551 this data and this information would last 266 00:13:49,655 --> 00:13:51,448 as long as the Earth would last. 267 00:13:51,551 --> 00:13:54,620 SHATNER: If it's true that the Mitchell-Hedges skull 268 00:13:54,724 --> 00:13:57,551 could be storing vast amounts of information, 269 00:13:57,655 --> 00:14:01,551 what secrets might it divulge if, or when, 270 00:14:01,655 --> 00:14:04,827 someone figures out how to decrypt it? 271 00:14:04,931 --> 00:14:08,310 As the caretaker of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, 272 00:14:08,413 --> 00:14:11,344 it's my job carrying on the tradition, 273 00:14:11,448 --> 00:14:15,551 to let it out for people to see and be around and experience it. 274 00:14:15,655 --> 00:14:18,068 Some people, uh, claim the crystal skull 275 00:14:18,172 --> 00:14:22,793 has given them premonitions or visions of the future. 276 00:14:22,896 --> 00:14:24,517 But there are many people who believe 277 00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:26,965 that the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull 278 00:14:27,068 --> 00:14:29,724 was actually made in ancient times, 279 00:14:29,827 --> 00:14:32,482 originally as a healing device. 280 00:14:32,586 --> 00:14:34,655 SHATNER: A healing device? 281 00:14:34,758 --> 00:14:36,931 Is it possible that the Skull of Doom 282 00:14:37,034 --> 00:14:40,758 can actually have the power to save lives? 283 00:14:40,862 --> 00:14:44,379 According to one woman, the answer is yes. 284 00:14:50,103 --> 00:14:52,206 A local singer and costume designer 285 00:14:52,310 --> 00:14:55,586 named Phoenix Rising is going about her work day 286 00:14:55,689 --> 00:14:56,965 when, out of the blue, 287 00:14:57,068 --> 00:14:59,965 she's struck with an intense migraine headache. 288 00:15:00,068 --> 00:15:02,793 And although she has a lifelong history of migraines, 289 00:15:02,896 --> 00:15:07,758 for some reason this one feels different. 290 00:15:07,862 --> 00:15:09,689 RISING: I went to the emergency room, 291 00:15:09,793 --> 00:15:11,758 I said to the nurse, "Something is going on." 292 00:15:11,862 --> 00:15:14,793 She put me in for a scan, and when she came out, 293 00:15:14,896 --> 00:15:17,241 her face was white as a ghost. 294 00:15:17,344 --> 00:15:19,931 And literally it was three, two, one, and... 295 00:15:20,034 --> 00:15:22,379 paramedics, everybody, boom-- 296 00:15:22,482 --> 00:15:23,689 IVs, the whole thing-- 297 00:15:23,793 --> 00:15:26,620 and I was having a brain hemorrhage. 298 00:15:26,724 --> 00:15:30,137 So I spent the next two weeks in ICU. 299 00:15:30,241 --> 00:15:33,344 They were trying to figure out how in the world I was alive, 300 00:15:33,448 --> 00:15:36,206 breathing, being able to see, being able to walk. 301 00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:38,931 SHATNER: After hearing about Phoenix's condition, 302 00:15:39,034 --> 00:15:40,724 a Native American Pueblo elder, 303 00:15:40,827 --> 00:15:42,793 who claimed to have once been a keeper 304 00:15:42,896 --> 00:15:44,724 of the Mitchell-Hedges skull, 305 00:15:44,827 --> 00:15:46,965 offered to send her a piece of quartz 306 00:15:47,068 --> 00:15:48,931 that had been kept in close proximity 307 00:15:49,034 --> 00:15:52,206 to the crystal skull for some time. 308 00:15:52,310 --> 00:15:54,827 RISING: He got me on the phone. His name is John Francis, 309 00:15:54,931 --> 00:15:58,586 and he said, "I'm gonna send you a quartz crystal 310 00:15:58,689 --> 00:16:01,724 "that's been charged from this Mitchell-Hedges skull. 311 00:16:01,827 --> 00:16:04,448 "I want you to put it in water 312 00:16:04,551 --> 00:16:06,724 "and in the morning I want you to drink it, 313 00:16:06,827 --> 00:16:08,137 "and you're gonna drink it every morning, 314 00:16:08,241 --> 00:16:10,310 and I want you to see what's gonna happen." 315 00:16:10,413 --> 00:16:13,103 At this point I'm trying to recover, 316 00:16:13,206 --> 00:16:16,000 so I'm willing absolutely to do anything. 317 00:16:17,896 --> 00:16:21,137 SHATNER: Although skeptical, Phoenix felt she had nothing to lose 318 00:16:21,241 --> 00:16:23,448 by trying the bizarre remedy. 319 00:16:23,551 --> 00:16:26,655 For two days she followed the medicine man's instructions, 320 00:16:26,758 --> 00:16:29,965 seemingly without results. 321 00:16:30,068 --> 00:16:33,000 And then, on the third day, 322 00:16:33,103 --> 00:16:36,275 something unexpected happened. 323 00:16:36,379 --> 00:16:38,034 RISING: I drank the water in the morning, 324 00:16:38,137 --> 00:16:43,206 and probably about five, six-ish minutes later, 325 00:16:43,310 --> 00:16:44,448 I literally hear 326 00:16:44,551 --> 00:16:47,448 a sound inside that went... 327 00:16:47,551 --> 00:16:50,551 [makes vrooming sound] 328 00:16:50,655 --> 00:16:52,379 ...like a vibration. 329 00:16:52,482 --> 00:16:56,103 This quartz was healing me and repairing my body, 330 00:16:56,206 --> 00:16:58,000 my cells, my water, my DNA. 331 00:16:58,103 --> 00:17:00,413 And when I went back to the hospital, 332 00:17:00,517 --> 00:17:03,758 the doctors were absolutely, yes, 100% shocked 333 00:17:03,862 --> 00:17:07,551 that I was able to drain the blood out 334 00:17:07,655 --> 00:17:09,206 and that I was healing. 