Orb of Aldur
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The Orb of Aldur is a blue-hued rock in the fictional series The Belgariad and also The Malloreon, by David Eddings. It was crafted from a riverstone by the god Aldur. Aldur constantly turned the riverstone in his hands and after considerable time it was moulded into the Orb. Whether Aldur fashioned the Orb himself or whether it came into being and he merely noticed it is never made entirely clear.
The Orb is characterised as having a naiive and slightly mischievous personality and seems to enjoy irritating its warden throughout the plot, Belgarion.
In Belgarath the Sorcerer it is revealed that the stories about those not "pure of heart" touching the stone being destroyed are a myth, created because the orb bonds itself to whoever it touches.
The Angarak name for the Orb of Aldur is the "Cthrag Yaska", which translates to "The Burning Stone", after its effects on the Angarak god Torak when he split the world using its power.
The Orb is a powerful half of the stone at the centre of the Universe and the Orb's exact antithesis is known as "The Sardion", or in Angarak, "Cthrag Sardius". The Sardion causes the Orb to glow a dark red colour when they are in close proximity. The Orb also has an ability to follow the trail of Zandramas (in the Malloreon) if she travels over land. The Orb is able to follow Zandramas' path perhaps because it is following Belgarion's heir Geran whom she had kidnapped. The fallibility is that the Orb cannot trail Zandramas over water, perhaps due to the nature of the matter of water.
It should also be noted, as a point of interest, that "Yaska Acharya" was the name of a noted sanskrit scholar and grammarian in ancient India. Given the emphasis on the "Will" and the "Word" as the basis of the magical system in Eddings' books, it's a nice tidbit.
"Sardius" comes from a Hebrew word relating to the hue of the stone Cthrag Sardius in the book. It's red colour, but also it's milky and clouded appearance all stem from the meaning of this word.
