Note 17 — Chapter XIII · The Symbolism of Jade

Pearls and gold having been connected with the makara or dragon, it is not surprising to find that their lunar attributes were imparted to jade. Laufer quotes Chinese references to the “moonlight pearl” and the “moon-reflecting gem”,17 while De Groot deals with Chinese legends about “effulgent pearls”, about “pearls shining during the night”, “flaming or fiery pearls”, and “pearls lighting like the moon”. De Groot adds, “Similar legends have always been current in the empire (of China) about jade stone”, and he notes in this regard that “at the time of the Emperor Shen-nung (twenty-fifth century B.C.) there existed”, according to Chinese records, “jade which was obtained from agate rocks, under the name of ‘Light shining at night’. If cast into the waters in the dark it floated on the surface, without its light being extinguished.”18