335 00:17:09,310 --> 00:17:12,034 SHATNER: Whether Phoenix's shocking recovery 336 00:17:12,137 --> 00:17:13,758 made sense to the doctors or not, 337 00:17:13,862 --> 00:17:15,758 it appeared undeniable 338 00:17:15,862 --> 00:17:18,931 that her condition had improved due to the unique properties 339 00:17:19,034 --> 00:17:21,344 of the crystal skull. 340 00:17:21,448 --> 00:17:25,137 RISING: For me, I definitely know that it unlocked something 341 00:17:25,241 --> 00:17:27,379 in my brain that healed me 342 00:17:27,482 --> 00:17:31,068 from a life-threatening condition that then allowed me 343 00:17:31,172 --> 00:17:35,206 to move into success in my life, to be here. 344 00:17:37,241 --> 00:17:41,068 Could the crystal which forms the Mitchell-Hedges skull 345 00:17:41,172 --> 00:17:43,310 really possess healing properties? 346 00:17:43,413 --> 00:17:45,758 Or are the skull's mystic powers, 347 00:17:45,862 --> 00:17:48,793 uh, only in the mind? 348 00:17:48,896 --> 00:17:50,310 Perhaps the answer can be found 349 00:17:50,413 --> 00:17:53,241 by examining one of the most valuable gemstones 350 00:17:53,344 --> 00:17:55,379 in the world, and which many believe 351 00:17:55,482 --> 00:17:59,724 is cursed by a kind of dark energy. 352 00:18:08,551 --> 00:18:12,034 SHATNER: Over one million people turn out for the funeral procession 353 00:18:12,137 --> 00:18:15,034 of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, otherwise known 354 00:18:15,137 --> 00:18:17,137 as the Queen Mother of Great Britain's 355 00:18:17,241 --> 00:18:19,551 Queen Elizabeth II. 356 00:18:19,655 --> 00:18:22,482 Atop her casket, in addition 357 00:18:22,586 --> 00:18:24,448 to ceremonial flowers and her coat of arms, 358 00:18:24,551 --> 00:18:26,620 is the crown she wore 359 00:18:26,724 --> 00:18:32,103 at her husband King George VI's coronation in 1937. 360 00:18:32,206 --> 00:18:36,068 Although it is adorned with an estimated 2,800 diamonds, 361 00:18:36,172 --> 00:18:40,586 one in particular attracts more awe and fascination 362 00:18:40,689 --> 00:18:43,724 from the crowd than the rest. 363 00:18:43,827 --> 00:18:48,482 The diamond known as the Koh-i-Noor. 364 00:18:48,586 --> 00:18:50,586 NEWSMAN: That, an imperial crown, 365 00:18:50,689 --> 00:18:54,034 and at its center, in the front, 366 00:18:54,137 --> 00:18:56,068 the most famous diamond in the world, 367 00:18:56,172 --> 00:18:57,724 the Koh-i-Noor diamond. 368 00:18:57,827 --> 00:19:00,896 The name means "mountain of light." 369 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:05,172 Since 1895, it has only been worn by a woman-- 370 00:19:05,275 --> 00:19:06,689 by Queen Mary, 371 00:19:06,793 --> 00:19:08,034 the Queen Mother's mother-in-law, 372 00:19:08,137 --> 00:19:10,793 and then by the Queen Mother herself. 373 00:19:10,896 --> 00:19:14,724 SHATNER: Measuring a massive 105 karats 374 00:19:14,827 --> 00:19:18,551 and estimated to be worth over $1 billion, 375 00:19:18,655 --> 00:19:21,344 the Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest cut diamonds 376 00:19:21,448 --> 00:19:22,482 in the world. 377 00:19:22,586 --> 00:19:25,379 And according to historians, 378 00:19:25,482 --> 00:19:28,172 it is also one of the most feared. 379 00:19:29,758 --> 00:19:31,689 The Koh-i-Noor diamond, 380 00:19:31,793 --> 00:19:34,448 uh, is one of the, uh, more impressive diamonds 381 00:19:34,551 --> 00:19:38,655 that have ever been unearthed in the history of humankind. 382 00:19:38,758 --> 00:19:41,241 It was unearthed somewhere in India, 383 00:19:41,344 --> 00:19:43,862 which was the main spot that diamonds were unearthed. 384 00:19:43,965 --> 00:19:46,103 But this particular diamond, 385 00:19:46,206 --> 00:19:47,724 it has a very, very long 386 00:19:47,827 --> 00:19:50,448 and sort of tragic and bloody history. 387 00:19:50,551 --> 00:19:52,620 And there are legends attached to this, 388 00:19:52,724 --> 00:19:55,000 where it is held to be accursed, 389 00:19:55,103 --> 00:19:58,827 and bring curses to especially any man who touches this. 390 00:19:58,931 --> 00:20:00,724 Uh, which is why, even in the British royalty, 391 00:20:00,827 --> 00:20:03,724 it remains a part of the, um, crown jewels, 392 00:20:03,827 --> 00:20:05,206 uh, for women only. 393 00:20:05,310 --> 00:20:09,137 SHATNER: A curse on any man who touches it? 394 00:20:09,241 --> 00:20:11,413 But what could give a beautiful stone 395 00:20:11,517 --> 00:20:13,551 such a dark power? 396 00:20:13,655 --> 00:20:15,827 Many believe the answer can be found 397 00:20:15,931 --> 00:20:18,482 by examining the Koh-i-Noor's storied history, 398 00:20:18,586 --> 00:20:20,068 which, according to records, 399 00:20:20,172 --> 00:20:24,103 dates all the way back to 14th century India. 400 00:20:24,206 --> 00:20:25,965 The Koh-i-Noor really catches your eye. 401 00:20:26,068 --> 00:20:28,241 It's, it's like a hundred-karat stone. 402 00:20:28,344 --> 00:20:31,758 But what really catches your eye is the history. 