From books containing the secrets of the universe so swords that can bring the dead back to
life, here are 10 amazing treasures from Mythology…..
10.
Draupnir
Draupnir is a legendary gold ring that comes from Norse mythology.
Imbued with magical powers, it was forged by the dwarfs Eitri and Brokk who were known
for making powerful objects.
Brokk stood before the gods in Asgard and presented the ring to Odin as proof of their
abilities!!
In mythology Dwarves are famous from making magical objects like rings and giving them
as gifts to gods and goddesses.
Draupnir was nicknamed “the dripper” and had the magical ability to multiply itself,
providing never-ending wealth to its owner.
Legend has it that every ninth night, eight new rings dropped from Draupnir, each of which
were as heavy and bright as the first.
It was, therefore, the most precious and valuable ring to have ever been made.
In the story of ‘Balder’s Funeral’, Odin placed his ring on his son Balder’s
funeral pyre.
But his brother Hermod, went to the underworld to try to get Balder back but he never returned.
However, Hermod made the 9 day journey on his father’s 8-legged horse sleipnir and
was able to bring back the ring Draupnir.
9.
The Book of Thoth
First mentioned in the Turis papyrus, a document that was published in Paris in the late 18th
century, the Book of Thoth was a sacred tome of Egyptian texts, supposedly written by the
god of writing and knowledge.
It is said to contain a number of spells, such as giving you the power to speak to animals,
or to witness the gods themselves.
According to legend, anyone who reads the book would gain the power to decipher the
secrets of the earth, the sea, the air, and all celestial bodies.
The book itself was said to have been originally hidden at the bottom of the Nile near Coptos,
and locked inside a series of boxes that were guarded by invincible serpents.
The Egyptian prince, Neferkaptah, went to recover it and, after battling past the serpents,
managed to retrieve it.
However, as punishment for stealing from Thoth, the gods killed his wife and son, which led
to him committing suicide and being entombed along with the book.
The texts contain the knowledge of the gods, but is this information that mere mortals
should possess?
Maybe this is a treasure that is best left lost to history!
8.
The Cup of Jamshid
Persepolis was one of the most important cities of the Persian empire, and for more than 200
years served as its capital- mainly thanks to its ruler, Jamshid, who according to legend,
presided over the city for hundreds of years.
The city’s name means ‘the throne of Jamshid’, and his wisdom made the city powerful and
rich, and the kingdom was the envy of all who encountered it.
So how was he able to live and let alone rule for 200 years??
This was said to be because of his cup.
Similar to the supposed powers of the Holy Grail, the cup of Jamshid granted immortality
to those who drank from it.
The similarities between the cup of Jamshid and the Holy Grail are impossible to ignore,
and interestingly the one from Persian legend was written about more than a century before
the one from European culture.
Some people believe the cup of Jamshid was therefore, the inspiration for the Holy Grail
in European texts, but there are some very distinct differences.
Jamshid’s cup was very much an example of his power and affluence, as opposed to that
of God’s, while the story of the Holy Grail contains deep religious significance since
it was part of the last supper.
Is it one and the same?
You be the judge!!
7.
The Kusanagi
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is a legendary Japanese sword whose name translates to mean the ‘grass
cutting sword' or ‘herb quelling sword'.
It's one of the three imperial regalias of Japan, along with a mirror and jewel, and
is believed to represent the virtue of valor.
The sword is believed to be housed in the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, but no-one knows
for certain.
It’s used during the coronation ceremony of the Japanese Emperor, the last of which
happened in 1989, but even the Emperor hasn’t actually seen the sword.
It’s covered with wrappings because it is believed to be cursed.
But it’s perhaps the origin story of the sword that’s most interesting.
A wealthy family in the province of Izumo was being terrorized by a horrific eight-headed
serpent called Yamata-no-Orochi.
Over the years it had eaten seven of the family’s eight daughters and, terrified that he would
lose his final daughter, the father requested the help of the Shinto god of the sea and
storms, Susanoo.
Susanoo agreed to help in exchange for the daughter's hand in marriage and set off to
kill the serpent.
At first, he was unsuccessful, and so had to come up with a cunning plan.
He laid eight bowls of sake out for the snake, and once each head was drunk and drowsy, he
cut off their heads, along with the tail.
As he removed the tail, an incredible sword was revealed, the sword that would become
known as the Kusanagi.
And that’s how it’s done!!
6.
Thor’s Hammer
When you think of Thor’s hammer, you’d be forgiven for immediately conjuring up images
of the weapon that Thor wields in the Marvel movies, but the hammer from Norse legend is
arguably much more impressive.
Known as Mjöllnir, the hammer was created by the same dwarves who forged Odin’s magical
ring, Draupnir.
Thor’s brother, Loki, had made a bet and said that the dwarves couldn’t make things
as magical or as beautiful as these other brothers.
Loki wanted them to make three magical objects in an attempt to gain forgiveness from his
brother for a trick that he had played.
The hammer, the finest weapon in the universe, had one flaw- its short handle- something
that happened because Loki, taking on the form of a fly, bit the eyelid of the dwarf
who was making it at the time.
This guy was always causing problems!!
Nevertheless, the hammer became a thing of legend.
Thor guarded Asgard, the home of gods and goddesses in Norse mythology, and they were
always under threat from the giants, the forces of chaos trying to destroy them.
