The Mystery of the Buried Jewels
The Litany of the Jewels Page 19
It is the nature (or perhaps we should say PRE- TERNATURE) of Fairies to love beautiful things: star- shine and flowers, of course, and trees; rushing streams, dew-bright morning spider webs, and mu- sic. But of all the desires of the Fair People, there is one thing for which Man shares the same passion: Jewels. To the Fairies, gold is pretty enough stuff. It re- minds them of sunlight dancing on water and of the turning leaves in autumn. (Catch a Leprechaun, they say, and demand of him his golden treasure: you’ll sleep a hundred years and wake with dead leaves in your pocket-he keeps his word.) Likewise, they cherish silver, for it puts them in mind of moonlight and icicles. But precious stones they value for themselves; per- haps because, like them, gems are earthbom, rare, and beautiful. When it comes to jewelry (and the Fairies are great craftsmen of jewelry)-to rings and pendants, bracelets and necklaces, to broaches and
Preternature – …exceeding what is natural or regular (Merriam Webster).
This is word is 12 letters long and found in the chapter on the Litany of the Jewels. So many other things of importance in this book have 12; 12 pictures, 12 verses, 12 stones, etc. And why capitalize all 12 letters if it does not mean something other than just a basic descriptive of fairies?
Does anyone else think this is a clue or key to help with the puzzles?
I think so and it refers to something mixing with nature