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Garnet occurs in a number of different hues. The most
common is red, followed by green, orange, and a dark violet-red that
is nearly black, but others are known to exist. Blue is the only
color that is definitely foreign to garnet.
Garnet is elementally aligned with fire, spiritually aligned with
religion, and mentally aligned with telepathy -- magically, it is
quite a responsive stone. The strongest of the set is probably the
religious alignment. Because it can increase the connection between
clerics and their deities, it is often worn by priests, but common
lore in the city of Elstreth holds that garnet is only worn by a
cleric whose faith is failing.
One specific hue of garnet, an intense, blood red
color most often found in Icemule Trace, is associated with the
spirit Arachne by her worshippers. Arachne gives tear-shaped
pendants of blood red garnet to her most favored clerics, the
worshippers say, and, inside the solid garnet, there is a living
black spider, which will live as long as the cleric continues to
please Arachne. If the cleric displeases Arachne, then the spider
will escape its cage and slay the cleric with a single bite. Outside
Arachne's faithful, few take this story as more than a tale to
frighten children, but both open followers and secret followers of
the spider goddess consequently regard blood red garnet with a
certain awe.
Humans traditionally use garnet stones as
conciliatory offerings to the Arkati of Lornon, although such
offerings are not affiliated with any specific deity. Clerics build
small sacrificial fires atop stone altars and offer the stones in
the fire, calling out the name of the person who has incurred the
Arkati's wrath and asking the Arkati to accept the stone in lieu of
the person's life or possessions. The garnet is normally set into a
small sculpture that represents the matter in question, or, for
those who can afford the offering, the garnet itself is large enough
to be engraved with the recognizable image. For example, if
nightmares plagued a woman's child nightly, then a priest would
offer a gilded garnet-inset sculpture of the child and ask Sheru to
take the garnet in lieu of the babe. Offerings of this type are also
sometimes made to powerful spirits such as Amasalen and Onar.
Human legend also holds that garnet jewelry will
strengthen the heart and aid in decision-making. It is ill luck to
lose a piece of garnet jewelry, however, as the person's confidence
will be lost along with the garnet.
Calling it the "dawn stone," elves often give
orange spessartine garnets to one another to symbolically welcome
new beginnings, such as alliances, apprenticeships, or the founding
of an organization. Spessartine garnet jewelry is also a traditional
gift for new mothers.
The word "garnet" is believed to have come from the Greek word "granatum,"
or pomegranate seed, because ancient jewelry makers grouped the tiny
gemstones in a cluster that resembled the seed-filled fruit. Deep
red in color, almandine garnet is the most popular gem in the garnet
family. Occasionally deep enough red to appear black, almandine
garnet is sometimes hollowed in order to let light shine through the
stone, highlighting its red color. Garnet displays the greatest
variety of color of any mineral, occurring in every color except
blue.
The garnets are actually a group of similar minerals but
differing in chemical composition. They vary in color from pale to
dark tints, including the deep violet-red of the almandine garnet.
Garnet was known
thousands of years before our era and is mentioned in early biblical
writings. Legend holds that Noah hung a large garnet in the ark for
illumination.
The very earliest descriptions of garnet dates to Roman times; Pliny
the Elder described a mineral he referred to as carbuncle (a term
still used today), "a sparkling, glowing, red mineral", that was
probably garnet. Garnet was considered to symbolize faith,
constancy, and truth. It reportedly also gives its wearer guidance
in the night and protection from nightmares. As an amulet, garnet
was favored by travelers.
Garnet was supposed to have strong curative powers. In powder, it
was used as poultice to relieve fever. According to the Egyptians,
it was an antidote for snake bites and food poisoning. It was also
thought to have a special affinity with the blood.
Statues of Isis, the Egyptian nature goddess, often included garnets
in her ceremonial belt, probably representing her blood and her
power.
Garnets were
also used in ancient Asia and the American Southwest as bullets,
because it was said to increase the ferocity of wounds.
Garnets
are hard and they fracture with sharp edges. They are used as abrasives
for fine sanding and polishing of wood, leather, glass, metals, and
plastics, as sandblasting agents, and in nonskid surface coatings.
Garnet is the birthstone for January. |