403 00:20:31,862 --> 00:20:35,896 The diamond was really first identified 404 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,034 after Mogul Empire invaded what's now northern India. 405 00:20:41,137 --> 00:20:45,655 They settled in Delhi after their conquest 406 00:20:45,758 --> 00:20:49,379 and started collecting gemstones. 407 00:20:49,482 --> 00:20:54,000 Shah Jahan became the ruler in 1626. 408 00:20:54,103 --> 00:20:57,551 He designed this throne called the Peacock Throne 409 00:20:57,655 --> 00:21:00,482 that was in the tradition of biblical throne, 410 00:21:00,586 --> 00:21:02,000 like King Solomon. 411 00:21:02,103 --> 00:21:06,758 It took seven years and cost three to four times more 412 00:21:06,862 --> 00:21:09,241 than it cost to build the Taj Mahal. 413 00:21:09,344 --> 00:21:12,655 And you can understand the immense expense 414 00:21:12,758 --> 00:21:14,482 that this took to create. 415 00:21:14,586 --> 00:21:16,551 And then, at the centerpiece of this, 416 00:21:16,655 --> 00:21:19,724 was the Koh-i-Noor at the very top. 417 00:21:23,241 --> 00:21:25,344 SHATNER: In 1739, 418 00:21:25,448 --> 00:21:27,965 after 100 years of peace, 419 00:21:28,068 --> 00:21:32,344 a merciless Persian ruler named Nader Shah invaded India. 420 00:21:32,448 --> 00:21:38,034 Tens of thousands died in his relentless quest for power. 421 00:21:40,379 --> 00:21:44,310 Following his savage victory, Nader Shah seized the Koh-i-Noor 422 00:21:44,413 --> 00:21:47,310 and had it placed on his personal armband 423 00:21:47,413 --> 00:21:49,517 as a symbol of his might. 424 00:21:49,620 --> 00:21:51,310 SHOR: Nader Shah wasn't going 425 00:21:51,413 --> 00:21:52,793 to keep it in the chair. 426 00:21:52,896 --> 00:21:54,965 It was going to be with him at all times. 427 00:21:55,068 --> 00:22:00,965 Now, Nader Shah became a very, very repressive ruler. 428 00:22:01,068 --> 00:22:03,896 And even his allies began to hate him. 429 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,965 And they poisoned him. 430 00:22:07,068 --> 00:22:10,206 After Nader Shah's death, the diamond passed 431 00:22:10,310 --> 00:22:14,241 through various rulers who-who died in very violent ways. 432 00:22:14,344 --> 00:22:18,310 SHATNER: In the years after, the Koh-i-Noor would pass 433 00:22:18,413 --> 00:22:20,206 from one ruler to another, 434 00:22:20,310 --> 00:22:25,793 almost always drenched in the blood of its prior owner, 435 00:22:25,896 --> 00:22:29,034 as if the diamond itself demanded a mortal sacrifice 436 00:22:29,137 --> 00:22:31,172 in order to possess it. 437 00:22:33,275 --> 00:22:38,241 Because of battles, um, it fell from one person to a next, 438 00:22:38,344 --> 00:22:42,931 and started to build up this, uh, legend 439 00:22:43,034 --> 00:22:47,034 that it had some kind of a curse associated with it. 440 00:22:47,137 --> 00:22:51,275 Because as soon as it was in the hands of one ruler, 441 00:22:51,379 --> 00:22:54,551 they would be killed or their kingdom would be lost 442 00:22:54,655 --> 00:22:57,137 and it would be passed on to another. 443 00:22:57,241 --> 00:23:01,896 SHOR: Now, these rulers were wearing the Koh-i-Noor as the armband 444 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,551 to be a protector. 445 00:23:03,655 --> 00:23:06,310 And this is probably where the curse legend came in, 446 00:23:06,413 --> 00:23:09,482 because the diamond certainly wasn't protecting them. 447 00:23:09,586 --> 00:23:15,862 COLLINS: And then, in the 19th century, when the British were in India, 448 00:23:15,965 --> 00:23:19,310 it fell into the hands of the British Army, 449 00:23:19,413 --> 00:23:23,413 and it was said that from that point onwards, 450 00:23:23,517 --> 00:23:29,310 that no male should ever wear this diamond. 451 00:23:29,413 --> 00:23:34,793 SHATNER: But is it actually possible for an inanimate object 452 00:23:34,896 --> 00:23:38,655 to be imbued with so-called dark energy? 453 00:23:38,758 --> 00:23:42,413 Human beings are unique in that we imbue objects with meaning, 454 00:23:42,517 --> 00:23:46,068 and so if we're bringing a darkness from within ourselves 455 00:23:46,172 --> 00:23:48,137 and projecting it onto that object, 456 00:23:48,241 --> 00:23:51,137 then that's what results in this thing that we call a curse. 457 00:23:51,241 --> 00:23:54,827 SHATNER: Is the Koh-i-Noor's ability to make men kill 458 00:23:54,931 --> 00:23:58,068 in order to possess it all just a legend? 459 00:23:58,172 --> 00:24:01,068 Or is there any scientific evidence 460 00:24:01,172 --> 00:24:06,137 to prove that its deadly reputation is justified? 461 00:24:06,241 --> 00:24:09,827 So, diamonds are really good at taking heat away from a source 462 00:24:09,931 --> 00:24:11,448 and transmitting it elsewhere. 463 00:24:11,551 --> 00:24:13,931 If you've never held a large diamond in your life, 464 00:24:14,034 --> 00:24:15,517 and if you first encountered the stone 465 00:24:15,620 --> 00:24:18,103 and you're putting it on your chest or on a necklace, 466 00:24:18,206 --> 00:24:21,896 it would feel much colder than anything that you'd have, 467 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,241 because the heat is being sucked out of your skin 468 00:24:24,344 --> 00:24:27,551 and transmitted through this diamond. 