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Crystal Legends: Stories of crystals and gemstones in myth and legend
Crystals and gemstones have been a source of fascination since Neolithic times; they endure when the bones of those they have adorned have turned to dust. Such was the profundity of crystal lore that ancient peoples incorporated crystals and gemstones as dynamic and potent symbols in their legends and myths.In Crystal Legends Moyra Caldecott approaches crystals from a new angle, retelling the stories drawn from world mythology that show the significance of crystals and precious stones as symbolic icons in a variety of traditions. She gives in-depth commentaries on their esoteric meaning and their significance for us today.From Buddhist and biblical texts, European and Egyptian tales, Arthurian and Atlantean legends, this fascinating collection will appeal to anyone with an interest in the power of crystals and the eternal journey of the soul towards enlightenment.
204 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
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13 people want to read
About the author
Moyra Caldecott
61 books29 followersStarted academic career by obtaining degrees in English Literature and Philosophy.
* Briefly lectured in English Literature at university level.
* Raised three children and had a most interesting and stimulating life as the wife of Oliver Caldecott in London from 1951 to 1989. (Oliver was an editor at Penguin, Readers Union, and Hutchinson and founded his own publishing firm Wildwood House with his partner Dieter Pevsner. His last editorial post was at Rider, for Century Hutchinson. He was also a very good artist.)
* Took evening classes in palaeontology (geology always a favourite subject), religious studies and mythology.
* Was secretary of the Dulwich Group in the ’sixties, a most successful poetry reading group. Read a lot. Wrote books. Met many interesting people and had many interesting discussions. Travelled a lot.
* Her life has also been enriched by the interests of her children: Religion – Conservation – Art.
* She has had various experiences she considers to be ‘paranormal’, including a dramatic healing from angina. She gives talks to various personal growth and consciousness raising groups, and groups interested in the ancient sacred sites of Britain.
* Her most successful book so far, Guardians Of The Tall Stones, is set in ancient Bronze Age Britain, and is required reading for some groups visiting the sacred sites of Britain from America. It has been in print continuously since 1977.
* Myths and legends are a particular passion and she follows Jung and Joseph Campbell in believing that they are not ‘just’ stories but actually deep and meaningful expressions of the universal and eternal in the human psyche.
* Briefly lectured in English Literature at university level.
* Raised three children and had a most interesting and stimulating life as the wife of Oliver Caldecott in London from 1951 to 1989. (Oliver was an editor at Penguin, Readers Union, and Hutchinson and founded his own publishing firm Wildwood House with his partner Dieter Pevsner. His last editorial post was at Rider, for Century Hutchinson. He was also a very good artist.)
* Took evening classes in palaeontology (geology always a favourite subject), religious studies and mythology.
* Was secretary of the Dulwich Group in the ’sixties, a most successful poetry reading group. Read a lot. Wrote books. Met many interesting people and had many interesting discussions. Travelled a lot.
* Her life has also been enriched by the interests of her children: Religion – Conservation – Art.
* She has had various experiences she considers to be ‘paranormal’, including a dramatic healing from angina. She gives talks to various personal growth and consciousness raising groups, and groups interested in the ancient sacred sites of Britain.
* Her most successful book so far, Guardians Of The Tall Stones, is set in ancient Bronze Age Britain, and is required reading for some groups visiting the sacred sites of Britain from America. It has been in print continuously since 1977.
* Myths and legends are a particular passion and she follows Jung and Joseph Campbell in believing that they are not ‘just’ stories but actually deep and meaningful expressions of the universal and eternal in the human psyche.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2025
The second book by this author that I bought dealing with crystals and tales from way back in history. Loved both of them. I do have a couple of crystals myself and found this book to be both educational to me and interesting.
March 9, 2014
The book started out promising, but it devolved into esoteric blah towards the end. Here are the main problems:
1. The author does not make a distinction between folktale, myth, original story or esoteric news article.
2. Many of the stories have barely anything to do with crystals, and even when they do, many of them mention them in passing. There were a precious few of the stories where the crystal played an important part in the plot.
3. I started skipping the "comments" sections about halfway through. I was mainly reading the book as a storyteller, for the stories, not much for the pseudo-psychological analysis.
The book has its moments in the beginning. Caldecott's introduction to the tale of Anansi and the story box showed me a new way of looking at a well-known folktale. She also has a talent for storytelling, and many of the tales in the book are very tellable. It kind of devolves into fantasy in the "Atlantis" chapters, though. I hoped she would keep folklore, mythology, pseudo-science and psychology separate...
1. The author does not make a distinction between folktale, myth, original story or esoteric news article.
2. Many of the stories have barely anything to do with crystals, and even when they do, many of them mention them in passing. There were a precious few of the stories where the crystal played an important part in the plot.
3. I started skipping the "comments" sections about halfway through. I was mainly reading the book as a storyteller, for the stories, not much for the pseudo-psychological analysis.
The book has its moments in the beginning. Caldecott's introduction to the tale of Anansi and the story box showed me a new way of looking at a well-known folktale. She also has a talent for storytelling, and many of the tales in the book are very tellable. It kind of devolves into fantasy in the "Atlantis" chapters, though. I hoped she would keep folklore, mythology, pseudo-science and psychology separate...
July 11, 2011
Crystals and mythology are probably my two favorite things. When I received this book from a co-worker, I was so excited to read it. It was the biggest disappointment. I think I only made it through several short stories before I gave up. I reviewed this book on amazon and actually took the post down because I felt bad for bashing it so harshly.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews