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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ONYX
Onyx is a silicate mineral, a variety of chalcedony that is usually known for its deep black color, or black and white parallel layers. People associate it with the color black, although it also exists in various other colors.
Rostam and Sohrab
Persian legend
There is a story in the Persian Book of Kings about the great hero Rostam and his son. One day, Rostam goes out hunting, and his famous horse Rakhsh is stolen. Searching for the horse he ventures into a city where a princess named Tahmineh falls in love with him. They marry, and on their wedding day Rostam gives her an onyx armband "that was known unto all the world" as one of his treasures. He tells the princess that if they have a daughter, put the onyx in her hair ("it will shield her from evil"), and if they have a son, let him wear it as an armband.
The princess gives birth to a son and names him Sohrab. When he grows up, he decides to lead an army to Iran to overthrow the king and put his father Rostam on the throne. The king of Turan, his mother's country, has long been an enemy of Iran, so the king supports the venture (although they are mutually planning to overthrow the other after the campaign). Sohrab takes a castle on the border after an epic fight with the woman warrior Gurdafrid. Hearing the news of the attack, the king of Iran sends out Rostam to deal with the invaders.
Rostam sneaks into Sohrab's camp, but doesn't recognize the young warrior as his son. Sohrab, in turn, asks about the enemy, but he is not told how to recognize Rostam, because people fear he'd challenge the hero to a duel. Sohrab issues a challenge to the king, who sends out Rostam to duel in his name. Rostam feels sorry for the young warrior and tries to avoid the duel, hiding his true identity to lessen the challenge. Tragedy ensues: not recognizing each other, Rostam and Sohrab fight to the death, and though they are almost evenly matched, in the end Rostam breaks his son's back. Dying, Sohrab asks about his father, and Rostam realizes too late that he's killed his own son - proven when he opens Sohrab's armor, and finds the onyx armband underneath.
Sources: Read this part of the epic here. This motif of the fated duel between father and son also appears in many other epic traditions (such as Cú Chulainn's legend, or the Dietrich cycle).
What are your thoughts on black gemstones as jewelry?
Posts
I love the black and white design on the onyx in the picture.
ReplyDeleteI love the legends you have been sharii. And what a beautiful stone with a remarkable name!
ReplyDeleteDropping by from A-Z challenge
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That persian legend story with Onyx in it is good and sad, found u via https://crackerberries.wordpress.com/
ReplyDeleteDropping by from a to z "The Pensive"
Oh no, such a tragic story! Goes hand in hand with onyx, it felt sad to me as well.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad story. Black stones are often thought to be grounding and protective, but clearly not so in this case.
ReplyDeleteI love these stones but feel you need to be tall to wear them. Sadly, that's not me.
ReplyDeleteAnother great post :)
Too bad the son couldn't have worn it in his hair, and been shielded from evil. Onyx is beautiful. I have some old, old jet beads still sewn onto black fabric, in swirly patterns, that look to have been cut off clothing, probably mourning dresses bodices.
ReplyDeleteOh no. Another typical case of tragediea ensuing from communication mishaps.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think black gemstones can make for very nice jewellery - I'm always in for a touch of drama queenness.
My favourite colour, so I have no issue with it as jewelry :-) Enjoyed the tale.
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for the A-Z Challenge My Languishing TBR: O
That's a heartbreaking end to the story!
ReplyDeleteI love black crystals and gemstones, and would love to get some onyx jewelry. Black is one of my signature colors.