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Turquoise is an opaque stone with a waxy finish. In
hue, it varies between the color of the sky and a darker
greenish-blue. It may be marked with black lines. In spider-web
turquoise, these lines are slender and symmetrically arranged, but
the lines (if they exist) are thicker and display no symmetry in
regular turquoise. Regular turquoise can be
mined all over the world. Particularly noteworthy deposits exist in
Talador, in the territory of the Sharznekgren dwarves and in the Sea
of Fire. Spider-web turquoise has only been found on the east side
of the DragonSpine mountains.
Magically, turquoise is a fairly receptive stone.
It is associated with water, air, and the blessings of various
spirits. Judging by archaeological digs and ancient records,
turquoise seems to be the oldest decorative stone known to humanity.
In the barony of Riverwood, turquoise is
considered sovereign in aiding an archer's eye. Citizens of
Riverwood say that a bow set with turquoise will shoot straighter
than any other bow, and, as a result, almost all of the bows carved
in Riverwood are adorned with some sort of turquoise charm, even
though the turquoise must be imported from Talador. Riverwood bows
are magnificent and highly valued, but most people outside Riverwood
attribute their quality to the fine yew used to craft them rather
than the turquoise charms upon them.
Travelers visiting South Hendor often seek out the
Halls of Solace, a monastery devoted to Lord Voln. Despite the other
wonders, the most remarked-upon feature is the beauty of the
monastery's shrine to the Arkati Lumnis. Although the rest of the
monastery is built from fine Hendoran marble, the shrine to Lumnis
is composed entirely of turquoise. Local legend says that the
monastery was almost entirely built, with only Lumnis's shrine
remaining of the fourteen Liabo Arkati, when a terrible accident at
the mine threw the entire schedule into disarray. After
consideration, the monks agreed that it was more important to
complete the shrine in a timely fashion than to wait for the marble,
and they decided to create it of granite instead. When the first
granite slabs were hauled up the hill, however, a marvelous sight
awaited them -- the shrine was already complete, and composed in
every aspect of polished, flawless turquoise. Because of the
association in Hendor between turquoise and the Tehir, some
initially spoke of destroying it and finishing it in marble, but it
was finally accepted as a miracle and permitted to remain.
Tradition in North Hendor holds that looking at
the reflection of the moon Liabo on a polished surface of turquoise
will protect a person from madness until Liabo next becomes a new
moon. Observing the reflection of sunlight and clouds upon a surface
of turquoise is said to protect against poison and betrayal.
The Ardenai elves traditionally believe that
turquoise assists in taming animals. Before the Horse War, whenever
an Ardenai horse was first being broken to saddle or burden, a piece
of turquoise was bound to the animal's halter to prevent it from
spooking. The Ardenai also used turquoise if it became necessary to
slay a horse. Before the death of the horse, the person killing it
would touch the turquoise to its brow, which would supposedly
prevent the horse from experiencing pain or fear as it died. These
customs died away in the Horse War, which resulted in the death of
the Ardenai herds.
The peaceful giantmen of Araime Sun Clan still
consider turquoise to have power over animals, but their beliefs
appear to have developed independently of the lost Ardenai customs.
When traveling in the wilds, many of the Araime carry a turquoise
talisman carved in the shape of a sun for use if they encounter a
hostile predator. If such a thing occurs, the Araime will display
the talisman to the animal, saying, "We share the same sunlight. May
I pass in peace?" Supposedly, if the Araime truly wishes peace, the
animal will back away and let the giantman pass unharmed.
In the thirteenth century, turquoise was named in the
mistaken belief that it came from Turkey. The name means
"Turkish stone". In fact, turquoise came to Europe through
Turkey, but its origin was Persia (Iran), where it has been mined
for thousands of years. The Persian word for turquoise is "ferozah"
or "firozah", which means victorious.
Turquoise has captivated man's imagination for centuries. When it
came to the attention of man is unknown. We have archeological as
well as literary references that predate the Christian era by five
millennia. The four bracelets of Queen Zar, found on her mummified
arm, date to the second ruler of the Egypt's First Dynasty,
approximately 5500 B.C. Although not specifically mentioned in the
Bible, scholars believe that the robe worn by the high priest Aaron
was adorned with turquoise.
The blue color of turquoise was
thought to have powerful metaphysical properties by many ancient
cultures. In ancient Mexico, turquoise was reserved for the
gods and could not be worn by mere mortals. In Asia, turquoise was
considered as effective protection against the evil eye.
In the 13th century, turquoise was thought to protect the wearer
from falling, especially from horses, and that it made the horse
more sure footed. During the 16th century turquoise was used as
currency by the Southwest Indians. They believed the gemstone
could bring spoils to the warrior, animals to the hunter, and
happiness and good fortune to all.
The Apache believed that turquoise helped warriors and hunters to
aim accurately. If turquoise were affixed to a bow, the arrows
shot from it would always hit their mark. The Zuni believed that
it protected them from demons.
Turquoise was also thought to
promote prosperity and is, alternating with
zircon and
lapis lazuli, the birthstone for December.
Turquoise is the anniversary gemstone for the 5th year of
marriage. |
