A grain of Truth

[Thunderforge]

The Scone of Stone is supposed to contain a grain of Truth. Baked into it by the dwarf Ironhammer, who had stolen it.
So it existed as a material in it’s own right before that, and I will infer that it was valuable and rare. Also the Scone grows red hot if a lie is spoken in its presence (which, now I think about it, would be very inconvenient for the king to be seated during a political debate)

My headcannon has decided it is a gleaming silvery white metal. If you rub it across a line of text it will burn away any falsehoods and only leave truthful statements, but in doing so it is also used up. A bit like the way a pencil eraser works. Perhaps in ages past there was much more of this useful material, which would have been invaluable for determining laws and making judgements. Until no more deposits are found, and the remaining Truth was used up, and only one grain remained, kept under lock and key…

I wonder what other minerals the dwarfs had, what other concepts made flesh, in the very literal Discworld? The strata of ignorance? Is there a road somewhere paved with good intentions?

 

[RathDarkblade]

So it existed as a material in it’s own right before that, and I will infer that it was valuable and rare. Also the Scone grows red hot if a lie is spoken in its presence (which, now I think about it, would be very inconvenient for the king to be seated during a political debate).

The Low King/Queen is only seated on the Scone for his/her coronation. For political debates, I imagine he/she uses an ordinary chair.

If the Low Monarch (a term which I will use henceforth to avoid repetition) had to sit on the Scone for all political debates, then for the sake of fairness, everyone else would also have to sit on Scones of Stone of their own, which would rather defeat the purpose (but would cause, I imagine, very literal instances of "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire").

Speaking of uncomfortable things to sit on, the Lord Speaker of England's House of Lords (from the 1340s until 2006, the Lord Chancellor) has to sit on a woolsack during debates. It symbolised England's centuries-old wool trade, especially important in the Middle Ages. Here is more: Woolsack (from Wikipedia)

These days the woolsack is a cushion stuffed with wool, but in medieval times, it was literally a bale of wool, which couldn't have been comfortable to sit on. (In Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Iolanthe, the entire House of Lords is in love - or should I say, in lust - with the Lord Chancellor's ward, Phyllis. Even the Lord Chancellor himself is in love with her, but he resists, because propriety does not allow him to marry his ward. If he did, he comments, various legal questions would arise, for instance: as her guardian, he has the final word on consent to her marriage. Legally speaking, he cannot marry his own ward without his own consent. If he does:

1. He'd be in contempt of his own court;
2. He'd have to appear before his own court;
3. He'd have to order himself to be arrested, commit himself for trial, and appear before himself in court.

He concludes by saying: "Ah, my Lords: it is indeed painful to have to sit on a woolsack which is stuffed with such thorns as these!"

Sorry to go on about this, but I've performed in the play before, so I know it very well.

My headcannon has decided it is a gleaming silvery white metal. If you rub it across a line of text it will burn away any falsehoods and only leave truthful statements, but in doing so it is also used up. A bit like the way a pencil eraser works.

Sorry, but that sounds like the original, medieval Philosopher's Stone (i.e. NOT the Harry Potter version, which is just a fake copy).

In medieval alchemy, the Philosopher's Stone had mystical properties which symbolised spiritual perfection, truth, and inner transformation. It wasn't a magical lie detector, but metaphorically speaking, it could reveal lies by leading the alchemist to ultimate truth and purity.

Hmmm ... sounds a bit like repeated experimentation in modern science, doesn't it?

I wonder what other minerals the dwarfs had, what other concepts made flesh, in the very literal Discworld? The strata of ignorance?

Mithril, of course! Well ... on the Discworld it's a metal called moonsilver, used to create exceptionally lightweight and strong "micromail". (See "Unseen Academics").

Is there a road somewhere paved with good intentions?

Yes. The steps that Rincewind and Eric take out of Hell are literally paved with good intentions. "I meant it for the best." "For the sake of the children." Things like that.