Greek Mythology: A Necklace that gave youth and bad luck

The Evil Necklace of Harmonia From Greek Mythology

Aphrodite and Ares

The Necklace of Harmonia in Greek mythology is a uniquenecklace. Made of solid gold it had twoserpents in a clasp and was studded with diamonds. Thisnecklace had the unique property of keeping a woman young and beautiful for ever, but there was a rider. Any woman wearing thisnecklace was beset by evil luck that brought extreme suffering for her.

 The origin of the necklace is shrouded in jealousy and love. We are all aware that Aphrodite the Goddess of love was a woman of extreme beauty and loveliness. She was the wife of Hephaestus who was blacksmith to the Gods. Hephaestus loved his wife immensely, but he was also jealous of her amorous tendencies.
It so happened that Aphrodite fell in love with Ares the God of War. The union became known to Hephaestus who was consumed with jealousy and he resolved to punish any child which was borne of the union of Aphrodite and Ares. He accordingly crafted a necklace with evil powers.

The union of Aphrodite and Ares bore fruit and the result was a daughter named Harmonia. The girl was as beautiful as her mother and she was married to Cadmus a prince from Thebes. Hephaestus consumed by jealousy visited Harmonia on her wedding and presented her with the necklace crafted by him. Harmonia took it unsuspectingly, not aware of its evil power. From thence thisnecklace is known as the Necklace of Harmonia.
Harmonia became younger and beautiful, but the necklace had its effect and she and her husband became serpents. The necklacepassed from many hands and always it brought misfortune. Ultimately it came down on to the  Queen Jokosta and she became younger and more beautiful. This made her fall in love with her own son Oedipus. They married, but when they discovered that they weremother and son Jokasta killed herself and Oedipus blinded himself. The necklace was having its evil effect.

The necklace was later stolen from the temple at Thebes by the warrior Phayllus who presented  it to his love. The lady wore it only to see her son become mad and burn her palace in which she perished. That is the end of the Necklace of Harmonia and nothing has been heard from anybody after that