History & Mythology of Opal

Facts, Myths & Legends

Definition

Opal  n. an amorphous form of hydrated silicon dioxide that can be of almost any colour. It is used as a gemstone. [from Greek Opthalmios, ‘the eye stone’ or ‘eye lotion’; from Latin Opalus, Gk. Opallios ‘to see a change’, from Sanskrit Upala ‘precious stone’] – Opaline adj.

 

Australian Aboriginal ‘Dreamtime’ Legend 

Dreamtime mythology handed down by elder storytellers forms the basis of Aboriginal culture. Australia's native culture spans 60,000 years of civilization and encompasses 250 nations.  A tribe’s creative ancestors, those who lived in ‘the beginning’, included heroes and villains who shaped the landscape and natural patterns of life. The Aboriginal tribes from the Andamooka region in South Australia believed that their ancestral being conveyed himself to earth by a great rainbow, which in turn coloured the rocks and stones where it had rested.  The Opal outcrops were sacred and used as ceremonial grounds due to the mystical association with the creator, and the great rainbow in which it was believed he would some day reappear.

Painted by Ainslie Roberts in the collection of Mr & Mrs Ron Trezise.

Opaline Crocodile Scales

The Aboriginal people from around the Wallangulla - Lightning Ridge area, in New South Wales, have a dreaming relating Opal to the Crocodile. During the Dreamtime Bhiamie the supreme spirit and his two wives Birring Ooloo, mother nature, and Cunnum-Biellie, law maker/teacher, were travelling through the outback. The two wives went for a swim in a spring, not knowing that Gurria , the crocodile, was following them. Gurria was in love with the two and wanted their spirits. He swallowed both women and swam down the Narran River where he hid from Bhiamie. Bhiamie tracked Gurria to where he was hiding in a lake, and speared him at Weetalibah water crossing. As the crocodile lay dying he rolled onto his back and this squirming caused two holes to be made - one by his tail, which is now Coocoran Lake, and the other by his nose, which is now Angledool Lake. It is said that as Gurria was dying a shower of rain fell and a rainbow appeared. The colours of the rainbow were trapped in the scales of the dying crocodile - which is how opal came to be. After Gurria's death the women were freed by their husband Bhiamie and taken to Ghee-Jar the little black ant who brought them back to life.  

 

The Opal that turned into Fire

Long, long ago the Wankumara people sent a pelican up into the Northern Territory and asked him to see what was there. Then he was to return to his people and tell them what he discovered, He carried a supply of fish in his dilly bag, or pouch beneath his beak; this was full of water and kept the fish fresh for him. He needed food because he has told that he must not stop during his journey. He flew away, but after a while felt sick. Although he was still in Queensland, he felt too ill to continue and landed on top of a hill that his people later called Bildimini. While resting he looked at the country spread out beneath him and marveled that it was a mixture of glorious colours. This was Opal, but he could not understand why the ground looked so beautiful and started chipping it with his beak because he was curious. Although the country was mainly dry and rocky, there was quite a lot of grass. While the pelican was pecking around the coloured stones with his beak a spark flew out and lit the dead grass. Flames rose into the air as the fire spread slowly across the arid plains for a long distance. It crept towards a number of his people who were camped near Coopers Creek and, for the first time, they could cook their fish and meat. Bildimini was a large hill where another Muda creation figure, in the form of a pelican, had died. His blood and the water in his pouch had given the Wangkumara gold and Opal, and now this second bird had brought them the gift of fire. Muda, as a pelican, had made Coopers Creek for the Wangkumara and filled it with fish. Without the assistance of these birds their country would have been flat and barren ground. For a long time the Wangkumara were able to keep three of their possessions secret. Nobody could hide the Cooper, but for a long time no one else was aware that they owned gold, Opal and fire.  

