While the timeline of Greek and Prakrit use of these terms is unclear, it is unlikely that the similarity between the two words is a coincidence. The ancient Greeks called this stone beryllos, which means 'precious blue-green color-of-seawater stone'. Prakrit speakers used verulia, or veluriya, to refer to this gemstone. The name for this family of gemstones that includes aquamarine and emerald, is traced back to Prakrit, a Middle Indo-Aryan language in use from about 600 BCE to 1000 CE. The legends around the gemstone name amethyst continue today as Anglican bishops wear amethyst rings in reference to Act 2:15, in which the Pentecost apostles were described as 'not drunk'. When Bacchus sees the statue, he is so moved by it that he makes an offering of wine, which he pours on the statue, staining it purple and, thereby, giving amethyst its purple color. She refuses his advances, wishing to remain chaste, and prays to Diana (the Roman equivalent of Artemis) for protection, which she does by turning Amethyste into a statue of pure white stone. After beholding the statue for himself, and in regret for his actions, Dionysus wept tears of wine, staining the quartz, thus giving amethyst its characterstic purple color.įrench poet Remy Belleau tells a relatively more modern, light-hearted version of the tale in which the young maiden, this time called Amethyste, catches the eye of Bacchus, who becomes enamored with the girl. Artemis then took pity on Amethystos, her loyal devotee, and turned her into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the ripping claws of Dionysus' tigers. Tragically that mortal was Amethystos, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity. In his rage, he swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path with a pack of savage tigers of his creation. One of the myths surrounding amethyst relates to the Greek god of winemaking, Dionysus (also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology), who had suffered an insult from a mortal. Therefore, amethystos - 'the not-drunk gemstone'- became associated with saving the wearer from intoxication, a common problem for the ancient Greeks, who carved many of their chalices and wine goblets from amethyst. The Greeks named this gemstone in the age-old belief that wearing it would protect one from becoming drunk, or act as an antidote to intoxication, possibly due to amethyst's color resembling that of wine. Amethyst gets its name from the Greek word amethystos formed by the parts a-, meaning 'not', and methys, meaning 'drunk' or 'intoxicated'.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |