Jade City

Jade is the most dominant symbol of Jade City. Most of the characters wield jade; the powers it gives them define their personalities, status, and ability to lead.

Kekonese culture revolves around jade’s religious significance. In fact, the term for jade warriors—Green Bones—comes from a Deitist origin story about jade:

In the old Abukei myths […] the First Mother goddess, Nimuma, fell into the ocean and perished from exertion after creating the world. Her body became the island of Kekon, and the veins of jade that ran under these mountains were her bones. Her green bones (136).

This mysticism is reflected not only in legendary lore, but also in the religious practice of the novel’s present, particularly through the penitents. These figures wear jade, but refuse to use its magic; moreover, committing violence in their presence is taboo and incurs divine excommunication.

Jade also represents political power and status. Wearing it implies high birth—since only those trained at special schools can wield its magical powers. The quantity of jade an individual wears is a public declaration of importance. When Anden meets Ayt Mada, the Pillar of Mountain, he notes that her jade reflects her position and her clan’s nationwide reach: