Pseudo-Orpheus with a clear crystal

A splinter of sunlight in rock crystal

The Lithika is a late antique Greek poem about stones, passed down under the name of Orpheus, the mythical singer. Its author is unknown. Rock crystal enters the poem as a gift. A man who has enjoyed another man's hospitality wants to offer something in return. Knowing that his host is on his way to make a sacrifice, he recommends a stone for him to carry to the sanctuary.

A stone for the hand

Take the shining, transparent crystal in your hands, the stone, an outflow of undying, fiery radiance.

– Pseudo-Orpheus, Lithika, 1881, p. 20.[1]

The opening words ask the listener to do something. Before learning what the crystal can accomplish, he is to imagine holding its weight in his hands. Two qualities meet in the same object. Its surface shines and light can also pass through it. The speaker takes this description a step further. To him, the brilliance someone holds in his hand is a portion of the everlasting light from which it came. A gift passing between two people can therefore also have a place in an encounter with a god.

How the fire appears

A few lines later the giver explains how to kindle a fire. Dry wood is laid beneath the crystal and the stone turned towards the sun. A narrow ray appears on the wood. Smoke rises, a small fire follows, and at last a flame springs up. There is pleasure in how closely the sequence can be watched. An image of heavenly radiance resolves into a series of small movements which the listener could repeat with his own hands. The poem calls the resulting fire sacred and describes it burning at the sacrifice.