ABSTRACT

Now the prophylactic and therapeutic qualities which men have attributed to amulets are not the only things which they have looked for in amulets, for certain shapes, forms, and colours have been considered almost of equal importance. Thus a certain violet stone is in some countries hung on the necks of children, and it is supposed not only to protect them from sicknesses, but to make them docile and obedient to their parents. It is formed of the crystallized tears which Eve shed when she was separated from Adam. Green stones, e.g. nephrite, the emerald, green jade, Amazon stones, etc., are connected with luxuriant vegetation and the rain that causes it, and fertility in man and beast, and virility and strength generally. Yellow stones assisted men who suffered from jaundice and other diseases of the liver. Red stones were used to stop blood fluxes and the bleeding of wounds, whether caused by the surgeon or by the enemy's weapons, and to protect their wearers from fire and lightning. Brown stones warded off sicknesses. Black stones were protections against the Evil Eye. White stones averted the Evil Eye and carried with them the protection of heaven, whence they were said to come. Stones that sparkled and rock crystal defeated every kind of witchcraft, and those which were marked either by Nature or art with bands of a different colour, circles, etc., were greatly esteemed. Water-worn stones, and stones with holes or cavities in them made effective amulets, and circular, semicircular, and triangular stones have been almost universally chosen as means of protection against evil spirits.