previous next

CHAP. 58.—ENCARDIA OR ARISTE. ENORCHIS. EXEBENUS. ERYTHALLS. EROTYLOS. AMPHICOMOS, OR HIEROMNEMON. EUMECES. EUMITHRES. EUPETALOS. EUREOS. EUROTIAS. EUSEBES. EPIMELAS.

The stone encardia1 is also called "ariste."2 There are three varieties of it; one of a black colour, with a figure in relief upon it like a heart: a second of a green colour, and like a heart in shape; and a third, with a black heart upon it, the rest of the stone being white. Enorchis3 is a white stone, the fragments of which, when it is split asunder, resemble the testes in shape. Exebenus, Zoroaster tells us, is a white, handsome stone, employed by goldsmiths for polishing gold. Erythallis,4 though a white stone, assumes a red hue when viewed at an inclined angle. Erotyles,5 also known as "amphicomos"6 and "hieromnemon,"7 is highly praised by Democritus for its use in the art of divination.

Eumeces8 is a stone of Bactriana, like silex in appearance; placed beneath the head, it produces visions in the night of an oracular description. Eumithres9 is called by the Assyrians "gem of Belus,"10 the most sacred of all their gods; it is of a leek-green colour, and greatly in request for superstitious purposes. Eupetalos11 is a stone that has four different tints, azure, fiery, vermilion, and apple-colour. Eureos12 is similar to an olive-stone in form, streaked like a shell, and moderately white. Eurotias13 has all the appearance of concealing its black colour beneath a coat of mould. Eusebes14 is the stone, it is said, of which the seat was made in the Temple of Hercules at Tyrus, from which the pious [only] could raise themselves without difficulty. Epimelas15 is a white gem, with a black hue reflected from its surface.

1 "Heart-shaped." A tarquois, Hardouin thinks. See "Bucardia" in Chapter 55 above.

2 "The best."

3 "Formed like the testes."

4 "Red stone," apparently. The reading is very doubtful.

5 The reading is doubtful, but the word may possibly mean "stone of love," or something equivalent.

6 "Fine-haired."

7 "Skilled in sacred matters."

8 "Of fair length." Ajasson thinks that this may have been a variety of Pyromachic silex, or gun flint, nearly allied to Chalcedony.

9 A preferable reading, probably, to "Eumitres." It perhaps took its name from Mithres, the god of the Sun among the Persians, and meant "blessing of Mithres." Ajasson thinks that it may have been green Tourmaline, and that its electric properties may have been very "serviceable to the charlatans who had the monopoly of the Temple of Bel."

10 See Chapter 55 of this Book.

11 "With beautiful leaves." By some authorities this is thought to be Opal, by others Heliotrope or Bloodstone. Ajasson thinks that it may have been a general name for Jasper quartz, or else that it was Quartz agate opalized.

12 This reading is very doubtful.

13 "Mouldy stone."

14 "Stone of the religious."

15 "Black on the surface." This is the case, Ajasson remarks, with many stones of the class known as "Cat's eye."

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

load focus Latin (Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff, 1906)
hide Places (automatically extracted)

View a map of the most frequently mentioned places in this document.

hide References (3 total)
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: