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The Talismanic Use of Special Stones: Indians

Moonstone The moonstone is believed to bring good fortune and is regarded as a sacred stone in India. It is never displayed for sale there, except on a yellow cloth, as yellow is an especially sacred color. As a gift for lovers the moonstone takes a high rank, for it is believed to arouse the tender passion, and to give lovers the power to read in the future the fortune, good or ill, that is in store for them. To gain this knowledge, however, the stone must be placed in the mouth while the moon is full. (Marbodei, "De lapidibus," Friburgi, 1531, fol. 51.) Antoine Mizauld ("Les secrets de la Lune," Paris, 1571.) tells us of a selenite or moonstone owned by a friend of his, a great traveller. This stone, about the size of the gold piece known as the gold noble, but somewhat thicker, indicated the waxing and waning of the moon by a certain white point or mark which grew larger or smaller as did the moon. Mizauld relates that to convince himself of the truth of this he obtained possession of the stone for one lunar month, during which time he sedulously observed it. The white mark first appeared at the top. It was like a small millet-seed, increasing in size and moving down on the stone, always assuming the form of the moon until, on reaching the middle, it was round like the full moon; then the mark gradually passed up again as the moon diminished. The owner declared that he had "vowed and dedicated this stone to the young king [Edward VI], who was then highly esteemed because he had good judgement in regard to rare and precious things." Onyx The onyx, if worn on the neck, was said to cool the ardors of love, and Cardano relates that everywhere in India the stone was worn for this purpose. (Cardani, "De subtilitate," lib. vii, Basileae, 1560.) This belief is closely related to the idea commonly associated with the onyx,--namely, that it provoked discord and separated lovers. The close union and yet the strange contrast between the layers of black and white may have suggested this. Pyrites Crystal of iron pyrites (pyrite, native iron disulphide) are sometimes used as amulets by the North American Indians, and the belief in their magic power is attested by their presence in the outfit of miscellaneous objects which the medicine-men use in the course of their incantations. Because these gleaming yellow crystals are occasionally mistaken for gold, the name "fool's gold" has been popularly bestowed upon them. (Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico," ed. by Frederick Webb Hodge; Smithsonian Inst.; Bur. Am. Ethn., Bull. 30; Washington, 1910, Pt. 2.) Of this material the ancient Mexicans made wonderful mirrors, one side being usually polished flat, while the other side was strongly convex. Frequently this side was curiously carved with some symbolic representation as appears in the case of a pyrite mirror of the Pinard collection in the Trocadero, Paris. (Kunz, "Gems and Precious Stones of North America," New York, 1890.) Rock-crystal The popular belief in his time as to the origin of rock-crystal is voiced by St. Jerome, when, using the words of Pliny, although not citing his authority, he says that it was formed by the congelation of water in dark caverns of the mountains, where the temperature was intensely cold, so that, "While a stone to the touch, it seems like water to the eye." This belief was evidently due to the fact that rock-crystal was so often found in mountain clefts and caverns. Symbolically, it signified that those within the portals of the Church should keep themselves free from stain and have a pure faith. (Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi "Opera Omnia," ed. Migne, vol. iv, Parisiis, 1865, col. 545.) The Chinese emperor Wu was devoted to the service of the gods and of the immortal spirits. He built many edifices for religious purposes, and all the doors of these buildings were made of white rock-crystal, so that a flood of light poured into the interior. Although the Chinese texts call this material rock-crystal, it is possible that the name was applied to glass when that substance was but recently introduced into China. (Pfizmeier, "Beitrage zur Geschichte der Edelsteinen und des Goldes," Sitzungsbericht d. phil. hist. Kl., Wien, vol. lviii, 1868.) Regarding this same "rock-crystal" a humorous tale is related. Muan-fen, a mandarin who had a great terror of draughts, was once received in the palace by one of the Chinese emperors. The doors of the audience chamber were of rock-crystal and were tightly closed, but, because of the transparency of the material, they seemed to be wide open, and the emperor was greatly amused to note that Muan-fen was shivering with cold, although the temperature of the room was quite comfortable. (Pfizmeier, l. c.) An exceptionally fine specimen of Aztec work is a skull carved out of rock-crystal. It weighs 475 1/4 ounces Troy, and measures 8 1/4 inches in width.