The Amandinus stone is a fairly mysterious gemstone, and it is rather obscure in the modern day. It has been extensively detailed across various medieval lapidary literature. Most notably, it was said to shine as a variety of colors. Like many stones, various extraordinary powers have been tied to Amandinus.
According to these medieval traditions, it was said to offer protection from poison, make on victorious over their foes, and the bestow the ability to understand prophetic dreams and visions.
However, one thing that makes Amandinus stand apart from other stones associated with magick, such as amethyst, agate, or sapphire, is that it isn’t tied down to a single recognized mineral today. This is fairly common with some stones. Identity is lost, corrupted over the centuries, misidentified, or something else entirely.
So, there is much uncertainty about the Amandinus stone. That said, what we do know about it is Amandinus the name seems to apply to multicolored stone, or a stone that can appear in multiple colors, and it was claimed to have magickal properties by various medieval writers.
The stone is mentioned in Albert Magnus’s De Mineralibus (The Book of Minerals) from the 13th century. The work is known for recording an extensive amount of information on minerals and precious stones as a whole. Magnus’s work explains it is a gem of many colors and was said to be a remedy for poison, help its possessor overcome great foes, aid one in understanding prophecies and dreams, and help them understand riddles or enigmas.
Later, Martin Ruland’s Lexicon Alchemiae sive Dictionarium Alchemisticum has a similar description of Amandinus, stating it is a stone of many colors and “destroys and binds all venomous animals.” However, Ruland’s account seems to be derived from Magnus’s. In fact, he tells the reader to go look at Magnus’s work for further information.
Amandinus Meaning and Symbolism
The meaning of Amandinus is seems to have been closely tied to wisdom, protection, and braving the unknown.
As these medieval accounts claim the stone could help with riddles and prophecies, one could say Amandinus was a stone of hidden knowledge. Though, not to bring revelations and new information. Rather, to help one to understand what has been revealed to them.
One peculiar power that medieval writers claimed Amandinus had was counteracting poison. This is hardly the first stone to have such an association, and many other gems were said to have the ability to detect or neutralize poison.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to say exactly what Amandinus was. It may have run through many different names, corruptions, or identities before falling here.
What remains is a wonderful legend.