Gold- some golden facts
Gold may be one of the elements found in nature. But its value has always been timeless. A wealth of a nation is always judged by the possession of gold in its treasury. For individuals also, investment in gold has always been considered safe. It is a practice among the parents in most parts of the world to provide gold ornaments to the girls not only for beauty and health but also for their security in future.
Gold is rare on the earth. According to new scientific studies , all of the gold on Earth may have come from ancient cosmic crashes between ser dense dead stars.
Astrophysicists have long believed that the Big Bang of creation some billion years ago made only hydrogen and then helium, with traces of lithium and beryllium , the lightest and simplest elements.
The heavier elements were created in violent reactions at the center of stars, almost the entire periodic table is the outcome of nuclear fusion in stars and supernovas, when stars explode.
Gold was the metal of ultimate purity in Alchemy. Alchemy was a great Art once. The ancient Greeks, Chinese and Indians usually referred to alchemy- the main goal of which is transmutation of baser metals into gold, a highly valuable metal. An Egyptian who lived in the Nile delta in ancient times wrote Physica et mystica ( Natural and mystical things), which contains obscure recipes to make gold and silver. Most end with a terse tribute to transmutation :
" one nature rejoices in another nature, one nature triumphs over another nature, one natire masters another nature."
The alchemical theory came to focus on a " tincture " that could bring about transformations instantly, and this came to be known as the philosopher ' s stone. Transmutation also implied physiological changes, from sickness to health, alchemists believed that they could use the stone to make an elixir that was able to turn dead tissue into a living flesh.
Alchemy was very popular in Europe in sixteenth century when Roman Emperors sponsored leading alchemists. Later on, alchemy posed a threat to the control of the precious metal, and the Art was outlawed. More over, many alchemists turned out to be tricksters and frauds.
Eminent scientists like Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle also took interest in this subject. Now according to modern Science converting lead into gold requires nothing less than the conversion of one chemical element into another. That ,in turn must involve changes to its atoms,where atom is the smallest unit that bears the chemical characteristics of an element, whether gold or hydrogen.
Gold is highly prized as a precious metal because of its solar color ( yellow), one resistant to corrosion even after being buried for hundreds of years.
The symbolism of light, Sun and fire- all the three forms of divinity combine in the metal. In Indian tradition, the Sun is often seen as the Supreme being as it is embodiment of life force. So gold is always associated with king and deity.
In sacred art,the use of gilding by artists in Europe was intended to symbolize divine radiance as well as to catch the light in the churches. Gold is also a sacred hue in Buddhism. In Egypt,the metal itself was identified as the flesh of the Sun god Ra.
Kalidasa, the great Indian poet while writing his immortal epic Raghuvamsha ( dynasty of Raghu , Rama 's ancestor) dedicates his book to the readers who alone can discriminate between good and bad, to listen to that history for the purity or impurity of gold is tested in fire only. The meaning is that the purity of gold is tested in fire from where it comes out blemishless and with super glow. Likewise, the work of a writer emerges pure from the hands of critiques. It is the readers who take the good points of the work and make it popular.
The greed for gold has been the theme of many stories through out the world.
One interesting term one comes across is El Dorado. ' The Gilded one' , originally the king of the legendary city of Manoa ( Omagua ) on the Amazon, who was said to be annually covered with oil and dusted with gold before plunging into the river to offer gold to the gods. His subjects were said to throw gold and jewels into the water after him. The native groups of Central and South America told such tales to the new settlers, perhaps hoping that their own settlements would be left in place safe while their greedy conquerors traveled on in search of this fabulous place. Many expeditions were dispatched to find the city,which itself became known as El Dorado , led by Philip Von Hutten and Sir Walter Raleigh among others, all doomed to disappointment. The name has come to represent any unrealistic ' promised land ' where riches can quickly be amassed.
Universally prized for its monetary worth, gold is also valued by the superstitious for certain intrinsic powers connected with it. Records survive from a thousand years ago to the effect that gold is particularly efficacious in treating eye problems, and even today some people claim that rubbing a sore eye with a golden wedding ring will cause a sty to disappear. Apparently the time- honoured tradition that sea farers pierce their ears to wear gold ear rings is connected with the belief that sailors who wear gold ear rings will never go down with their ship. It was also an accepted practice for children to have their ears pierced so that they could wear twists of gold wire in them as a protection against problems related to eyes. When other treatments against illness prove ineffective one option remaining is to pour a little water over a gold ( or silver ) coin and then to give that water to the patient to drink. The ailment is sure to disappear.
Such are the golden facts about the gold.
