Thanks to its importance in various real-world belief systems, jade is often assigned a mystical, spiritual, or otherwise supernatural function in fiction.
In China, objects crafted from jade were traditionally the status symbol, higher than gold and diamond. As a material, it has been attributed with many supernatural properties, including the ability to absorb negative energies. Jade ornaments were believed to grow alongside the wearer, enriching both over time. Similarly, smoking through jade pipes was believed to grant longevity, and nobility are known to have been buried in jade suits
to take advantage of its protective properties. Jade also carries a heavy influence in Chinese Mythology, specifically the Jade Emperor who rules over the Heavenly bureaucracy.
Jade also had a significant role in the cultures of Central America, particularly the Maya, who associated it with death, the sun, and nobility, so expect it to tun up in most Mayincatec settings. In Māori culture, jade and other green stones are called pounamu and considered generational treasures.
Mystical Jade can draw on any of these mythologies and beliefs for its abilities, but can just as often have original functions, associations, and abilities. They might emit Emerald Power.
Sub-Trope of Mineral MacGuffin and Power Crystal. Related to Gold-Colored Superiority and Silver Has Mystic Powers.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Comic Books
- White Tiger: The jade amulets used by all three White Tigers are made of Jade, and grant greatly enhanced physical prowess, sharpened senses, and the ability to blend into the wearer's surroundings.
Fan Works
- Son of the Western Sea: Every pantheon has access to their own specific type of magical material. The Celestial Bureaucracy, of course, uses Heavenly Jade instead of a metal.
Films — Animation
- Kung Fu Panda:
- Kung Fu Panda: The sacred palace where kung fu masters reside is called the Jade Palace.
- Kung Fu Panda 3: Kai stole the chi of many kung-fu masters, both living and dead, and turned them into his enslaved thrall made of jade, nicknamed "Jombies". He also wields two blades of jade at the end of a very long chain.
- Over the Moon: Chang'e's desired "gift" turns out to be the other half of the jade necklace she shared with her long-dead true love Houyi. Once Fei Fei gives it to her, the jade necklace combined with the potion (created by the Moon Rabbit named Jade, for bonus points) is able to bring Houyi back to her for a few minutes. In this scene Chang'e is also decked head to toe in jade jewelry and a jade gown.
- In Turning Red, the talismans of Ming, Grandma Wu, Auntie Ping, and Helen are made out of jade. The end of the movie shows that this is a tradition rather than a hard requirement, however, as when he is forced to make a bunch of talismans at once, the shaman improvises with, among other things, a Tamagotchi.
- Wish Dragon: As this is an Urban Fantasy adventure set in modern Shanghai, the titular Wish Dragon Long is locked in a jade teapot until Din summons him, and the teapot becomes a MacGuffin for the villains who seek the dragon's power. At the end, Long is put into a gold and white teapot for his second contract.
Films — Live-Action
- The Forbidden Kingdom: it is established that jade is the only thing that can kill Taoist Immortals, Golden Sparrow having fashioned a dart out of jade with the express purpose of killing the Jade Warlord.
- The Phantom features a Doomsday Device consisting of three mystic skulls: Gold, Silver, and Jade.
Literature
- The Eye of Argon: The cultists worship a huge jade statue of their god, Argon, with a "scarlet emerald" as the titular eye. It's unclear if the statue itself has mystical powers, or just the eye, though.
- Jade City: Jade is found only on the island of Kekon and grants supernatural powers to Kekonese who hold it. Supernatural Martial Arts academies train jade users in the six disciplines of Strength, Steel, Perception, Lightness, Deflection, and Channelling. Access to jade, as well as a Fantastic Drug that can let non-Kekonese use its powers, are central to the setting and plot.
- Whateley Universe: Destiny's Wave is a Chinese Sentient Weapon made of a material that at least looks similar to milky jade.
Live-Action TV
- Fresh Off the Boat: : Believed in-universe. Louis has had a lucky jade pendant his whole life, and when he takes it off for even a moment, he feels like he's being affected until he puts it back on. Given there's no Magical Realism in this sitcom, the pain and voices were likely all in his mind.
Myths & Religion
- Chinese Mythology:
- Because it was extracted from mountains and riverbeds, jade was associated with both Heaven and Earth and so was used to link together both elements and symbolize nature. As such, jade items can be found in ancient graves, and some were even buried in jade clothes.
- The King of All Cosmos in Taoism is the Jade Emperor.
- Because it was extracted from mountains and riverbeds, jade was associated with both Heaven and Earth and so was used to link together both elements and symbolize nature. As such, jade items can be found in ancient graves, and some were even buried in jade clothes
- In Mesoamerica, and especially in Mayan Mythology, jade had a great importance. For the Mayan people, due to this stone being as green as the rivers and the vegetation, jade was associated with life and the Maize God and bits of it were put in the mouths of kings. Jade also was associated with the Sun and winds.
