May
May Birthstone: Emerald
"Too Much Of A Good Thing"
King Polykrates of Samos used to wear an opulent ring, as a symbol of his wealth and good fortune. It contained a big emerald, most precious gemstone of the ancient world. Emerald derives from the old French “ésmeraud”, from the Greek “smaragdos”, meaning “green”. The gems were believed to hae healing qualities, especially for the eyes. (Emperor Nero looked at the gladiator games through an emerald lens.) To this day, emerald green is associated with calmness and stress relief. King Polykrates was very attached to his ring, but one day, he had an epiphany. What if his good fortune was suddenly reversed? Maybe it would be wise to let go of what he valued most… So, he threw his ring into the ocean. Only to find it again, some days later, inside a fish on his plate. This much luck could only mean one thing: disaster was imminent. And so it was, as he died a horrible death. But his love for emeralds lives on. And as its colour reflects spring growth, it’s the perfect stone for the birthstone of May. Back to May overview.
May Birthstone: Agate
"A Force Of Nature"
King Mithridates of Pontus (1ste century BC) was fascinated by May’s birthstone, the agate. It seems he amassed a collection of 4 000 agate bowls. It was the Greek naturalist Theophrastos, who gave the stones their name, as he found some on the banks of the Sicilian river Achates, now Dirillo. Agate has been an omnipresent material throughout history because of its relative abundance and broad spectrum of patterns and colours. For the Greeks, it had a strong connection with Earth Mother Gaia, and it’s seen as a force of nature ever since. It would balance mind, body and soul, and transform negative energy into positive vibes. Physically, it’s used for cleansing the system, but it enhances mental functions too, especially analytical abilities. It’s a soothing and calming gemstone, that will replace inner anger or anxiety with trust and stability. This is the stone to turn to when you are struggling with the many aspects of your life. Or when you need something really beautiful. Back to May overview.
May 01: Springtime
"Sister Of Spring"
Maia was the eldest of the seven Pleiades sisters, who gave their name to the Pleiades constellation (and to a well known book series). Now, the Romans heard the word “maior” (“greater”) in Maia’s name, and associated her with growth. They named the month of May after her and made her a Spring goddess. Originally, the Pleiades were daughters of the titan Atlas, harrassed for their beauty by gods, hunters, demigods, heroes, princes and kings alike. Maia, being the most timid of the seven, made a habit of hiding in a cave, but for supreme god Zeus of course, this made her all the more desirable. He did make an effort, creating carnations for her (in Greek: “dianthus” or “divine flower”), but it brought him nowhere. So he did the natural thing and just waited till she was fast asleep, sneaked into her grotto and did what he came for. Subsequently, Maia got pregnant with Hermes, the messenger god, known for his unscrupulous, even devious nature. Not surprisingly, given the way he was conceived. Back to May overview.
May 05: International Midwives' Day
"Bringer Of Light"
In his book about an ideal city, Plato suggested a “department of procreation”.The goddess who could help with this, was Eleithyia (Lucina in latin). Her name means “bringer of light”, and she’s depicted with torches. Women interpreted these as an illustration of the burning pain of giving birth. Eleithya is mostly mentioned in a supporting role, like when she freed beautiful baby Adonis from the trunk that his mother was transformed into. But in some notorious cases, (Artemis and Apollo, or Herakles), she went in obstruction mode, on behalf of her mother Hera, who couldn’t stand more offspring of Zeus entering the world. Eleithya had only one son herself, Sosipolis. He was revered in Elis, because as a toddler, Eleithya had put him at the head of their army, when they came under attack. The boy promptly shapeshifted into a snake and scared the enemy off. Which gained him a cult and a temple. If Eleithiya ever took her son back in her arms, and in what form, is not known. Back to May overview.
May 13: Family Month
"Dysfunctional"
Greek mythology has its fair share of dysfunctional families, but that of the Egyptian king Belus wins the trophy. His sons, Danaos and Aigyptos, hated each other from birth. Rivals in every aspect of their lives, they both got fifty children, but in the words of the 14th century writer Boccaccio: “They weren’t equally fortunate, because Aigyptos got fifty sons, while Danaos had fifty daughters.” When Aigyptos suggested that they should arrange for their children to marry each other, Danaos rather fled the country than let this happen. For this purpose, he litterally invented the boat. The nephews caught up with them though, and Danaos made it appear he agreed to the marriage. But he instructed his girls to unalive their husbands at the wedding night. All of them but one, did, and they were sent to the Tartaros for it. Their punishment consisted of endlessly trying to fill a leaking bath tub. While he couple that had decided to just get on with the marriage, Hypermnestra and Lynkaeus, lived happily ever after. Back to May overview.
May 15: International Day Of Families
"It's Complicated"
The world of Greek mythology consists of a tangle of family relationships, spanning several generations. Supreme god Zeus alone, being married seven times and having had a multitude of affairs, “produced” about half of all gods, demigods and heroes. Which makes up for a complicated family tree. Take the divine smith Hephaistos for example. He either had Zeus as a father, or no father at all. His first marriage was with Aphrodite, who was his great-great-aunt – sort of. When she left him for war god Ares, who was either his brother or half-brother, his second marriage was with a nymph in Aphrodite’s retinue, Aglaia. She could have been his half-sister, as a daughter of Zeus and his third wife. They set up a cosy little household, which would have made Hephaistos Zeus’ son and son-in-law at the same time. Mother Hera was familiar with that situation, as both her parents were also her in-laws (with only the mother in the picture by the way). Same for would-be father Zeus. And as he had married another sister before, in his case, it was twice. Back to May overview.