Difference between revisions of "Template:POTD protected"

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'''[[Thoth]]''' is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat, and his wife was Ma'at. He was the god of the [[moon]], wisdom, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art, and judgment. His Greek equivalent is [[Hermes Trismegistus|Hermes]].
The mineral aggregate '''[[bloodstone]]''' is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz that occurs mostly as [[jasper]] (opaque) or sometimes as chalcedony (translucent). The "classic" bloodstone is opaque green jasper with red inclusions of hematite. The red inclusions may resemble spots of blood, hence its name. The name heliotrope derives from various ancient notions about the manner in which the mineral reflects light. Such notions are described, for example, by Pliny the Elder.


Thoth's chief temple was located in the city of Hermopolis. Later known as el-Ashmunein in Egyptian Arabic, the Temple of Thoth was mostly destroyed before the beginning of the [[Christianity|Christian]] era, but its very large pronaos was still standing in 1826.
Bloodstone was called "stone of Babylon" by Albertus Magnus and he referred to several magical properties, which were attributed to it from Late Antiquity. Pliny the Elder (1st century) mentioned first that the [[magician]]s used it as a stone of invisibility. Damigeron (4th century) wrote about its ability to make rain, solar eclipse and its special virtue in [[divination]] and preserving health and youth.


Thoth played many vital and prominent roles in [[Egyptian religion]], such as maintaining the universe, and being one of the two deities (the other being Ma'at) who stood on either side of [[Ra]]'s solar barque. In the later history of ancient Egypt, Thoth became heavily associated with the arbitration of godly disputes, the art of [[ritual magic]], the system of writing, and the judgment of the dead.


<p><small>Photographer: [[Travis McHenry]]</small></p>
<p><small>Photographer: [[Travis McHenry]]</small></p>
[[:Category:Images|'''(More Images)''']]
[[:Category:Images|'''(More Images)''']]
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Revision as of 01:44, 21 February 2023

Bloodstones1.jpg

The mineral aggregate bloodstone is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz that occurs mostly as jasper (opaque) or sometimes as chalcedony (translucent). The "classic" bloodstone is opaque green jasper with red inclusions of hematite. The red inclusions may resemble spots of blood, hence its name. The name heliotrope derives from various ancient notions about the manner in which the mineral reflects light. Such notions are described, for example, by Pliny the Elder.

Bloodstone was called "stone of Babylon" by Albertus Magnus and he referred to several magical properties, which were attributed to it from Late Antiquity. Pliny the Elder (1st century) mentioned first that the magicians used it as a stone of invisibility. Damigeron (4th century) wrote about its ability to make rain, solar eclipse and its special virtue in divination and preserving health and youth.


Photographer: Travis McHenry

(More Images)