469 00:24:27,655 --> 00:24:29,379 It could be one reason why somebody might feel like 470 00:24:29,482 --> 00:24:31,172 the stone has got some magical properties 471 00:24:31,275 --> 00:24:33,310 or why it might be cursed. 472 00:24:33,413 --> 00:24:38,206 COLLINS: As long as we believe that something bad will happen 473 00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:42,896 if a male heir actually uses this or wears it, 474 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,689 then I think that it needs to be taken seriously. 475 00:24:46,793 --> 00:24:53,172 So, very clearly, no British king will ever wear it. 476 00:24:53,275 --> 00:24:57,344 SHATNER: It has been said that a diamond is forever. 477 00:24:57,448 --> 00:24:59,344 If that's true, could the Koh-i-Noor's supposed curse 478 00:24:59,448 --> 00:25:01,965 also be eternal? 479 00:25:02,068 --> 00:25:03,758 Either way, it's doubtful we're going to see a king 480 00:25:03,862 --> 00:25:06,000 wearing the Koh-i-Noor any time soon. 481 00:25:07,310 --> 00:25:09,103 Luckily, the British have another method 482 00:25:09,206 --> 00:25:11,000 of coronating their monarchs. 483 00:25:11,103 --> 00:25:16,241 One that also involves a mysterious, sacred stone. 484 00:25:16,344 --> 00:25:21,000 Only, this one doesn't kill kings, it creates them. 485 00:25:32,793 --> 00:25:33,793 SHATNER: Here on St. Andrew's Day, 486 00:25:33,896 --> 00:25:35,862 Scotland's official national holiday, 487 00:25:35,965 --> 00:25:39,896 a long-awaited ceremony is finally taking place. 488 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,103 The occasion will finally see the return, 489 00:25:42,206 --> 00:25:44,586 after more than 700 years, 490 00:25:44,689 --> 00:25:47,448 of one of Scotland's most important artifacts: 491 00:25:47,551 --> 00:25:50,620 a roughly two-by-one-foot sandstone block, 492 00:25:50,724 --> 00:25:56,310 weighing 335 pounds, called the Stone of Scone. 493 00:25:56,413 --> 00:26:02,137 Or as it's known according to legend, the Stone of Destiny. 494 00:26:02,241 --> 00:26:04,517 THOMPSON: The stone itself is just a stone, 495 00:26:04,620 --> 00:26:07,000 uh, somewhat unremarkable-looking, 496 00:26:07,103 --> 00:26:09,965 and yet the stories of that stone have been so powerful, 497 00:26:10,068 --> 00:26:11,896 uh, reflecting so many wars 498 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:16,965 and-and contests between nations for hundreds of years. 499 00:26:17,068 --> 00:26:19,793 And another fascinating aspect of this is that we know 500 00:26:19,896 --> 00:26:22,517 that this stone was religiously important. 501 00:26:22,620 --> 00:26:26,310 The Stone of Scone has really interesting religious roots. 502 00:26:26,413 --> 00:26:29,344 And this goes back to the biblical tradition. 503 00:26:29,448 --> 00:26:33,551 The patriarch Jacob in the Book of Genesis has this dream 504 00:26:33,655 --> 00:26:38,103 at this place called Beit El, literally the "House of God." 505 00:26:38,206 --> 00:26:42,827 He's sleeping, and he uses stones to rest his head on. 506 00:26:42,931 --> 00:26:45,965 There's a tradition that says Jeremiah, a later prophet, 507 00:26:46,068 --> 00:26:48,551 takes this stone to Ireland. 508 00:26:48,655 --> 00:26:53,103 The stone then finds its way to Scotland. 509 00:26:53,206 --> 00:26:56,344 SHATNER: In 840 AD, a nobleman named Kenneth MacAlpin 510 00:26:56,448 --> 00:27:00,103 brought the sandstone slab to the medieval town of Scone. 511 00:27:00,206 --> 00:27:03,344 According to Scottish legend, it was the stone itself 512 00:27:03,448 --> 00:27:08,896 that proclaimed him Kenneth I, the original king of Scotland. 513 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,172 According to the stories, uh, when the rightful ruler 514 00:27:11,275 --> 00:27:14,137 would place their foot on the stone, the stone would speak out 515 00:27:14,241 --> 00:27:17,586 and proclaim them as the rightful ruler of the land. 516 00:27:17,689 --> 00:27:24,206 HUSSAIN: It's used in Scottish rituals as a way of coronation. 517 00:27:24,310 --> 00:27:28,965 It's this stone that is really key, and the idea here 518 00:27:29,068 --> 00:27:33,379 is that the monarch isn't just selected by the people; 519 00:27:33,482 --> 00:27:36,137 God has chosen the monarch. 520 00:27:36,241 --> 00:27:40,551 SHATNER: For centuries, the Stone of Destiny was considered 521 00:27:40,655 --> 00:27:43,620 not only one of the greatest treasures in all of Scotland 522 00:27:43,724 --> 00:27:45,793 but also a legitimate means 523 00:27:45,896 --> 00:27:47,896 by which someone could rule the country. 524 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,655 Which is why, in 1296, 525 00:27:50,758 --> 00:27:53,689 the English monarch Edward I wanted it, 526 00:27:53,793 --> 00:27:57,827 and the Scottish throne, for himself. 527 00:27:57,931 --> 00:28:00,482 In the 13th century the English come in and conquer. 528 00:28:00,586 --> 00:28:04,724 We always talk about conquerors taking out valuable objects, 529 00:28:04,827 --> 00:28:07,586 and we think of gold, diamonds, jewels. 