The more I see of the world the more I realize that almost every concept or creature that appears in fantasy stories has some analog in the real world. There are real caves full of giant crystals, creatures that spit blood from their eyes, and dragon-like reptiles that can almost fly.
Most recently, I realized that petrified wood could be the origin of all the stories of evil sorceresses turning things to stone. Good petrified wood is undeniably wood, but also undeniably stone. I could imagine someone in the middle ages stumbling upon a field of petrified logs and imagining the dark magic that once cursed the land.
Also, I’m impressed that you can get very good quality pieces of petrified wood for relatively low prices. It’s a nice way to connect to the true age of the Earth and the very long series of evolutionary experiments that brought us to the present day and gave us the faculties to turn our minds toward appreciating our deep past.