 

The Weeping Opal

A dreaming of Central Queensland relates that in the days of the Dreamtime, when the world was young and the great creation events were taking place, a giant Opal ruled over the destinies of men and women. This Ancestral Being lived in the sky, made laws under which the tribes should live,and dictated the punishments to be inflicted on lawbreakers.The creation of an Aboriginal Ancestor came about as a result of a war between two tribes. The fighting had gone on for so long that most of the weapons were broken or lost. So the warriors began hurling Boulders at each other, one tribesman threw one so hard that it flew upwards and lodged in the sky. The Boulder grew rapidly as the frightened men watched, until it burst open and revealed the flashing colours of a huge Opal. As the Opal saw the dead and wounded below, it wept in sorrow. Tears streamed in such profusion that they became a great rainstorm, and when the sun shone on the opal-coloured tears the surviving men saw their first rainbow. From that time on the Aborigines of that area believed the rainbow was a sign that someone had committed a crime against the tribal laws laid down so long ago, and that the tears of the opal were again falling in sorrow.

 

Classical Connections

In Greek mythology Zeus became king of the gods when he defeated the Titans. Legend has it he then wept joyous tears that turned into Opals upon hitting the ground.  

Opal was a favourite gem amongst the ancient Greeks and Romans, many writers of the period refer to it. The source of Precious Opal was most probably India, although common Opal is more widely found, there are various known occurences in the Near East and Europe. 

Orpheus – One of the Argonauts from Herodotus’ Iliad, the greatest musician and poet of Greek myth:

“Opal fills the heart of the gods with joy.”

To the ancients it was known as paederos, the derivation of this meant both 'child' and 'favourite' - inferring that it had the kind of peerless beauty of a child. 

Onomacritus (520-485BC) – An Athenian who according to Aristotle was the real author of some of the Greek religious poems which went under the name of Orpheus. Banished from Athens by his patron Hipparchus for making an interpolation in an oracle of Musaeus. He fled to Persia where the Peisistratids, who had also been expelled, employed him to persuade Emperor Xerxes to invade Greece by reciting to him all the Ancient oracles.

 “The delicate colours and tenderness of Opal remind me of a loving and beautiful child”

 

The early Greeks believed Opal gave its' wearer the power of foresight and prophecy. The Romans called Opal the Cupid Stone and believed they instilled purity and hope.

Plato (427-347BC) in the discourse of his Republic relates the story of Gyges who found a ring that made him invisible and thus allowed him to steal both queen and crown, this may be from whence opal's reputation as the 'stone of thieves' first sprang. Opal was credited with the power to simultaneously strengthen one's sight and make the wearer invisible.

Gyges, a shepherd in the service of the King of Lydia, one day witnessed a violent storm followed by an earthquake which opened up a deep chasm in the earth near the place where he tended his flock. Curious, he descended into the chasm and saw therein a hollow, brazen horse, with openings at the side. Within the horse lay the body of a huge man and a golden Opal ring glittered on the corpse’s finger. The shepherd removed the ring and took off. Several days later the shepherds assembled to prepare their monthly reports to the king. As Gyges sat with the others he carelessly turned and twisted the Opal ring he now wore, until by chance, he turned the bezel toward the inside of his hand. Immediately he became invisible yet when he turned the ring around again he reappeared. Repeating the experiment several times confirmed the strange virtue of the ring. Realizing then the extraordinary powers the Opal ring afforded him the shepherd asked and obtained the privilege of bearing reports to the king. He soon found means to seduce the queen, and with her aid, to slay the king and gain possession of the throne.

Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus (372-287 B.C.) prepared On Stones the oldest existent treatise to classify rocks and minerals based on their behaviors and common properties. Theophrastus refers to ὀπάλλιος or ‘Opal’, he provides the quote of Onomacritus and perhaps even the tradition of regarding Opal as female derives from his dividing gemstones into male and female. Pliny the Elder makes clear references to his use of On Stones in his Historia Naturalis of 77 AD. From both these early texts was to emerge the science of mineralogy, and ultimately geology.

Pliny the Elder (23-79AD) was a commander of the Roman cavalry in Germany, in his retirement he wrote the 37 volume encyclopaedia Historia Naturalis, perhaps the foremost authority on gemstones in the ancient world, his treatise are still relevant today. Pliny calls India the mother of Opal, yet he is referring to the finest quality then available as he also mentions Opal found in Egypt, Pontus, Galatia, Thasos and Cyprus. Pliny documented the easy detection of basic foiled-glass Opal simulants, examples of which feature in jewels made nearly two millennia after his death.

