Welcome to the 2022 A to Z Blogging Challenge! My theme this year is Gemstone Folklore. Because I love stories about shiny things. Read the introduction to the project here.
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CHLOROPHANE
Chlorophane (also known as cobra stone) is a rare variety of the mineral fluorite, with fluorescent and thermoluminescent properties. When exposed to sunlight or heat, it emits a faint light in the dark.
Serpent stones
India, Sri Lanka, Bengal
Naga mani (cobra/serpent gem) is the Sanskrit name used for legendary "snake stones". They are one of the Nine Sacred Pearls of Vedic texts. In 1890 a Professor H. Hensoldt published a fascinating account of his journey to India in search of such stones. He found that some young cobras tended to "guard" fluorescent chlorophane pebbles (found in riverbeds) because their light attracted fireflies as easy prey. Various minerals and stones are seen as "cobra stones" or "Naga stones" all over India, and from there this ancient belief has spread all the way to Europe.
There are several folktales that feature such magical serpent stones. In The Golden Tree from Sri Lanka a king sends out his sons to find a magic tree. The youngest prince encounters a city threatened by a cobra that carries a magic gem. The prince manages to obtain the gem and kill the Naga King. The luminous gem allows him to find the three princesses who can transform into the magic tree together.
A similar adventure happens in the amazing story of Brave Seventee Bai from India. Here a brave young woman disguised as a man goes through many adventures, including one where she sets a trap for a cobra and takes its radiant diamond. Using the diamond she enters the snake's underwater gardens, and rescues a princess who agrees to marry her. (Don't get too excited, Seventee Bai rescues many princesses, but in the end gives them all to her husband. Boo.)
In the tale of Pakir Chand from Bengal, a prince and a minister's son acquire a serpent's luminous stone by similar means, and use it to enter an underwater realm where a princess resides. The jewel plays a key role in the rest of the story. In the Jataka tales a Brahman acquires a wish-granting serpent jewel from young Nagas who play "all night in the waters by its radiance."
There is also a tale from Thailand about a magician who creates rubies by injecting serpents with magic. (!) Any serpent that lives to be a thousand years old develops a radiant ruby in its forehead. The magician doesn't live long enough to see the result, but one in a thousand snakes survives, and causes a lot of trouble for a kingdom.
If you had a wish-granting, light-giving magic stone, what would you use it for?
Posts
I would use it for healing.
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of chlorophane before - how exciting to be introduced. And bonus points because it seems I'm all about serpents these days. I'll be scoping out all your links.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many images of cobras guarding their 'manis' and even a few cobras with radiant foreheads in popular Indian film culture that when I read the title of the post, it made me nostalgic:)
ReplyDeleteI have never heard about this gem before, but now I want one. If I had a wish- fulfilling light giving magic stone, I would probably use it for decoration and sometimes ask it for tea.
ReplyDeleteI like the different tales! I haven't heard of this stone before.
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for the A-Z Challenge My Languishing TBR: N
Wow, I had no idea there was an element of natural history truth to these stories! I love the room at the natural history museum where you can turn out the light and see how the different minerals glow in black light.
ReplyDeleteN is for Nature
I would use my magical stone for invisibility and healing illness and injury.
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