530 00:28:07,689 --> 00:28:09,172 We don't think about stones. 531 00:28:09,275 --> 00:28:11,172 But what's one of the first things that they take? 532 00:28:11,275 --> 00:28:14,206 Well, they take this stone, the Stone of Destiny. 533 00:28:14,310 --> 00:28:16,965 YOUNG: The reason Edward I took the stone 534 00:28:17,068 --> 00:28:19,137 was to demoralize the Scots. 535 00:28:19,241 --> 00:28:21,241 This was the treasure of Scotland, 536 00:28:21,344 --> 00:28:23,310 this was the center of their power system. 537 00:28:23,413 --> 00:28:27,482 And now he controlled it and had himself crowned on this stone, 538 00:28:27,586 --> 00:28:30,448 and then could declare that he was not only the king 539 00:28:30,551 --> 00:28:33,931 of the English but the king of the Scots as well. 540 00:28:34,034 --> 00:28:37,448 COLLINS: It was placed in Westminster Abbey 541 00:28:37,551 --> 00:28:42,275 beneath a Coronation Chair known as Edward's Seat. 542 00:28:42,379 --> 00:28:45,275 And thereafter, 543 00:28:45,379 --> 00:28:50,310 it was used in the coronations of all English rulers. 544 00:28:52,137 --> 00:28:53,827 HUSSAIN: Edward basically builds it into a chair, 545 00:28:53,931 --> 00:28:55,275 covers it over with-with wood, 546 00:28:55,379 --> 00:28:57,896 and it becomes a throne, essentially, 547 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,482 but the idea is that the power comes from this stone, 548 00:29:01,586 --> 00:29:03,344 the Stone of Destiny. 549 00:29:03,448 --> 00:29:04,965 SHATNER: Destiny, 550 00:29:05,068 --> 00:29:08,206 the idea that the course of one's entire life 551 00:29:08,310 --> 00:29:12,896 has been predetermined by a power beyond our understanding. 552 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,034 Back in the Middle Ages, it might make sense 553 00:29:15,137 --> 00:29:16,896 that people would think that greatness 554 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,896 could be bestowed upon someone by a divine force. 555 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:25,793 But what is it about this unremarkable slab of rock 556 00:29:25,896 --> 00:29:30,275 that still holds such importance today? 557 00:29:30,379 --> 00:29:32,206 We tend to think of these rituals as somehow going back 558 00:29:32,310 --> 00:29:34,068 to older, superstitious people, 559 00:29:34,172 --> 00:29:37,206 but the fact that the British in the 21st century 560 00:29:37,310 --> 00:29:42,172 still will proclaim the monarch on the throne of this stone, 561 00:29:42,275 --> 00:29:43,965 that becomes really important. 562 00:29:44,068 --> 00:29:45,965 Th-These are not ancient, archaic people 563 00:29:46,068 --> 00:29:47,724 who don't know anything about the world. 564 00:29:47,827 --> 00:29:52,275 These are modern 21st century Brits who are still saying, 565 00:29:52,379 --> 00:29:54,827 you know, that-that we still need to be able to show 566 00:29:54,931 --> 00:29:58,620 that our queen or our king comes from this divine-- 567 00:29:58,724 --> 00:30:01,862 that God has chosen this person. 568 00:30:01,965 --> 00:30:05,689 SHATNER: Nearly every British king or queen since the 14th century 569 00:30:05,793 --> 00:30:08,586 has been coronated on the Stone of Destiny. 570 00:30:08,689 --> 00:30:11,724 It was last used in 1953, during the coronation ceremony 571 00:30:11,827 --> 00:30:15,724 of the current monarch Queen Elizabeth II. 572 00:30:15,827 --> 00:30:17,758 But as a growing number of Scottish people 573 00:30:17,862 --> 00:30:19,827 have begun to speculate, 574 00:30:19,931 --> 00:30:22,827 was Elizabeth's coronation legitimate? 575 00:30:22,931 --> 00:30:25,862 Because, as many have come to believe, 576 00:30:25,965 --> 00:30:30,448 the Stone of Destiny may not be the real thing. 577 00:30:32,793 --> 00:30:35,586 NEWSMAN: A Christmas Day sensation at Westminster Abbey. 578 00:30:35,689 --> 00:30:38,241 The Stone of Destiny, which had been there for some 600 years, 579 00:30:38,344 --> 00:30:40,655 was stolen from the Coronation Chair. 580 00:30:40,758 --> 00:30:43,103 COLLINS: In 1950, 581 00:30:43,206 --> 00:30:48,000 a group of Scottish students actually got into 582 00:30:48,103 --> 00:30:51,758 Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone of Scone 583 00:30:51,862 --> 00:30:55,034 and took it back to the altar 584 00:30:55,137 --> 00:30:59,068 of Arbroath Abbey in Scotland, 585 00:30:59,172 --> 00:31:02,482 and thus giving it into the hands of the Church of Scotland. 586 00:31:02,586 --> 00:31:07,482 The Church of Scotland then gave the stone back to England. 587 00:31:07,586 --> 00:31:12,034 However, there is a strong rumor that the original stone 588 00:31:12,137 --> 00:31:15,103 never reached Westminster, 589 00:31:15,206 --> 00:31:20,793 a-and that the one that is there was a fake. 590 00:31:20,896 --> 00:31:25,655 However, whether this story is true or not, we may never know. 591 00:31:25,758 --> 00:31:28,965 SHATNER: A fake Stone of Destiny? 592 00:31:29,068 --> 00:31:30,793 It's an interesting claim, 593 00:31:30,896 --> 00:31:33,068 but one that is not without its problems. 