HILE
the precious and semi-precious stones were often worn as amulets or
talismans, the belief in the magic quality of mineral substances was
not confined to them, but was also held in regard to large stone masses
of peculiar form, or having strange markings or indentations ;
moreover, many small stones, possessing neither worth nor beauty, were
thought to exert a certain magical influence upon natural phenomena. An
occult power of this sort was also attributed by tradition to some
mythical stones, the origin of this fancy being frequently explicable
by the quality really inherent in some known mineral bearing a
designation closely similar to that bestowed upon the imaginary stone.
To
certain stones has been attributed the power to produce musical tones,
the most famous example being the so-called "Vocal Memnon" of Thebes.
This colossal statue was said to emit a melodious sound when the sun
rose, and according to Greek legend this sound was a greeting given by
Memnon to his mother, the Dawn. It appears, however, that the statue
was a respecter of persons, for when the Emperor Hadrian presented
himself before it, he is said to have heard the sound three times,
whereas common mortals heard it but once, or at most twice, while
occasionally the statue withheld its greeting altogether. A modern
traveller relates a personal experience that may cast a side-light upon
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