I is for Iranian Turquoise (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

TURQUOISE

Turquoise is the national stone of Iran, and has played an important role in Persian culture for centuries. The turquoise mines in Nishapur have been mined for almost two thousand years.

The Cup of Jamshid

Iran

There is a magic cup that keeps appearing in Iranian legends over and over again, and is either carved of turquoise, or is studded with turquoise. It is generally known as the Cup of Jamshid, but the story is a bit more complex than that. It also doesn't help that the cup, which was used for scrying, is often translated to English as a "crystal ball." The following legends are mostly sourced from the Persian Book of Kings, written by Ferdowsi in the 10th century.

Jamshid was a legendary Persian king of the Pishdadian dynasty. Under his seven hundred year long (!) rule the realm thrived. He is credited with a whole lot of cultural inventions (such as blacksmithing, weaving and sewing, medicine, navigation, etc.), and a long period of peace. Incidentally, he is also credited with inventing the mining of precious stones:

He searched among the rocks for stones whose lustre
Attracted him and came on many a jewel,
As rubies, amber, silver, gold. Jamshid
Unlocked their doors and brought them forth by spells.

Legend claims the seven-ringed scrying cup first belonged to him. Sadly, Jamshid grew too vain and proud, and declared that he alone was responsible for the prosperity of the people, denying God. He lost his royal grace, and was eventually overthrown and killed by Zahhak, a famous villain of the Book of Kings.

Time passes, a new dynasty rises, and with it, a new king: Kay Khosrow, of the Kayanian dynasty. He is also a wise and peaceful ruler. He uses the scrying cup in the story of Bijan and Manjeh. Bijan, an Iranian hero from Kay Khosrow's court, goes to Turan to fight some wild boards, but falls in love with the Turanian king's daughter, who smuggles him into the harem. When he is found, the king chains him in a cave, and blocks the entrance with a rock. Kay Khosrow, searching for his lost hero, uses the cup (through which he can "behold the world, and see the secrets of destiny") to see all seven realms of the world, eventually finds him in the hidden cave, and sends the legendary hero Rostam to the rescue.

The cup's story continues in the age of Alexander the Great, whose adventures are recounted by another Persian poet, Nizami, in his epic the Sikandar nama. In the 17th chapter of the epic, Alexander (Sikandar) journeys to the fortress and tomb of Kay Khosrow. He sits on the great king's throne and drinks wine from his turquoise cup. He asks his advisor, the wise Balinas, to help him figure out how the cup can be used for seeing the world. There are seven lines of inscription on the inside of the cup (hence, it is often referred to as "seven ringed"). It is alleged that they referred to what effect the wine would have if the cup was filled to that line. Balinas uses the signs on the cup to devise an astrolabe, a navigation device. Which is a neat explanation for what "seeing the whole world" could really mean.

The story is still not over. According to 13th century geographer Zakariya Al-Qazwini, the 11th century sultan Alp-Arslan found among the ruins of Persepolis (Jamshid's legendary city) a turquoise cup inscribed with Jamshid's name. It had to have been a large cup, because it allegedly held two mans, which can be anywhere between 2 and 4 kg of stuff (as far as I can tell). 14th century poet Hafiz also made references to the cup and its powers of divination.

Sources: 

See the sources linked in the text. The cup has its own Wikipedia page here. There is also a great essay on the turquoise cup in this book. You can read more of the symbolism of the Cup of Jamshid here.

Other stories:

Turquoise plays an important role in many other cultures as well. There is a Tibetan folktale about an old man who uses a piece of turquoise to trick his greedy daughters-in-law. Another Tibetan folktale features a lost turquoise. Turquoise also appears in many American Indigenous (Navajo, Jicarilla Apache, Zuni) myths and legends; you can read some of them here, here, here, here, here, and here. Even an ancient Egyptian story features a lost turquoise coronet.

If you could see anything in the world through the cup, what would you want to see?

H is for Heliotrope and Northern Lights (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

HELIOTROPE (BLOODSTONE)

Heliotrope is a form of jasper, usually dark green in color with bright red hematite spots, which is why it is more commonly known as bloodstone.

