Rosary

ROSARY - Possibly from the Chaldean word ro, meaning "thought"; and, shareh, "director"; a "thought-director". [MEXICO] Sacred instrument among ancient Mexicans according to Humbolt. [HINDUISM] Commonly used by Brahmins of Hindustan. Often referred to in Hindo sacred books. (Example "On hearing of this event Shiva fainted from grief, the, having recovered he hastened to the banks of the river of heaven, where he beheld lying the body of his beloved Sati, arrayed in white garments, holding a rosary in her hand, and glowing with splendour, bright as burnished gold." -Vaivashi Puran, Kennedy, p.332.) [Thibet] Use dates back to before remembered history. [Buddism] In China, rosary of 108 beads are a part of the ceremonial dress of the Lamas. The laity sometimes wear a small rosary of eighteen beads from the wrist, perfumed with musk. [Asiatic Greece} the rosary was commonly used (e.g. the image of The Ephesian Diana.) [Pagan Rome] Necklaces worn by the Roman ladies called "Monile," meaning a "remembrancer." See: Sacred Heart