Welcome to the 2022 A to Z Blogging Challenge! My theme this year is Gemstone Folklore. Because I love stories about shiny things. Read the introduction to the project here.
CARNELIAN
Carnelian is an orange-brown variety of chalcedony. Historically it has been a popular semi-precious stone to many cultures; carnelian beads appear in archaeological sites, and in stories, in many places around the world.
The story of the Kithang clan
Lhota Naga legend
A man named Mering has a beautiful wife, Khamdrio, who has extremely long, luscious hair. When she washes it, a strand of her hair makes its way to the king's court, who immediately decides he wants a woman with such hair for himself. Mering refuses to give up his wife, and prepares his village for a siege. He surrounds it with a thick wall of "stinging leaves" which the soldiers can't cross.
The village holds out for a while, until the king comes up with a trick. He pretends to agree to trade instead of fighting, and sends a merchant with marvelous carnelian beads into the village. However, the merchant is under orders to refuse selling the beads to anyone. He just flashes them around, and then on his way out he tosses them into the wall of stinging leaves. The villagers, blinded by the shinies, dismantle the walls themselves to pick out the beads - and the king manages to take a village.
(Mering and his family do get away unhurt in the end, though.)
Sources:
You can read this story here.
Other stories:
There are Indian variants of the Tablecloth, donkey, stick folktale type that feature a goat that poops agate/amber and carnelian beads. You can find one here (from the Kuki people), and one here (from Assam).
Do you like beads and bead jewelry? Do you have favorites?
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