  

“It is made up of the glories of the most precious gems; to describe it is a matter of inexpressible difficulty. There is in it the gentler fire of the Ruby, the brilliant purple of the Amethyst, and the sea-green of the Emerald, all shining together in an incredible union. Some aim at rivalling in lustre the brightest azure of the painter’s palette, others the flame of burning sulphur, or of a fire quickened by oil.”

The ancients believed that if a person wore the precious stone which, according to their tradition, was in affinity with the planets and the month of their birth, they would have protection against their enemies, sickness, accident, or even death. 

The Orientals referred to Opals as "The Anchor of Hope".

In the time of the prophet Muhammad (ca.570 Mecca - 632 Medina) his people were enamoured of Opal and according to Arabian folklore "Opals are the remnants of lightning strikes to the ground, and the flashes in the stone are captured lightning."

In Fourteenth Century India a belief grew that one could pass an opal across the brow to clear the brain and strengthen the memory.

The Middle Ages

Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) aka. St Albert the Great, is considered to be the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. A Dominican friar and priest who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. He was the first among medieval scholars to apply Aristotle's philosophy to Christian thought. One of only 33 persons with the honor of Doctor of the Catholic Church.

He was also one of the alchemists reputed to have succeeded in discovering the Philosopher's Stone.

Legend tells of a dazzling Opal, the Orphanus, set into the Crown of the Holy Roman Emperors, which was reputed to watch over the royal family. Albert of Cologne claimed:"None like it has ever been seen..Its hue is as though pure white snow flashed and sparkled with the colour of bright ruddy wine... it is a translucent stone, and there is a tradition that it formerly shone at night-time." He goes on to say that it cured eye diseases and could "render its wearer invisible, and therefore it was called Patronus Furum - Patron of Thieves."

In Medieval times Opal was thought to ward off illness and aid eyesight. It was a guaranteed panacea for all eye troubles and then there was the lore that Opal could confer the power of invisiblity upon its owner.

It was in the superstitious Dark Ages that opal first aquired a doubtful reputation. The mental association of an 'eye' stone, in times when the evil eye was accepted as calmly as the price of pigs was inevitable. So a stone that started out as beneficient became maliferous.

Still it had its adherents. During the Black Plague in Venice (1433) when fever struck its wearer, it was said to flare up strongly to give warning. Extraordinarily faithful, it often 'died' with its owner.

Fair-haired girls in Germany and Scandinavia were encouraged to wear Opal, often as hair ornaments, as it was thought to add magical lustre to their golden locks. Opal was prescribed for them to remain blonde and protect them from freezing rain, wind, and other vicissitudes of the Nordic climate.

Renaissance

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I it was written:

"Optallio is called Oppalus also, and this stone bredeth in Inde and is deemed to have as many virtues as hiews and colors."

The Elizabethan era, famous for the flourishing of the arts, is now looked upon as a golden age. The English, who set the fashions in the 16th century, were indeed fond and avid users of opal in the formal ceremonial style jewellery of the day.

Bernardino de Sahagún (1499 – 1590), was a Franciscan missionary to the Aztec people of Mexico, best known as the compiler of the 'Florentine Codex', also known as Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España (General History of the Things of New Spain). De Sahagun described a stone used and named by the Aztecs since at least the mid 16th century that, given their access to the Mexican localities was likely Opal. Although the Conquistadors brought Mexican Opal back to Europe, it was seemingly forgotten until the mid 1800's when opal sources were rediscovered in San Juan del Rio and Tequisquiapan, both in the state of Queretaro.

Shakespeare (1564–1616) - 'The Bard of Stratford’ used opal as a descriptor of splendour in numerous texts, he most poignantly described the stone in Twelfth Night – “That Miracle and Queen of Gems”. The tradition of regarding Opal as female may date back to the Greek philosopher Theophrastus who wrote On Stones a treatise on rocks and minerals, in which he divided gemstones into male and female. Funnily enough in Elizabethan theatre, men played the female roles, which made it interesting when female characters dressed as men in Twelfth Night.