594 00:31:33,172 --> 00:31:35,586 Because when the English returned the Stone of Destiny 595 00:31:35,689 --> 00:31:39,655 to the Scots, they did so on one condition. 596 00:31:39,758 --> 00:31:43,310 HUSSAIN: In 1996, when the stone is returned back to Scotland, 597 00:31:43,413 --> 00:31:45,517 there's an agreement that, "Okay, you have it, 598 00:31:45,620 --> 00:31:48,068 but we'll use it the next time we coronate a monarch." 599 00:31:48,172 --> 00:31:52,517 COLLINS: The point is that we believe in its power. 600 00:31:52,620 --> 00:31:54,965 We believe in its potency. 601 00:31:55,068 --> 00:31:59,034 And I'm sure that when Charles or Wills 602 00:31:59,137 --> 00:32:04,034 are themselves crowned kings of Britain, 603 00:32:04,137 --> 00:32:08,103 that they will themselves use that coronation stone, 604 00:32:08,206 --> 00:32:12,482 and they will believe wholly in its potency. 605 00:32:14,517 --> 00:32:18,310 Could the Stone of Scone really possess a mystic power? 606 00:32:18,413 --> 00:32:20,931 Or is its power merely based on a legend? 607 00:32:21,034 --> 00:32:23,724 A fairy tale meant to inspire awe 608 00:32:23,827 --> 00:32:25,172 in the weak-minded. 609 00:32:25,275 --> 00:32:27,241 Well, believe it or not, some ancient legends 610 00:32:27,344 --> 00:32:29,965 are based on fact, much like the stone 611 00:32:30,068 --> 00:32:33,310 located in an Italian chapel that some believe 612 00:32:33,413 --> 00:32:37,586 contains a power from heaven. 613 00:32:46,689 --> 00:32:48,241 SHATNER: Near the rustic town of Chiusdino 614 00:32:48,344 --> 00:32:51,965 stands the haunting ruins of San Galgano Abbey. 615 00:32:53,586 --> 00:32:56,310 Constructed around 1220 AD to memorialize 616 00:32:56,413 --> 00:32:59,172 the Catholic saint Galgano Guidotti, 617 00:32:59,275 --> 00:33:02,206 the abbey's once proud roof has decayed, 618 00:33:02,310 --> 00:33:06,793 leaving its soaring cathedral exposed to the ravages of time. 619 00:33:07,965 --> 00:33:11,724 But nearby, inside a round mausoleum, 620 00:33:11,827 --> 00:33:14,896 originally built to entomb St. Galgano, 621 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,000 is a sacred artifact so remarkable 622 00:33:18,103 --> 00:33:21,517 that it has been encased beneath a protective shell: 623 00:33:21,620 --> 00:33:25,310 the sword in the stone. 624 00:33:25,413 --> 00:33:28,517 So, many people are aware of the Arthurian legend, 625 00:33:28,620 --> 00:33:29,793 you know, the sword in the stone. 626 00:33:29,896 --> 00:33:32,310 But this is a story that comes much earlier. 627 00:33:32,413 --> 00:33:35,310 You can go to this chapel in Italy 628 00:33:35,413 --> 00:33:39,241 and see this sword that's stuck in the middle of this stone. 629 00:33:39,344 --> 00:33:42,137 And you're thinking how did that sword get there? 630 00:33:42,241 --> 00:33:44,379 SHATNER: For centuries, visitors have struggled 631 00:33:44,482 --> 00:33:45,896 with the same question: 632 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:47,827 how did a medieval sword, 633 00:33:47,931 --> 00:33:50,206 which were known to be brittle and often break easily 634 00:33:50,310 --> 00:33:52,103 on the battlefield, 635 00:33:52,206 --> 00:33:54,103 come to be driven nearly up to its hilt 636 00:33:54,206 --> 00:33:56,206 in solid rock? 637 00:33:56,310 --> 00:33:57,862 According to local legends, 638 00:33:57,965 --> 00:34:01,448 St. Galgano had some divine help. 639 00:34:01,551 --> 00:34:06,275 COLLINS: Galgano was said to have been a ruthless character. 640 00:34:06,379 --> 00:34:10,965 He started receiving visions of the archangel Michael, 641 00:34:11,068 --> 00:34:14,586 and these visions told him to change his ways, 642 00:34:14,689 --> 00:34:17,137 become a more pious character, 643 00:34:17,241 --> 00:34:22,413 and he ignored them until he was passing this local landmark 644 00:34:22,517 --> 00:34:24,793 known as Montesiepi. 645 00:34:24,896 --> 00:34:27,413 HUSSAIN: In the story, Galgano is on his horse, 646 00:34:27,517 --> 00:34:29,827 and the horse takes him up to the top of this hill. 647 00:34:29,931 --> 00:34:31,931 And the horse refuses to go any further. 648 00:34:32,034 --> 00:34:34,379 Michael appears to him and tells him 649 00:34:34,482 --> 00:34:38,827 that he is to serve the church and to renounce his wealth. 650 00:34:38,931 --> 00:34:41,000 Galgano basically says, "It's just as easy for me 651 00:34:41,103 --> 00:34:42,965 "to renounce my wealth as it is for my sword 652 00:34:43,068 --> 00:34:44,344 to go into this stone." 653 00:34:44,448 --> 00:34:46,827 COLLINS: At this point, he got out his sword... 654 00:34:46,931 --> 00:34:50,310 and stuck it down into the rock. 655 00:34:50,413 --> 00:34:53,827 And it penetrated through the rock, it was said, 656 00:34:53,931 --> 00:34:57,068 like a knife going through butter. 657 00:34:57,172 --> 00:35:01,758 And thereafter it remained stuck within the rock, 658 00:35:01,862 --> 00:35:04,000 like King Arthur's Excalibur. 