The (Classical?) Origin of Amethyst

Back in middle school, I carried a piece of amethyst with me everywhere. I have no recollection of where I managed to find it, but I always thought of it as a lucky charm. After all, isn’t it the case with gems and pretty things that we tend to think of them as fortune-bringers? However, the (alleged) origins of amethyst aren’t quite as nice as its looks.

The inside of an amethyst gemstone

Supposedly, there once lived a nymph named Amethyste. Her looks caught the affections of Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine and ritual ecstasy, who decided to pursue her. Amethyste spurned Bacchus’s advances. The two of them started a cat-and-mouse chase, highly reminiscent of the myth of Daphne and Apollo (more on this soon). Yet, despite running for her life, Amethyste could not run faster than Bacchus, who was frantically chasing her down. In a moment of desperation, she prayed to Diana (Artemis), who pitied her and turned her into a cloudy, white stone. Seeing Amethyste turn into a rock, Bacchus finally relented and regretted his actions. So, he poured some of his wine onto the stone, turning its tips purple.

Another version of the story supposedly claims that Bacchus, insulted by the mortals’ utter disregard for him, decided to take out his anger on some random, unassuming person. He declared that the first mortal he saw would get eaten by his tigers. By chance, he stumbled across Amethstye, who was just on her way to the shrine of Diana. When Amethyste arrived, she found herself surrounded by a couple of hungry, man-eating tigers. Once again, she prayed to Diano, who turned her into a white stone. Like the first version, Dionysus regretted his actions and poured wine on her.

I use the word ‘supposedly’ because neither of the two versions were actually made by Romans. It was a 16th century French poet, Rémy Belleau, who wrote the poem L'Amethyste, ou les Amours de Bacchus et d'Amethyste. While you might not think that this makes the backstory of amethyst an authentic one, all the greatest myths begin as fanfiction.

Dionysus (Bacchus) from the game Hades.

Regardless of its origin story, amethyst was nevertheless associated with Bacchus in classical antiquity. Literally, amethyst (written áμέθυστη in Greek) means ‘non-drunk,’ derived from á (expressing negation) and μεθύω (to get drunk). Ancient people believed that it held a special spell or antidote that would prevent its wearer from getting drunk, hence warding off the powers of Bacchus.