The African Dragon Stones: Geomyths About Snakes and the Origin of Diamonds in South Africa

Abstract Geomyths of snakes guarding treasures or bearing head gems are widespread in Eurasia and the northern half of Africa, but are rare in sub-saharan Africa. This contribution reports the earliest written evidence of the existence of versions of this geomyth in at least two cultures: the IsiXhosa and San indigenous inhabitants of South Africa. The myths are about the origin of diamonds, and how snakes were believed to be the creator of diamonds and carried the precious gem on their head. These would have accounted for the diamond rush in southern Africa in the late 1800s. It is possible that these geomyths in southern Africa resulted from the mixing between local folklore and the Dragon stone myths imported from Eurasia. The possibility that the South African versions of the myth may be related to vertebrate fossils (with braincase infilled with crystals) is also discussed.