The origin of amethyst is told to us by Greek myths. Dionysius, the god of intoxication, was angered one day by an insult from a mortal. He swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path. To carry out his rash oath he created some fierce tigers. Along came Amethyst, an beautiful unsuspecting young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana saw what was about to happen and turned Amethyst into a stature of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Seeing the error of his anger Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god’s tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gemstone we know today as Amethyst.
My favorite of all the gemstones.
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