The Myth behind Amethyst

My husband and I are total crystal people.  We have a large rock collection composed of many gifted stones by our friends, but I have to say, this piece of amethyst pictured below is my favorite in our home.  It was given to us by two or our dearest friends on our wedding day.  We love this giant crystal not only for that reason, but because of the power and grounding energy that this stone provides.  It’s origins come from some pretty neat stories, so if you have the time and curiosity, here’s the mythology behind amethyst.

The legendary origin of amethyst comes from a Greek myth. Dionysus, the god of wine, was insulted by a mortal, so butt-hurt and salty, he decided to seek out revenge on the next mortal to pass his way.  A beautiful, innocent woman named Amethyst wandered into his path, so Dionysus captured her and dangled her as bait to be ravaged by his fierce tigers.  Amethyst called out to the goddess Diana for help.   When Diana heard her cry, turned Amethyst into a white shimmering piece of quartz so the tigers could not harm her.  Dionysus came back into his lair to find Amethyst now a stone and immediately felt remorse for his actions.  He knocked over his wine which spilled upon the quartz, turning it the deep purple color Amethyst is today.  I’ve heard variations of this story, like Dionysus’s tears actually stained the quartz, but you get the point.

The word Amethyst comes from amethustos, meaning sober.   Greek mythology claims that if one drinks alcohol out of an amethyst cup, one cannot be drunk.  The stone was used for this purpose as well as to bring those too far gone back to sobriety.  I find this all very interesting, because if we look at energetic philosophies, amethyst has a sobering affect as well.

Amethyst is associated with the third eye and crown chakra.  These upper chakras help us put the world into perspective.  Our third eyes, when open, allow us to see challenge as opportunity which helps us make the lemons of life into lemonade.  It also clears away the filter of our other eyes, like wiping down a dirty window, which allows us to see reality as it is.  The bad isn’t as bad, the scary not so scary, and so on.  Our crown chakras help us see the bigger picture.  The world no longer revolves around just our own needs and wants, but we feel like we are apart of something greater and that our actions due affect the world.  Pretty sobering, right?

I hope you enjoyed learning more about amethyst.  If you collect gemstones, I would love to hear about your favorite piece in your collection!