Emerald has been a source of fascination and reverence in many cultures for over six thousand years, sold in the markets of Babylon as early as 4,000 B.C. It was a stone worshipped by the Incas, believed by the Chaldeans to contain a goddess, and was highly honored in all major religions for its spiritual power and beauty. Emerald was considered a symbol of eternal life in ancient Egypt, a gift of Thoth, the god of wisdom, and was a favorite jewel of Queen Cleopatra. The Emerald mines in Upper Egypt, rediscovered a hundred years ago, are some of the oldest in the world and were called Cleopatra’s mines for her love of the stone. Emeralds were also talismans of Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, and the moguls of India. They’ve adorned the crowns and royal jewels of many countries for centuries, and fabulous collections and stunning gems continue to be treasured and displayed by the rich and famous today.
According to Indian lore, the name Emerald was first translated from Sanskrit as Marakata, meaning “the green of growing things.” The term we use today is believed to derive from an ancient Persian word that translated to the Greek as Smaragdus, meaning “green stone,” the term used in antiquity and referred to a number of other green stones. Over time the Old French or Vulgar Latin versions, Esmeraulde, Esmaralda or Esmaraldus became the current name, Emerald.
St. Hildegard of Bingen, the noted lithologist, declared, “All the green of nature is concentrated within the Emerald.”
Called the “Stone of Successful Love,” Emerald opens and nurtures the heart and the Heart Chakra. Its soothing energy provides healing to all levels of the being, bringing freshness and vitality to the spirit. A stone of inspiration and infinite patience, it embodies unity, compassion and unconditional love. Emerald promotes friendship, balance between partners, and is particularly known for providing domestic bliss, contentment and loyalty.
In ancient Rome, it was attributed to Venus.
Emerald honors he Hindu Goddess Annapurna.
Emerald honors Astarte, the Phoenician Goddess of Fertility, Love and War. She is known in many cultures by different names and is said to be the Queen of the Stars. She helps with troubled love, and keeps lovers faithful to each other.
Emerald also honors the three Celtic Goddesses of Sovereignty - Banbha, Eriu and Fodla. They provide protection, leadership and inspiration to anyone defending their faith, their homeland, or their way of life.
Green crystals honor Persephone, the Greek Goddess of Spring. She represesents celebration and the Earth alive with new growth.
Emerald has been the constant green stone throughout the ages, representing youth in the age of man. In ancient times green was used for those who died in the flower of youth, and sometimes an Emerald was placed upon the index finger of the corpse as a sign the light of hope was spent.
In ancient Egypt, Emeralds were considered a symbol of eternal life. It was believed to be the gift of Thoth.
The first-century Egyptian magician, Hermes Trismegistos, was said to carve on a pure Emerald tablet words that held the key to magic: “As above, so below.” For this reason Emeralds have always been considered a magical stone, connecting cosmic and Earthly realms, and for bringing thoughts and desires into reality.
Hermetic tradition also maintained that an emerald fell from Lucifer’s forehead during his fall.
As a revealer of truth, Emerald also held the power to protect one from enchantments, conjurations and spells.
It was considered a gemstone of universal sight, strengthening memory, increasing intelligence, and giving the wearer the ability to foretell the future, especially if put on the tongue or worn on the left side of the body.
In its prophecy, according to legend, the Emerald would even hurl itself from its mounting or change hues in order to forewarn of impending danger or illness.
During the Middle Ages it was a symbol of fidelity, reputed to reveal the truth or falsity of a lover’s oath.
Inherent in a fine Emerald is the power to assist one in becoming an eloquent speaker. Aristotle, a great fan of the gem, wrote that owning an Emerald increases the owner’s importance in presence and speech during business, gives victory in trials, and helps settle litigation.
The Emerald of old was believed to be born white within the mines then ripen to its mature perfect meadow-green, first assuming its verdancy in the part nearest to the rising sun. However, gathering these ripened gems may have given pause. Many Emerald mines were, and are still, famously steeped in superstitions and fear, believed to be the abode of demons or wicked spirits who guard the treasures within the mines and who would resent and retaliate for any intrusion.
Association of Emerald with sight and the eyes has been reported by many civilizations throughout time, both for its soothing quality and the belief it cured diseases of the eyes. Egyptians of the High Empire used it to enhance vision, and the Greeks and Romans stuck small Emeralds in the corners of the eyes of those nearsighted or farsighted. Light, transparent Emeralds were polished and used as a magnifying glass, and developed into the very first eyeglasses. The Emperor Nero was well-known for observing the feats of gladiators through an eyeglass of Emerald.
In antiquity, Emerald was considered an antidote for poison, venomous bites, and taken as an elixir, cured all fluxes, especially dysentery.
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed Emerald to be controlled by the planet Venus, with its reproductive energies of life and nature. In the East, however, Emerald was often ascribed to Mercury, for its wisdom and eloquence. Some claimed Jupiter to be its influence.
In Central America, the stone was associated with rain and blood and all the symbols of the lunar cycle. It was regarded as a token of fertility. The Aztecs associated the emerald with the bird quetzal, symbol of the renewal of spring, and the stone was thereby linked with the East and with everything connected with the worship of Quetzalcoatl.
In Jewish history, Emerald is listed in Exodus as the fourth stone in the Breastplate of the High Priest, though original manuscripts translate the smaragdus, Emerald, as being the Bareketh, the third stone, engraved with the tribe of Levi. Legend also relates Emerald as one of four precious stones given by God to King Solomon, endowing him with power over all creation.
In the Apocalypse of St John, God appears surrounded by a rainbow “in sight like unto an emerald”.
In the Christian middle ages, certain Egyptian and Etruscan beliefs survived (such as the stone placed on the tongue enabling one to converse with evil spirits). Thus the emerald was the jewel of clairvoyance.
The emerald is also the Papal jewel.
A text from the 1600s, the Magick of Kiram, is said to be sought after by the learned but seen by few, and kept in the Vatican in Rome, instructs one to carve upon a Smaragdus (Emerald or other precious green stone) a Bird Harpe, with a Sea Lamprey under its feet. When worn, it protects against disturbance, dreams, and stupidity, and gives rest to lunatics and those afflicted with colic.
The famous “San Graal” of King Arthur’s time was reputed to be a miraculous chalice made of a single precious Emerald, sent from Heaven and endowed with the power of preserving chastity, prolonging life, and other wonders. This chalice was believed to have been brought directly from the hands of God by angels, and was the actual cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper.
At the time of the Spanish Conquest, an immense Emerald the size of an ostrich egg was adored by the Peruvians in the city of Manta. This “Emerald goddess”, named Umiña, was only displayed on high feast days, when the Indians flocked to the shrine bringing gifts to the goddess. Less than scrupulous priests especially recommended donation of Emeralds, saying these were the daughters of the goddess, who would be pleased to see her offspring. The immense horde of these precious gems, however, fell into the hands of Pedro de Alvarado, Garcilasso de la Vega, and their companions during the conquest of Peru. Only the mother Emerald survived, being so cleverly concealed by the priests of the shrine that the Spaniards never succeeded in gaining possession of it.
Legend claims Herman Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico, tried to return home with huge chunks of Emerald that he took from the Aztecs. However, one of his ships became shipwrecked, losing forever, rare and delicately carved Emeralds in the shape of flowers and fish, and one particularly large Emerald the size of a man’s hand.
The Emerald is the seasonal gem of spring, traditionally given on the occasion of a 55th wedding anniversary. Today the American Gem Trade Association lists it as the stone for a 20th anniversary.
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