Throughout history, storytelling was commonplace within most cultures. Likewise, gold has been held in high esteem dating back more than 5,000 years. That’s why it’s not surprising many of the world’s best stories include our favorite yellow metal.
Gold Mythology and Fables
Broadly speaking, mythology is defined as a traditional story that can “arise as either truthful depictions, or over-elaborated accounts of historical events, as allegory for or personification of natural phenomena, or as explanation of ritual.”
Fables are slightly different. They are often described as “a short story conveying a moral.”
History abounds with mythology and fables surrounding gold, and here are our all-time favorites:
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Symbols of the Sun – Several civilizations throughout history have considered gold a symbol of the sun. The Egyptian sun god Ra was depicted as a yellow blaze of gold, while the Incas of South America believed gold to be the “sweat of the sun.”
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Important Provision and Symbol of Afterlife – Ancient Egyptians had several mythologies and symbolisms for gold and the deceased. For example, they buried living gods, or pharaohs, with valuables made of gold. Tutankhamun was a boy-king of Egypt, buried in a golden shrine sometime around 1352 BC. His father was believed to be the sun god Ra. If we go back even further to 2500 BC, golden cups and vessels were included in the tomb of Princess Pu-abi. The treasures were placed there to help her travel — in grand style — to the next world.
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Greek & Roman Mythology – Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations abound with symbolism and mythology about gold. Among the most famous is Jason and the Argonauts, who sailed to find the Golden Fleece. Historians believe this story may be derived from an actual gold expedition in the Black Sea. Another Greco-Roman story involves King Midas and the Golden Touch, which he received from the god Dionysus. Everything Midas touched turned to gold.
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Fables from Medieval Europe – As we move into the Middle Ages, gold played a central role in many fairy tales from Europe. Many of these stories are still told today. Examples include Rumpelstiltskin, in which the miller’s daughter has to find a way to spin straw into gold. And who can forget Irish leprechaun folklore? As the legend goes, the leprechaun stores his gold coins in a hidden pot at the end of a rainbow.
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Alchemy symbols – The practice (or attempt) to turn base metals like lead into gold is one definition of alchemy. King Edward III imprisoned an alchemist, Lully of Italy, in order to force him to transform enough base metal to fund the crusades. Alchemical symbols were used until the eighteenth century to represent different elements and compounds, including the four basics: earth, water, fire and air. One of the ultimate aims of alchemy was to find a way to produce gold.
If we searched long and hard, we could think of countless age-old stories about gold. These fables — along with real stories like the Atocha of the Florida Keys — demonstrate the timeless value of gold bars and coins.
What Do You Think?
Did we miss any? What are your favorite mythologies and fables about gold?
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