The hammer became Thor’s primary weapon and the sound of thunder was thought to be
the sound of Thor smashing the hammer down on his foes, but the weapon took on other
roles too.
It was used in formal ceremonies such as ones to bless marriages, births, and deaths…
and even used for resurrections.
One Norse legend tells the tale of when Thor ate his pet goats, then brought their bones
back to life with the power of Mjöllnir.
Now, that’s something you’ll never see him do in the Avengers!
5.
The Cintamani Stone
The Cintamani Stone is a legendary gem from Buddhist and Hindu mythology that fulfills
the wishes of whoever holds it.
According to legend, the gem fell from the stars and landed in Tibet, where the Buddhists
worshipped it as a spiritual jewel.
As time passed, its true power became apparent, though, and it was moved to the hidden city
of Shambhala where it would be safe from falling into the wrong hands.
The word Cintamani translates to mean the ‘thought-gem’, or the ‘wishing stone’,
and it was said to be a green gem that was a trapezohedron in shape, which means each
side was a trapezium!
The greater powers of the stone were believed to have come from a dimension beyond our perception,
and it would grant the holder access to this higher sense of being- and grant knowledge
of time and space, as well as granting immortality.
Einstein and Stephen Hawking would have probably killed to get their hands on this!
So similar are these traits to the Philosopher’s stone and the holy grail, that there are some
that believe that these three objects are, in fact, the same thing.
These stories are, of course, legends, but there could be an element of truth to them.
The descriptions of a green gem falling from the stars could have been moldavite, a type
of natural glass that is formed from a meteor strike.
At the time, a meteor would have been seen as a mystical event, and a green gem found
in the crater would surely have taken on a magical role.
4.
The Apple of Eris
The Golden Apple of Eris was, perhaps, the most controversial artifact in mythology,
and one that would set some of the most renowned events into action.
Eris was the Greek Goddess of strife, contention, and rivalry and, tellingly, her Roman name
was ‘Discordia’.
She was usually portrayed haunting battlefields and delighting in human bloodshed, and she
was renowned for her disagreeable nature.
It was because of this that she was the only goddess to not be invited to the wedding of
Peleus and Thetis.
This didn’t stop her from trying to attend the celebration, though, and when she was
turned away she was so angry that she threw a golden apple amongst the other goddesses,
upon which was inscribed the words ‘To the fairest’.
Three goddesses tried to claim it for themselves- Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena.
This led to a great rivalry between the three, that resulted in the beginnings of the Trojan
war.
This apple caused so much suffering and war, that it’s by far the most deadly treasure
from mythology, and one to be extremely wary of should it ever turn out to be real!
Anything with beauty and an apple can’t be good!!
3.
The Club of Dagda
This next treasure comes from Irish mythology, where Dagda was one of the most important
of a race of Gods known as the Tuatha De Danann.
He was the god of knowledge, abundance, of life and of death… and he could even control
the weather to affect the harvest.
He had a cauldron of plenty and two pigs that he used to help feed people, but his most
famed possession was his club.
It was an eight-pronged war club that was so heavy that it would take eight strong mortals
to lift it from the ground.
With this club, Dagda could use one end to kill nine people with one blow, or the other
end to bring them back to life.
2.
The Peaches of Immortality
Said to have grown in the garden of a Chinese goddess, the peaches of immortality, quite
predictably, grant those fortunate enough to eat them with never-ending life.
They are mentioned in Taoist mythology and are so special that they would only ripen
after a very long time, at which point they were served at a banquet for the immortals.
The goddess Xiwangmu, the wife of the supreme Taoist god the Jade Emperor, lived in the
Kunlun mountains where, at her home called the ‘Jade Pool’, she had many thousands
of these peach trees in an orchard.
They would only ripen every 3000 years, though, but when the gods ate them at the banquet
they would be imbued with immortality and eternal youth.
Despite being only for the gods, Taoist legend suggests that two humans have been blessed
with the peaches too.
The first was King Mu of Zhou, who had traveled to the Kunlun mountains and met Xiwangmu,
and the second was the Emperor Wu of Han.
The association of peaches with immortality has meant that the fruit has become linked
with longevity in Chinese culture, and they are routinely depicted in artworks, as decorations,
and on birthday cards and cakes.
1.
The Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece is one of the most famous treasures from mythology, having been the
prize that Jason and his Argonauts sought in order for him to take his rightful place
on the throne of Iolcus.
The lesser known story, though, is the origin of the fleece.
Athamus, the king of Orchomenus, had married the goddess Nephele, and they had two children-
a boy, Phrixus, and a girl, Helle.
Athamus eventually went on to marry a new wife, which led to Nephele leaving the city
and causing a drought across the land.
The new wife of Athamus was jealous of her stepchildren and decided to have them killed.
To save them, Nephele returned with a winged ram with a golden fleece, who would fly them
to safety.
The ram itself was the love child of Poseidon when he had turned himself and his consort
into golden rams so they could frolic in the fields together without interruption.
Phrixus and Helle escaped on the back of the ram over the sea, but Helle was unable to
hold on and she fell to her death.
Phrixus, though, made it safely to land in modern day Georgia.
Once safe, Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Poseidon, and it became the constellation Aries.
He took its fleece and hung it on an oak tree, where it was defended by fire-breathing bulls,
and a magical dragon- the ones that Jason had to vanquish whilst on his quest.
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