A story of… AMETHYST

The Greek gods are not a particularly humane lot. In truth, they pompously consider themselves beyond such mortal fripperies as ‘morality’ and they spit down upon us from their great height while we, in return, pay them homage with gifts and prayers. Anything to stay on their good side. But this is a tricky business; sometimes we gain favour with the one but hostility with the other. Other times the fickle immortals meddle – either helping or hindering – for no reason other than their own amusement, emotion or random inclinations.

Such a one was the story of Amethyst.Amethyst was a lovely young lady – perhaps only fourteen or fifteen at the most – who lived a long time ago in Greece. An innocent forced to eternally suffer the cost of Dionysus’ fickle wrath. Dionysus, who sometimes goes by his Roman name of Bacchus, is the patron of alcohol, debauchery and grown-up parties and you should not be surprised to hear that he is usually drunk and quaffing from his never-ending goblet of wine – a state of being that only adds to his naturally changeable temperament. When he’s on form he’s the life and soul of any party – literally. When he’s not… Well… all I can say is, ‘watch out’! He gets livid in a moment and though it passes equally speedily, it is often too late, as in the story of poor Amethyst herself – a child-woman who had yet to taste his tingle of alcoholic debauchery.

Dionysus was angry simply because a mortal had refused to acknowledge him. A grown up man who didn’t drink? A teetotaller? How dare he! Unfortunately for Amethyst, she happened to be the first mortal Dionysus saw in this state; the sweet, white-clad Amethyst on her way to a temple of Diana with gifts for the moon goddess. As soon as he saw her, the wine god couldn’t help himself – he immediately sent his two ferocious tiger to attack her on her path. That’d stop the silly mortal non-drinker in her tracks!

Imagine poor Amethyst for a moment – a young girl, alone on the road with her maidens – suddenly finds herself confronted by two huge, growling beasts! Amethyst freezes. A pair of supernatural tigers are watching her. Approaching her. Slowly. Hungrily. The terror she feels must be part of the attack.

Dionysus’ anger is now being appeased so he sits back, smiling, to enjoy the spectacle with his usual goblet of heavy red wine.

“Oh, Diana!” the girl prays, “help me now, most wonderful and beautiful of all the immortals! Save your loyal servant from this danger so that I can continue on my way with gifts for your temple…”

And Diana listens, because everyone loves blatant flattery and gifts.

Looking down, the goddess of the hunt knew immediately what was happening and to save the fair Amethyst from the tigers’ savagery, she immediately turned her into a pillar of clear rock crystal – as pure and clean as the damsel herself.

When Dionysus saw this change in events – and his tigers, confused, staring stupidly at the stone – he felt, not fury as might be expected, or even annoyance, but rather an impulsive icicle of remorse pierced his body. He did not particularly approve of guilt but he had to acknowledge a new sympathy with the plight of the poor, pure white creature called Amethyst.

He began to weep. Drunken tears of pity and regret fell in huge, fat droplets down his pudgy cheeks. Off his jowls they plopped as the intoxicated immortal blubbered unashamedly and as his tears fell they landed – plop! – into his wine. He didn’t even notice until, clumsily, he knocked over the goblet, now full of sweet, salty, tearstained wine, which fell down, down, down, until spilling, finally, upon the lovely Amethyst itself, staining the pure white quartz a deep purple.

This is the origin of the stone we call ‘amethyst’ and this is why, if you look at rough amethyst, it is darker at the top but white at the base, where Dionysus’ wine didn’t quite reach. So she remains, that stone stained purple by Dionysus’ booze, and is now a ward against it. Amethyst lives on in defiance of drunken intoxication – wear this stone for sobriety and protection against the evils of intoxication, alcoholism and other addictions.