Petrus Arlensis de Scudalupis was a visionary, astrologer, alchemist and mineralogist who lived during the reign of the religiously tolerant and popular King Henri IV of France . Petrus Arlensis wrote a remarkable account of Opal in his work on “the sympathy of the seven metals and seven select stones with the seven planets” which was published in Latin (and German 1717) as part of the Speculum Lapidum from 1610; "The various colours in the Opal tend greatly to the delectation of the sight; nay, more, they have the very greatest efficacy in cheering the heart and the inward parts, and especially rejoice the beholder’s eyes. One in particular came into my hands, in which such beauty, loveliness and grace shone forth, that it could truly boast that it forcibly drew all gems to itself, while it surprised, astonished and held captive, without escape or intermission, the hearts of all who beheld it... It had such vivid and various colours that all the beauty of the heavens might be viewed within it. Grace went out from it, majesty shot forth from its almost divine splendour. It sent forth such bright and piercing rays that it struck terror into all beholders. In a word, it bestowed on the wearer the qualities granted by nature to itself; for, by an invisible dart it penetrated the souls and dazzled the eyes of all who saw it; appalling all hearts, however bold and courageous. In a word, it filled with trembling the bodies of the bystanders, and forced them by a predestinated impulse to love, honour and worship it. I have seen, I have felt it, I call God to witness! Of a truth, such a stone is to be valued at an inestimable amount."

Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was an English Renaissance playwright, actor and poet. Extremely well read, Ben Jonson delighted in controversy, he was an influential Caroline dramatist, a contemporary and competitor to William Shakespeare. Jonson was a great writer of masques, an extinct format, which mingled speech, dancing, and spectacle. Jonson reintroduced the concept that there was a relationship between Opal and sight in The New Inn also known as The Light Heart a stage comedy published in 1631: "I had no medicine, Sir, to go invisible; nor an Opal, wrapped in bay-leaf, in my left fist, to charm their eyes with."

 

Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim (1729-1781) wrote Nathan the Wise, published in 1779 it is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. Performance of the play was forbidden by the church during the artist's lifetime, it was also later banned by the Nazis. 

"Grey years ago a man lived in the East, Who did possess a ring of worth immense From a beloved hand. Opal the stone, Which flashed a hundred bright and beauteous hues, And had the power to make beloved of God, and Man the blessed and fortunate."

The centerpiece of the work is the Ring Parable, narrated by Nathan who is asked by Saladin which religion is true: An heirloom Opal ring with the magical ability to render its owner pleasant in the eyes of God and mankind had been passed from father to the son he loved most. When it came to a father of three sons whom he loved equally, he promised it (in "pious weakness") to each of them. Looking for a way to keep his promise, he had two replicas made, which were indistinguishable from the original, and gave on his deathbed a ring to each of them. The brothers quarrelled over who owned the real ring. A wise judge admonished them that it was up to them to live such that their ring's powers proved true. Nathan compares this to religion, saying that each of us lives by the religion we have learned from those we respect.

Modernity

Lucky not Unlucky!
The ownership of so fair an object as a fine Opal must certainly be a source of pleasure and hence add to the good fortune of the owner.

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), chivalrous Scottish author of 'Rob Roy' & 'Ivanhoe', who in 1829 published his novel ‘Anne of Geierstein’, in which opal was used brilliantly to reflect the changing fortunes of the heroine. Anne, a socerers daughter, died and her Opal turned ashey grey at once. The subtlety of this metaphor was lost on the literary flunkeys of the time whose careless reading led to a proliferation of damaging reports that opal was possessed of evil influence and an unlucky stone. 

Individual stones have been accursed before: the Koh-i-noor, the Hope Diamond, the Arabian Curse - but the whole Opal family was for a time damned out of hand.
 

