Stones, the so-called daughters of the Earth, have always held peoples and civilisations in their thrall; special virtues, esoteric meanings and magical powers have been attributed to them. The earliest written record comes from Ancient Egypt where the natives of that land ground stones into powder to make medicines or to decorate their faces with. Saxon and Viking warriors wore stone amulets incised with runic inscriptions to ward off ill when they went into battle and to give them greater courage. In India, children were "baptized" with stones: newly-born babies were assigned a stone which would guide them through their life's journey.