Money For Grabs

It is a rare and intriguing quality that only a few things possess to be perceived in the same way by different people from different areas of the Earth and from different epochs. Gold has this quality, fascinating people throughout human history. The reason for this attraction was not a scientific one: gold was perceived due to its special color and sheen as supremely beautiful, whereas due to unchangeable quality and to the fact it was scarce it was perceived as economically valuable and used as currency.

Gold jewels are known as being irresistible for women because they can reveal or enhance the beauty of a person. Dreams about being princesses, living in glorious castles, wearing long dresses and tiaras, bracelets, rings and chains made of gold accompany girls throughout their childhood. They are not to be blamed because gold is beautiful and fascinating.

Just like people chase gold in real life, fictional characters do it in literature. Authors have valued this metal for its properties and functionality, but most of all as a precious ornament and a symbol with very precise connotations.

Gold is the rare metal that has always fascinated people. Even in the ancient times, in Egypt, in Greece, etc, it was the most treasured metal to possess. Owning it indicated your social status, if you were a wealthy and powerful person or not. Temples were adorned with gold, and so were the deities. Objects made of gold were used in religious rituals. Ancient Egyptians used it as currency for international trade. In Egypt, this glittering metal was considered of divine origins, as it had resemblance to the brilliance of the sun. Deities were believed to have golden skin. Egyptian pharaohs were buried with a large quantity of golden objects, so that wealth would accompany them onto the other world. Epic stories and tales from the world literature have described ancient heroes in search for hidden treasures made of gold coins and artifacts.

Eternal beauty, youth and endless life have been the target of alchemists from the earliest times. Traveling back in time, let’s dig up the evidence to see what people from different eras believed about the powers of this noble metal, gold.