Isidore Kozminsky author of ‘The Magic and Science of Jewels and Stones’ published in 1921 wrote: “Perhaps against no other gem has bigotry of superstitious ignorance so prevailed as against the wonderful Opal”
During Classical Roman times Opal was worn as a talisman and believed to protect its’ wearer from danger.
Throughout the ages, opal has symbolized hope, innocence and purity.

To this day one hears superstitious statements regarding opal such as it should only be worn if it is a gift from another person. The most valid explanation for superstition regarding Opal may well be found in the fact that some lapidaries and gem-setters to whom Opals have been entrusted may have been so unfortunate as to fracture them during the cutting and smithing processes.
A lack of basic technical knowledge and inexperience is generally to blame for this.
Expert jewellers accept responsibility for, and exercise specialist care when handling any gemstone.

I am Opal, the bearer of good fortune. When the universe was completed, God scraped together the colours on his palette, creating me - a gemstone of mystical, flashing hues. In my presence love abounds and my touch will soothe away sadness and envy. 

	Ruskin, John (1819-1900) famous art and social critic  who authored over 250 works on various topics, including architecture, was extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Ruskin's theories were followed by the Arts and Crafts movement which was dedicated to reform in design and to the dignity of the individual craftsman in reaction to mechanization and mass-production.
	“The Opal is a kind of touchstone whereby the shallow and the arrogant are rebuked, for it hath no charms for them.”

Dorothea MacKeller (1885-1968) was just a teenager when she wrote – ‘My Country’ – a simple evocative poem that has become Australia's unofficial spoken national anthem. Contrary to popular belief the poem was not written in a bout of homesickness on a visit to England. Rather it is a patriotic stance written in annoyance and anger about anti-Australianism and references to the mother country in the well heeled colonial society circles from whence she came.

“An Opal hearted country a wilful lavish land, all those who have not loved her you will not understand.”

Australia's National Gemstone - a fitting emblem of a vibrant young nation!

 

J.K. Rowling's highly acclaimed Harry Potter series mentions Opal four times: 1). Harry sees the cursed necklace that has killed 19 muggles in Borgin and Burkes in Chamber of Secrets. 2). Madame Maxine the principal of Beauxbatons College consistently wears opals both with regular and dress robes. 3). We see the crystal bottle full of what looked like blood with an opal set in the stopper in Order of the Phoenix. 4). The cursed opal necklace makes another appearance in Half Blood Prince when someone tries to send it to Dumbledore and gets Katie Bell instead. 

 

 

In today's cynical modern culture the notorious portrayal of Opal as the embodiment of evil  could well have the effect of 'success by scandal'. Particularly if it were coupled with a concerted publicity campaign to 'sex up' the image of Opals.

It can never be said of opals that they are ever boring and their mysterious beauty never ceases to inspire fascination and colourful imaginings!

 

 

Sources & Image Credits:   DREAMTIME: THE ABORIGINAL HERITAGE, Melva Jean Roberts & Ainslie Roberts 1981,6th Ed. (The Weeping Opal pg. 81, Andamooka Great Rainbow Spirit pg.27) THE DREAMTIME: AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL MYTHS, Charles P. Mountford & Ainslie Roberts 1974, 11th Ed. THE OPAL THAT TURNED INTO FIRE, Janet Mathews, 1994. (Coopers Creek Pelican legend; The story relates to Durham Downs in Qld.) JEWELLERY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, Jack Ogden, 1982. (Pliny on Opal and imitations) GEMS, Mab Wilson, 1967. (superstitious Middle Ages) THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS GEMSTONES, G.F.Kunz,1913;1971. RINGS FOR THE FINGER, George Frederick Kunz, 1917;1973. (pages 290-291: Plato and the Opal ring of Gyges) THE GREAT BOOK OF JEWELS, Ernst A. & Jean Heiniger, 1974. THE POWER OF GEMSTONES, Raymond J.L.Walters, 1996.  THE STORY OF NOBLE OPAL, Sydney B.J. Sketcherley, 1908. OPAL - THE PHENOMENAL GEMSTONE, Lithographie, 2007.