Amber mythology, amber origin legends, magic and folklore include the undersea castle of Baltic lore, and the death of Phaëton, son of Helios the Sun in Greek myth. An organic gemstone, amber is collected and traded since the Neolithic.
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Meaning of Amber
In magic and mysticism, amber connects to the primordial energies of organic nature, such as trees and ancient sedimentary rocks like limestone. It helps to ground or root a person. It's a stone of the nurturing sun.
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Amber is known as a "woman's stone" for those seeking to enhance femininity or connect to the feminine in nature magic. It's sacred to the Baltic Sun Goddess Saule (Saulė), the sea goddess Junate, Greek god Helios and Greco-Roman Apollo.
Like all resins amber is burnt for spatial purification, emotional healing and to invoke feelings of serenity. Amber relates to romantic love and sensuality. In aromatherapy it gives a tannin type scent to calm and clear the mind, and invigorate the body.
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About Amber
Amber is a completely organic substance made from the resin of extinct tree species of the Cretaceous era. Fossilized tree resin, chunks or nuggets of amber can include insects, twigs, bark, small vertebrates, seeds, feathers, leaves, and bubbles.
It's categorized as a gemstone of organic nature. Amber, also known as 'sea gold', 'electron', 'hardened honey', 'tiger's soul', 'the gold of the North', and 'tears of the gods', is held sacred across various cultures.
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The term 'electricity' comes from 'elektron', the Greek word for amber. When rubbed briskly amber develops static electricity, attracting fine hairs, feathers and other small particles. The buildup of electric charge can cause a spark.
These qualities of amber when rubbed fascinates early natural philosophers. Roman Pliny the Elder (AD 23 - AD 79) first identifies amber as a resin from the pine scent it exudes when burning.
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Mineralogists identify amber as succinite (from Lat. succinum) or 'gum-stone'. The Greek term for amber, elektron, appears in cosmology of sun god Helios. He's also known as 'Awakener' or ēlektōr, referring to the radiant Sun.
Syrian amber or Lebanese amber (simetite) first appears in the Mediterranean region, but is not well documented. It's of great interest to paleo-entomologists due to the preservation of insects and plant materials from the Lower Cretaceous c. 125 mya.
Syrian amber is found incidentally as early people mine lignite, a low-grade coal primarily burned for fuel. Lignite is also used to make the shining black gemstone jet.
The oldest evidence of Baltic amber in the Med is found in a Spanish cave of the 4th millennium BCE. As a gem, Baltic amber through the ages is desired as the highest gemstone quality amber.
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Amber Mythology
The Amber Palace
Lore of Lithuania centers on the beautiful goddess Jūratė (Polish: Jurata) who lives at the bottom of the Baltic sea in her shining amber palace. She's the daughter of the mighty storm god Perkunas. Jurate rules the sea and all its creatures.
One day she sees a fishing net spread down to catch her little fish. Angry, she speeds to the surface and beholds a fisherman Kastytis, letting out his nets. Her anger melts away and she falls in love with him.
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Deities are not allowed to fall in love with mortals. Perkunas is furious. He goes to the sea bottom and smashes the amber castle of Jurate to pieces. Thus the ferocious storms of winter throw amber up to shore, and Jurate cries amber tears for her unrequited love.
The Tragedy of Phaethon
In Greek mythology, Phaethon (Phaëton) is son of Helios, the sun god, and a woman or nymph who may be Clymene, Prote, or Rhode. As he grows up he's taunted by others for illegitimacy. No one will believe Helios is his father.
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Helios promises to prove paternity by giving Phaethon anything he wants. Phaethon wants to drive the chariot of the sun through the heavens for a single day. Helios fears disaster but has to honor his word.
Phaethon cannot control the horses of the sun chariot. The chariot careens through the skies, dips and dives, and sets major parts of the world on fire. To stop him, Zeus hurls a thunderbolt. Phaethon plummets to his death at the mouth of the Edianus, later the Po River.
To assuage the grief of Phaeton's sisters, the Heliades, Zeus turns them into black poplar trees. Their tears fall as drops of amber.
Tears of Apollo
In Greek myth, Apollo sheds tears of amber when his son Asclepius dies. They mix with the waters of the river Eridanos, surrounding the paradise Hyperborea. Asclepius is the Greek god of medicine, son of Apollo and mortal princess Coronis.
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Apollo is in love with Coronis, but kills her after she cheats on him. Quickly regretting his action he takes his son Asclepius, from her womb and raises him with care. Apollo teaches him healing herbs. Later, Asclepius is taught medicine by Chiron, the wisest of Centaurs.
Eventually Zeus gets worried. Asclepius might gain the powers to make men immortal. He slays Asclepius with a thunderbolt, and the tears of the golden sun god Apollo fall into the river Eridanos and become drops of amber.
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