Silver

by Elikozoe

Very early in history, silver was associated with the Moon. For instance, Diana/Artemis (the Roman/Greek moon goddess) was often depicted carrying a silver bow, as goddess of the Hunt, and her effigies were usually cast in that precious metal.

But silver was not only used to make rich decorations and precious objects like mirrors. The properties of its compounds were studied in alchemy, where its symbol was a moon’s crescent. Silver was seen as complementary to gold, like the moon complements the sun: while the sun produces all the spectrum of the colours, the moon only reveals a palette of grey tones by virtue of the light’s reflection.
Before the digital era, the chemical properties of silver were heavily used in photography. As the moon reflects the sun’s light, silver salts reveal imprinted images inside the darkness of the photographer’s dark room — silver salts being tainted by broad daylight. Shadows and illusions of images…

Nowadays, the rise of digital imagery did not make silver obsolete though, as it is considered the metal with the highest electrical and thermal conductivity and is also used in some sensitive electrical components.

One can thus find an underlying idea of shine and purity which is again associated with the Moon, with its pristine reflective surface, watching over the world of darkness, making it a symbol of imagination and illusions.

Interestingly, that idea of purity is also reflected in the health domain. During Antiquity, Phœnicians used silver bottles to store water, wine or vinegar so as to prevent spoiling. As a matter of fact, before the antibiotics, silver compounds were long used as disinfectant, since silver was known to kill germs while not having the same level of toxicity to humans as other similar heavy metals.
However, in some cases, silver compounds can be absorbed by the tissues and result in a condition called “argyria,” causing a blue-grey pigmentation. Where imaginary smurfs meet “reality”… once in a blue moon?