659 00:35:04,103 --> 00:35:07,379 SHATNER: Legends of both King Arthur and St. Galgano 660 00:35:07,482 --> 00:35:10,103 have long been considered myths illustrating the power 661 00:35:10,206 --> 00:35:14,241 of the divine, rather than actual historical accounts. 662 00:35:14,344 --> 00:35:18,379 But unlike Excalibur, this sword in the stone 663 00:35:18,482 --> 00:35:20,000 is one that can be seen. 664 00:35:20,103 --> 00:35:22,655 In fact, it's been scientifically proven 665 00:35:22,758 --> 00:35:26,172 to be an authentic medieval blade. 666 00:35:26,275 --> 00:35:30,034 HUSSAIN: What's interesting is that, in the 21st century, 667 00:35:30,137 --> 00:35:32,344 they did some testing on the sword 668 00:35:32,448 --> 00:35:34,758 and realized that, no, this is actually a sword 669 00:35:34,862 --> 00:35:36,310 from the 12th century, 670 00:35:36,413 --> 00:35:38,068 that the material is actually 12th century. 671 00:35:38,172 --> 00:35:40,103 So whether the thing actually happened or not, 672 00:35:40,206 --> 00:35:43,379 it's certainly-- the-the pieces are of the time. 673 00:35:43,482 --> 00:35:47,206 SHATNER: Even though it appears the San Galgano sword 674 00:35:47,310 --> 00:35:49,172 is indeed authentic, 675 00:35:49,275 --> 00:35:51,724 there's one question that remains unanswered. 676 00:35:51,827 --> 00:35:55,000 Because, despite our advanced technology and understanding, 677 00:35:55,103 --> 00:35:58,344 we still don't know how this simple metal blade 678 00:35:58,448 --> 00:36:02,586 was able to be driven so perfectly into stone. 679 00:36:02,689 --> 00:36:04,896 It's pretty hard to believe that this piece of metal 680 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,793 could be driven into a stone. 681 00:36:06,896 --> 00:36:11,000 When I'm out mineral collecting, I commonly take my rock spike, 682 00:36:11,103 --> 00:36:15,034 I'll take a hammer, and I will drive that spike into stone. 683 00:36:15,137 --> 00:36:17,103 When I'm hammering, I'm pounding and pounding and pounding, 684 00:36:17,206 --> 00:36:18,862 and the metal is deforming 685 00:36:18,965 --> 00:36:20,758 every time I strike it with the hammer. 686 00:36:20,862 --> 00:36:23,793 Now, to get a sword into the stone, 687 00:36:23,896 --> 00:36:28,034 but on one motion without any other deformation 688 00:36:28,137 --> 00:36:30,068 of the sword taking place, without any deformation 689 00:36:30,172 --> 00:36:32,862 of the rock taking place... 690 00:36:32,965 --> 00:36:35,379 that would be absolutely miraculous. 691 00:36:35,482 --> 00:36:38,724 HUSSAIN: To become a saint, you have to have 692 00:36:38,827 --> 00:36:39,896 miracles that are tested. 693 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:41,068 In Galgano's case, 694 00:36:41,172 --> 00:36:43,172 this is the, the miracle. 695 00:36:43,275 --> 00:36:47,896 The rock opens, it accepts this sword. 696 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,310 And so you have the sword in this stone. 697 00:36:51,413 --> 00:36:53,827 Galgano, just a few years after his death, 698 00:36:53,931 --> 00:36:56,137 is made a saint. 699 00:36:56,241 --> 00:37:00,241 I think, for religious people, miracles precisely are that. 700 00:37:00,344 --> 00:37:04,275 They're miraculous. There is no explanation for this 701 00:37:04,379 --> 00:37:06,206 that's scientific, that's rational. 702 00:37:06,310 --> 00:37:11,068 You can say that if you take this sword and hit this rock 703 00:37:11,172 --> 00:37:13,034 a million times, on one of those tries 704 00:37:13,137 --> 00:37:14,379 you might go through. 705 00:37:14,482 --> 00:37:15,896 From the point of view of the religious, 706 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:17,241 that's not the argument. 707 00:37:17,344 --> 00:37:18,896 The argument is that this is miraculous. 708 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,034 This is completely outside our understanding 709 00:37:21,137 --> 00:37:24,034 of how the world normally is. 710 00:37:24,137 --> 00:37:26,689 This is an item of faith. 711 00:37:26,793 --> 00:37:28,931 And items of faith are something 712 00:37:29,034 --> 00:37:31,241 that affects us deeply, 713 00:37:31,344 --> 00:37:35,103 affects us within our human consciousness. 714 00:37:35,206 --> 00:37:38,000 It's something that we either believe in or we don't. 715 00:37:38,103 --> 00:37:40,551 And if we do believe it, it gives it power, 716 00:37:40,655 --> 00:37:44,758 it gives it energy, and that's what's important here. 717 00:37:44,862 --> 00:37:48,068 And around this strange monument 718 00:37:48,172 --> 00:37:51,862 was built a round church and a chapel. 719 00:37:51,965 --> 00:37:56,241 And even today, this is the site of pilgrimages. 720 00:37:56,344 --> 00:38:00,068 People come from all over Italy, you know, to pay their respects 721 00:38:00,172 --> 00:38:04,103 to this saint, and obviously to God as well. 722 00:38:07,034 --> 00:38:09,137 SHATNER: Whether or not the Sword of San Galgano 723 00:38:09,241 --> 00:38:12,034 found its way into the stone through divine intervention 724 00:38:12,137 --> 00:38:14,448 or something more mundane, 725 00:38:14,551 --> 00:38:18,137 to millions of faithful it remains an enduring symbol 726 00:38:18,241 --> 00:38:20,482 of the power of miracles. 