Tabletop Games
- Dungeons & Dragons:
- Legend of the Five Rings: Jade is the most effective weapon against creatures tainted by the Shadowlands. In fact, in its Dungeons & Dragons conversion Oriental Adventures, effects based on Character Alignment were translated so that Good became jade and Evil became taint (e.g. holy smite becoming an earth-based spell called jade smite).
- Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition: The Jade Phoenix Mage is a Prestige Class from the Tome of Battle — Book of Nine Sword. They must be non-evil, and all members are said to be the reincarnations of 13 mythical Kung Fu Wizards. Some of their abilities are linked to the color green, especially the capstone emerald immolation power.
- Exalted: Jade is one of magical materials associated with the different Exalt types, being the one associated with the Dragon-Blooded. Five different colors exist, each attuned to a different element — Green (Wood), Blue (Air), White (Earth), Black (Water), and Red (Fire). It's a lot stronger than real jade, and the main material with which the Dragon-Blooded make their weapons and armor. There is also Yellow Jade, which shouldn't exist but forms by accident.
- Old World of Darkness:
- Jade, specifically that found in China, can be used to store Yin- and Yang-aligned chi. Black Jade is aligned with Yin, and can only store that; Red Jade, aligned with the element of Fire, stores Yang; Green Jade, aligned with the element of Wood, and White Jade, aligned with Air, can store either kind, but not as much of either as the specialized variants; Grey or Yellow Jade can store large quantities of either type. Jade can also cause grievous wounds to the Hsien, the little gods of China.
- The area of the Underworld connected to China is referred to as Dark Kingdom of Jade.
- Kindred of the East: Among the Shintai, the disciplines through which the Kuei-Jin learn to focus chi, the one aligned with the Earth element is referred to as the Jade Shintai.
- Pathfinder: The munavris, a species of pale humans who live in the deepest reaches of the Darklands, live on a scattered archipelago of jade islands floating on the waters of the Sightless Sea. The origin of these islands isn't known — the munavris simply found them when looking for somewhere to live — and they seem to possess magical powers. The aboleths, fishlike monsters and some of the munavris' most bitter enemies, are unwilling or unable to come close to them, and it's believed that the islands' influence played a part in the development of the munavris' Psychic Powers. The jade is tough enough for the munavris to make armor out of it, and each island is made up of a unique color of jade, which their inhabitants use as badge of their island of origin.
- Princess: The Hopeful: Jade is anathema to the Darkness. Touching jade will burn creatures of Darkness, jade weapons will bypass most defenses provided by dark magic, and having jade on your person provides some slight protection against Dark powers or becoming Tainted.
- Warhammer: Magic is divided into seven colored winds, each with a specific theme and area of concern. The green wind of Ghyran, associated with plant life, growth and healing, is typically referred to as the Jade Wind and its wielders as Jade Wizards.
Video Games
- Sakuna Of Rice And Ruin: Besides the broom that can be found in the storehouse, weapons forged from jade are the only ones that can deal Magic-type damage by default, and are unlocked around the time Sakuna discovers the magic-focused water region.
- Shenmue revolves around two legendary jade mirrors called the Phoenix Mirror and the Dragon Mirror. Despite being a mundane world, they seem to have some vaguely defined mystical powers and the Big Bad will stop at nothing to get them both. The murder of protagonist Ryu Hazuki's father to get the Dragon Mirror is what sets off the plot.
Western Animation
- Jackie Chan Adventures exploits the trope for an episode-long Who's on First? routine involving the race for a powerful artifact made of jade and the character named Jade.
- Loonatics Unleashed: The Loonatics fight a Mad Scientist geologist named Thaddeus Dare, who has earth-bending powers. His powers increase enormously when he gets his mitts on the Jade Serpent, a crystal with the power of an atomic reactor. Dare raises mountains on the surface and sinks Acmetropolis until it's an underground City in a Bottle. The Jade Serpent even gives Dare the power to transmute living creatures into stone statues.
- Superman: The Animated Series: In the Batman/Superman "World's Finest" crossover special, the Joker steals a valuable Laughing Dragon statue allegedly made of jade from an antique store, said to carry a curse that kills its owners. Subverted in the fact that the "jade" is actually kryptonite and it was the low level radiation it emits that was killing its owners.
- The Simpsons: Parodied in "Homer Goes to College". Mr Burns visits the Simpson home to discuss the main plot of the episode, then as he leaves he addresses the following to Homer (unrelated to the rest of the episode and never referenced again):
Mr. Burns: Oh, and one more thing: you must find the jade monkey before the next full moon.
Mr. Smithers: Actually sir, we found the jade monkey. It was in your glove compartment.
Mr. Burns: And the road maps, and ice scraper?
Mr. Smithers: They were in there too, sir.
Mr. Burns: Excellent! It's all falling into place...
