The Mythology of Amethyst

Hey dear Hive friends, first of all I would like to wish you a good day and hope you are all well and you had a day that was full of positive experiences! Today I would like to go into the mythology of a mineral and hope you can learn something new.

Amethyst can be seen here and the name derives from the Greek from the word amethystos which means as much as not intoxicating and the name can be traced back to the thought that it could neutralize the effect of wine. In an ancient legend it is said that the god of wine Dionysus was responsible for the pink color and according to a legend he once cursed all people and decided that the first to pass by would be eaten by tigers. To her misfortune, the first to approach the tigers was the nymph Amethyst who was known as the companion of Artemis and Artemis saw this and turned her into a white crystal for protection. The mineral then got the typical violet color through Dionysus, which spilled over the crystal wine, which then turned purple.

Among the ancient people of Mexico Aztecs, the amethyst was often worshipped with the divine and it was thought to be the eye of the gods. The mineral is also strongly rooted in Jewish mythology and was often associated with spirituality and also in the walls of Jerusalem, which were built in the 16th century amethyst was used. The walls of Jerusalem were built when the city was still part of the Ottoman Empire and are a good example of Islamic architecture. Symbolically, amethyst is often associated with wisdom and protection and this effect was probably already used by the ancient Egyptians who thought that amethyst could protect them in their battles.

In ancient cultures, amethyst was already popular with the blacksmiths to make tools or weapons with it and also for the goldsmiths it was an important mineral for the production of jewelry such as amulets or chains. Also the scholar Pliny the elder mentioned amethyst and he described the mineral as a mineral that could protect from snake bites. Amethyst also shaped the history of the royal dynasties and the mineral was often incorporated into crowns or scepters. Amethyst appears in many other legends and cultures around the globe and is probably one of the best known when it comes to minerals.

Many thanks for stopping by and watching! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!