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The Amethyst 97
Mithras,
a Persian deity, symbol of the Divine Idea, Source of Light and Life.
From the ring of Edward the Confessor was taken the amethyst that
adorns the British crown, and this particular stone is, by tradition,
imbued with the qualities of a prophylactic against contagious diseases.
There
is an ancient myth that a beautiful nymph was beloved and beset by
Bacchus, who in her effort to escape the imperious wooing of her ardent
lover, was aided by her patron goddess and metamorphosed into an
amethyst. Bacchus, baffled, in memory of his vanished love, bestowed on
the stone the colour of the purple wine he best loved, and registered a
vow that forevermore whoever would wear the amethyst should be
preserved from intoxication, no matter how extensive his libations. In
medieval times the amethyst was a favourite amulet as a preserver of
the wearer in battle, and many a pious crusader who nightly told his
beads, relied also upon the purple stone that hung as a protective
charm beside his rosary. The amethyst was believed to be a good
influence if worn by persons making petitions to princes, and also to
be a puissant preventive of hailstorms and locusts. The association of
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