Agate: Stone of Magic
Agates were first named by Théophraste an ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist in the 3rd to 4th century B.C. He had discovered the stone close to Achates a river in Sicilia. Now known as Dirillo, Italy.
Nowadays Agate can be found most abundantly in Brazil, Egypt, Germany, India, Mexico, Nepal, USA, Sicilia, Uruguay and Canada.
Protection of Agate
Myths have stated that Persian magicians had burned Agates to keep storms away. Their reverence to the stone and its protective properties made it incredibly valuable at the time. It was commonly thought that the agate was a stone of protection as they believed that it could defend against: diseases, insect bites and even thunder.
Agates & the Gods
There has been a myriad of gods associated to the gemstone, from the ancients Greek and Romans to even tales from the old British mythologies. Mithridate had a massive collection of Agate vases, as it had ties to the great gods Gaia the mother of Earth and Nyx the goddess of night.
The ancient Romans had revered this stone for its beauty & healing properties as well. Furthermore it was tied to their Gods Aurora goddess of dawn and wind. I was also associate to another god of theirs, Dea the goddess of virtue and the protector of women.
In the old British mythology there was a goddess closely linked to Agate as well. Ceridwen the wales goddess of death and fertility. She was the queen of the west, and the creator of magic and the mother to all witches.