The Nimble Men

Scotland

Legend says that when the rebel angels fell from Heaven, they became three types of beings: those who fell to the land became Fairies, those who fell into the sea became Blue Men (Na Fir Ghorma), and those who stayed in the air became the Nimble Men (Na Fir Chlis, sometimes also translated as Merry Dancers or Streamers). According to another legend, the Nimble Men, the Blue Men, and the Green Ladies are all descendants of Queen Beira, the winter goddess. The Nimble Men are the Northern Lights, creating a flurry of colors with their dancing. Or, occasionally, fighting.

"The Nimble Men are divided into two clans. The heroes of one clan are clad in garments white as hoar-frost, and the heroes of the other clan in garments of pale yellow. Brighter and more varied colours are worn by the ladies of the clans. Some are gowned in green, some in red, and some in silvery white, and a few wear royal purple."

According to the story, a prince of the White Clan called Lightfoot, and the chief of the Yellow Clan, Green Eyes, competed for the love of a maiden called Princess Comely. She favored Lightfoot, who was the best dancer. One night, at the dance, Lightfoot proposed to her and she accepted. However, Green Eyes grew so angry that he and his men attacked the rival clan, and the party turned into a battle. So much blood was spilled that it dripped to the earth, and left red spots on the stones. When the battle was over, the princess went looking for Lightfoot, and found him cold and dead. Embracing him, she died of heartbreak.

The stones still bear the red spots of blood. They are called bloodstones, or fuil siochaire, "elf blood."

Sources: 

You can find this story in here. You can read more information here.

Have you ever seen the northern lights in real life? 

Did they look like a dance, or a battle?

G is for the Garnet Goddess (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

GARNET

Garnets have been treasured for their fire-like color since ancient times (especially by the Huns and other people of the Migration Era in Eastern Europe). Many authors believe they are the stone old tales refer to when they talk of "carbuncles", shining gems.

The Goddess Hulda

Tyrolean legend

This legend talks about a cowherd who is lured into the wilderness by a beautiful chamois with golden horns. Trying to hunt it down, the man comes to a hidden doorway high in the mountains, and enters the underground realm of the goddess Hulda. She lives in a palace with crystal walls ornamented with "fiery garnets." She wears another shining garnet (carbuncle) in her crown. 

Hulda asks her visitor what he would wish for as a gift, and he chooses the bouquet of blue flowers she is holding in her hand. It turns out to be a wise choice: the flowers are flax, and the goddess teaches the ma how to grow them and turn them into cloth. He grows rich and prosperous with Hulda's blessing, and when he grows old, he returns to her underground palace for good.

Sources: 

You can find this story in this book.

Other stories:

There is a Cossack tale where a young man with magic powers turns himself into a garnet ring to get away from the Forest King. You can read it in two versions here and here.

If you entered the realm of Hulda, what is the one gift you would ask for?

F is for Fire Opals (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

FIRE OPAL

Fire opals are a translucent, usually red-orange-yellow colored variant of opal. They are usually less colorful than other kinds of opal, but can be turned into very intensely beautiful gems.

The opal that turned into fire

Wanggumara people, Australia

This legend tells of a pelican that takes on a long and exhausting journey towards the north, seeking Cooper's Creek (original name not noted). He carries water in his pouch for the long flight. He is sent by a cleverman, who promises that the gold would turn into gold when it reaches the destination. However, along the way the pelican is attacked, and after that, water begins to leak from his beak, turning into gold. Blood that spills from his wound turns into opals. In the end, he lands on top of a hill called Bildimini, about 100 miles from Cooper's Creek. There he dies, the water and blood turning into rich deposits of gold and opals.

In another legend, later on another pelican takes on the same flight north, to bring news to the Wanggumara people about distant lands. It stops to rest on the same hill, and is amazed by the beautiful colors of the opal. The bird doesn't recognize what opal is, so it chips at it with its beak. The chipping create sparks, which set the dry grass on fire. The fire burns all the way down to the river, where the people discover how to cook fish. Thus, the first pelican brings people gold and opals, and the second brings the gift of fire.

(The legends don't specifically say fire opals, but since they are connected to fire, and born from blood, I made a jump.)

Sources: 

You can find two versions of this story in this book.

Do you know any beliefs attached to opals? 

Do you personally like them?