727 00:38:20,586 --> 00:38:22,689 But it's one thing to see a symbol of miracles... 728 00:38:22,793 --> 00:38:24,517 [thunder cracks] 729 00:38:24,620 --> 00:38:26,482 ...it's quite another when you're actually able 730 00:38:26,586 --> 00:38:29,344 to witness one firsthand. 731 00:38:40,689 --> 00:38:43,586 SHATNER: Crowds gather as workers prepare to transport 732 00:38:43,689 --> 00:38:47,275 one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. 733 00:38:47,379 --> 00:38:51,206 23 feet tall and weighing 160 tons, 734 00:38:51,310 --> 00:38:54,482 the massive idol dates back over a thousand years. 735 00:38:54,586 --> 00:38:56,413 And although workers are extremely careful 736 00:38:56,517 --> 00:39:01,000 with their preparations as they load it onto the trucks 737 00:39:01,103 --> 00:39:04,103 that will carry it, there's palpable tension in the air. 738 00:39:04,206 --> 00:39:07,758 Because this is no ordinary statue 739 00:39:07,862 --> 00:39:12,931 but one of the mighty Aztec god Tlaloc. 740 00:39:13,034 --> 00:39:17,586 The Aztec religious system had a vast number of gods. 741 00:39:17,689 --> 00:39:20,000 There were water gods and goddesses. 742 00:39:20,103 --> 00:39:23,620 There were sky gods and goddesses. 743 00:39:23,724 --> 00:39:27,310 Fire divinities and earth divinities. 744 00:39:27,413 --> 00:39:32,000 One particularly important sacred god was Tlaloc, 745 00:39:32,103 --> 00:39:35,310 a fertility divinity associated with weather... 746 00:39:35,413 --> 00:39:36,793 [thunder cracks] 747 00:39:36,896 --> 00:39:38,931 ...and thunder and lightning. 748 00:39:39,034 --> 00:39:41,827 So it is feared, but it is also greatly revered 749 00:39:41,931 --> 00:39:43,655 because life comes from this. 750 00:39:43,758 --> 00:39:48,482 The life-giving waters of the rain come from Tlaloc. 751 00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:53,000 SHATNER: More than 25,000 people eagerly wait into the night 752 00:39:53,103 --> 00:39:55,758 to welcome Tlaloc to his new home in Mexico City 753 00:39:55,862 --> 00:39:57,793 after his long journey. 754 00:39:57,896 --> 00:40:02,206 But as the trucks carrying the hulking statue finally arrive, 755 00:40:02,310 --> 00:40:05,827 the crowd isn't expecting what would arrive along with him. 756 00:40:05,931 --> 00:40:08,206 COLLINS: As this statue was erected... 757 00:40:08,310 --> 00:40:11,965 [thunder cracks] 758 00:40:12,068 --> 00:40:14,896 ...suddenly the heavens opened up, 759 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,275 and for several days there was intense rain 760 00:40:19,379 --> 00:40:20,620 and thunderstorms. 761 00:40:20,724 --> 00:40:23,137 [thunder rumbling] 762 00:40:23,241 --> 00:40:26,241 Now, this was done in the summer months when, 763 00:40:26,344 --> 00:40:30,241 in theory, there should be very little rain at all. 764 00:40:30,344 --> 00:40:34,827 This was so uncharacteristic for this time of year. 765 00:40:34,931 --> 00:40:37,896 SHATNER: Rain during the dry season? 766 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,758 Most people would see such an occurrence 767 00:40:40,862 --> 00:40:43,068 as nothing more than a coincidence. 768 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,827 But some believe the rain was actually a good omen 769 00:40:48,931 --> 00:40:54,586 sent by Tlaloc in response to the warm welcome he received 770 00:40:54,689 --> 00:40:56,724 from the Mexican people. 771 00:40:59,241 --> 00:41:01,655 THOMPSON: Certainly a lot of people believe that these events-- 772 00:41:01,758 --> 00:41:03,034 for example, the downpour 773 00:41:03,137 --> 00:41:04,758 following the arrival of Tlaloc-- 774 00:41:04,862 --> 00:41:06,551 are connected. 775 00:41:06,655 --> 00:41:09,068 And perhaps they're connected because of the divine force. 776 00:41:09,172 --> 00:41:12,379 Or perhaps it's actually the believers' belief 777 00:41:12,482 --> 00:41:15,724 and their faith that is helping to shape these events. 778 00:41:15,827 --> 00:41:18,379 [thunder cracks] 779 00:41:18,482 --> 00:41:20,931 So, certainly faith is powerful. 780 00:41:26,241 --> 00:41:28,724 The fact is that it doesn't really matter, 781 00:41:28,827 --> 00:41:30,689 because it's about belief. 782 00:41:30,793 --> 00:41:33,586 If people believe strongly enough in an object, 783 00:41:33,689 --> 00:41:36,827 that can create a reality. 784 00:41:40,275 --> 00:41:45,862 An ancient god of rain that triggers a massive thunderstorm? 785 00:41:45,965 --> 00:41:47,965 Just a coincidence, right? 786 00:41:48,068 --> 00:41:51,172 Or was there something more mysterious at work? 787 00:41:51,275 --> 00:41:53,310 Well, how about the Koh-i-Noor diamond? 788 00:41:53,413 --> 00:41:55,517 Would you wear it? Huh? 789 00:41:55,620 --> 00:41:59,517 Or are you among those who believe that stones really can 790 00:41:59,620 --> 00:42:01,896 possess special powers? 791 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:05,344 Powers that for now keep them very much among 792 00:42:05,448 --> 00:42:07,793 the unexplained. 64741

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