An odd request,

[SeaCat]

Okay this is an odd request I know, but does anyone out there have any knowledge on oriental good luck charms?

An explanation is I'm sure needed. Today at my parents new place I was helping my father move some lumber when I came across a Jade Emblem laying on the ground under several pieces of rotting lumber.

The emblem is roughly an inch across and is in the shape of a disk. The outside of the disk is a stylized Dragon while the inside of the disk is a double character. (A mirror image.) The disk was hung from what looks to be a red silk cord with a large flower shaped knot just above the disk.

Has anyone seen one like this? (Sorry I haven't had a chance to take a picture of it yet.) If so what does this one mean? Is it a personal charm or is it a household charm?

T.I.A.
Cat

 

[Guest]

Something like this??

http://www.artbeatgifts.com/images/dove3.jpg

Or more like this?

http://www.chinese-zodiac-symbols.com/Xiuyu_dragonplate1.jpghttp://www.chinese-zodiac-symbols.com/Xiuyu_phoenix1.jpg

 

[TheEarl]

Cat: In some parts of China it is considered traditional for people to carry a piece of Jade, sometimes on a ribbon or cord around their neck. It is believed that a spirit lives inside the piece of jade and it protects the bearer from falls. If the bearer should stumble, the spirit will get between them and the floor to protect them. The jade will shatter and not the person.

However, if the person trips and falls and manages to hurt themselves, then the spirit of the jade was obviously asleep, or on holiday and there's nothing to be done <smiles>.

I would imagine that the piece you described is a personal charm, as I've no knowledge of jade being used to protect a house. In Wicca, jade is usually a symbol of abundance and good fortune and might be used as a household charm, but that's more Western than Eastern mythology.

Is it jadeite or nephrite? Jadeite is lighter in colour and appears more precious (the lower of Dranoel's pictures).

The Earl

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Oh Lord, Cat! That's the Lost Key to the Minions of Suggoth! He who possesses it controls the portal that admits the Demonic Hordes of Suggoth that cause lumber to rot!

Be very careful with it! The fate of the plywood and pressboard indistries is in your hands!

 

[Guest]

Oh Lord, Cat! That's the Lost Key to the Minions of Suggoth! He who possesses it controls the portal that admits the Demonic Hordes of Suggoth that cause lumber to rot!

Be very careful with it! The fate of the plywood and pressboard indistries is in your hands!

 

[SeaCat]

Oh Lord, Cat! That's the Lost Key to the Minions of Suggoth! He who possesses it controls the portal that admits the Demonic Hordes of Suggoth that cause lumber to rot!

Be very careful with it! The fate of the plywood and pressboard indistries is in your hands!

Tequila through the sinuses time.

I needed that laugh.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Cat: In some parts of China it is considered traditional for people to carry a piece of Jade, sometimes on a ribbon or cord around their neck. It is believed that a spirit lives inside the piece of jade and it protects the bearer from falls. If the bearer should stumble, the spirit will get between them and the floor to protect them. The jade will shatter and not the person.

However, if the person trips and falls and manages to hurt themselves, then the spirit of the jade was obviously asleep, or on holiday and there's nothing to be done <smiles>.

I would imagine that the piece you described is a personal charm, as I've no knowledge of jade being used to protect a house. In Wicca, jade is usually a symbol of abundance and good fortune and might be used as a household charm, but that's more Western than Eastern mythology.

Is it jadeite or nephrite? Jadeite is lighter in colour and appears more precious (the lower of Dranoel's pictures).

The Earl

It is even lighter in color, but still a pale green than the Jadeite in the bottom pictures.

So far I have not been able to get a good close up picture of it. (I'm still working on that though.)

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Something like this??

http://www.artbeatgifts.com/images/dove3.jpg

Or more like this?

http://www.chinese-zodiac-symbols.com/Xiuyu_dragonplate1.jpghttp://www.chinese-zodiac-symbols.com/Xiuyu_phoenix1.jpg

It is the same color and shape as the bottom ones. (A bit paler actually.)
On the outside left portion is a stylized Rooster. On the outside right is a stylized Dragon.

The symbol in the middle is something like this:

___ ___
I I
----- -----
I I
O O
I I
----- ------
I I
O O

Sorry about the quality but it's hard to do these things with just a keyboard.

Cat

 

[Guest]

It is the same color and shape as the bottom ones. (A bit paler actually.)
On the outside left portion is a stylized Rooster. On the outside right is a stylized Dragon.

The symbol in the middle is something like this:

___ ___
I I
----- -----
I I
O O
I I
----- ------
I I
O O

Sorry about the quality but it's hard to do these things with just a keyboard.

Cat

I suspect that is a Pheonix and not a rooster. That would make it, like the one pictured, a marriage charm. The Dragon representing the man and the Pheonix rerpsenting the woman. The inscription (close as I can tell by your example) is a wish for happiness.

 

[Liar]

It is the same color and shape as the bottom ones. (A bit paler actually.)
On the outside left portion is a stylized Rooster. On the outside right is a stylized Dragon.

The symbol in the middle is something like this:

___ ___
I I
----- -----
I I
O O
I I
----- ------
I I
O O

Sorry about the quality but it's hard to do these things with just a keyboard.

Cat

Something like this, you mean?

___ ___
I.....I
----- -----
I.....I
O.....O
I.....I
----- ------
I.....I
O.....O
​

 

[Guest]

Something like this, you mean?

___ ___
I.....I
----- -----
I.....I
O.....O
I.....I
----- ------
I.....I
O.....O
​

That was pretty much the way I interpreted it.

 

[SeaCat]

That was pretty much the way I interpreted it.

Yep, that's it. (Or as close as I can come to it without a photo.)

Cat