E is for the Emerald Lizard (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

EMERALD

Emeralds, the green variety of beryl, have been popular since ancient times. They appear in many folktales and legends, so it was hard to pick just one. In the end, I picked one that I find endearing.

The Emerald Lizard

Guatemala

This story features a kind-hearted monk, Perdo San Joseph de Bethancourt. He cared for the poor, fed the needy, and established a hospital for the sick. One day a poor man came to him to ask for money to buy medicine for his dying wife. Hermano Pedro did not have any money, so he picked up a small lizard from the ground and handed it to the man. 

A miracle happened: the lizard turned into an emerald! The poor man sold it, and with the money he managed to save his wife and turn his fortune around. Later on, as a wealthy man, he bought back the emerald lizard, and returned it to Hermano Pedro as a gift of gratitude. The monk placed the lizard gently on the ground... and it ran away.

(Hermano Pedro lived in the 17th century, and is one of the patron saints of Guatemala.)

Sources: 

You can read the story here or here. There is also a version in this book, where the lizard turns into gold.

A Mexican version of the same tale features a bejeweled scorpion instead of a lizard.

Other stories:

The tale of Princess Pepperina from India features an emerald amulet, in the shape of a green pepper, that always calls out the truth. Another tale from India talks about an Emerald Mountain, with an Emerald City on top. In a Scottish legend we find a magic emerald goblet that belongs to the faeries. In a tale from Afghanistan, a girl cries emeralds and laughs flowers.

Do you like emeralds? 

What images, memories, feelings do they conjure up for you?

D is for Diamonds and Onions (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

DIAMOND

Diamonds are probably the most well-known gemstone in the world (although they have not always been the most precious). There are thousands of tales and legends that feature them, so it was hard to choose just one. In the end, I picked a story that I find both wise and amusing. Because diamonds have never been my favorite.

Diamonds for Onions

Jewish folktale

A young man (a prince or a merchant) is shipwrecked on an island with a cargo of onions. The shores of the island are covered with diamonds, as abundant as pebbles. Coming to a city, the young man discovers that diamonds have no value to the locals, being so common. On the other hand, they have no idea what onions are. Our hero cooks some onion dishes for the king, and he is so impressed that he rewards his guest with a ship full of diamonds in exchange for the onions.

Someone else (a sibling or a jealous rival) decides to pull the same trick. He packs his ship with garlic, and sails for the distant island. He offers garlic dishes to the king, who is very impressed, and praises the new flavor. The merchant asks for diamonds as payment, but the king offers to pay in something even more precious instead... And the man gets to sail home with the most precious cargo the island has ever known. Onions.

(I love this story, because the price of diamonds has been artificially kept high for decades, and they are not even that uncommon, geologically speaking...)

Sources: 

The Jewish Story Finder lists a bunch of variants for this tale. You can read a popular retelling here, and another one here.

Do you like diamonds? How about onions and garlic?

C is fo Carnelian Beads (Gemstone Folklore)

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.

CARNELIAN

Carnelian is an orange-brown variety of chalcedony. Historically it has been a popular semi-precious stone to many cultures; carnelian beads appear in archaeological sites, and in stories, in many places around the world.

The story of the Kithang clan

Lhota Naga legend

A man named Mering has a beautiful wife, Khamdrio, who has extremely long, luscious hair. When she washes it, a strand of her hair makes its way to the king's court, who immediately decides he wants a woman with such hair for himself. Mering refuses to give up his wife, and prepares his village for a siege. He surrounds it with a thick wall of "stinging leaves" which the soldiers can't cross. 

The village holds out for a while, until the king comes up with a trick. He pretends to agree to trade instead of fighting, and sends a merchant with marvelous carnelian beads into the village. However, the merchant is under orders to refuse selling the beads to anyone. He just flashes them around, and then on his way out he tosses them into the wall of stinging leaves. The villagers, blinded by the shinies, dismantle the walls themselves to pick out the beads - and the king manages to take a village.

(Mering and his family do get away unhurt in the end, though.)

Sources:

You can read this story here.

Other stories:

There are Indian variants of the Tablecloth, donkey, stick folktale type that feature a goat that poops agate/amber and carnelian beads. You can find one here (from the Kuki people), and one here (from Assam).

Do you like beads and bead jewelry? Do you have favorites?