Flowers in mythology: 7 plant species and the ancient Greece myths that surround them
Nature has always fascinated people and numerous myths and legends about Nature are reflected in many cultures. Flowers in particular, have captured the attention of people everywhere, with all sorts of stories being woven around them.
Ancient Greece is one of the places where numerous myths were born linked to flowers. These stories explain the origins and special characteristics (real and mythical) that various flowers supposedly have. And many of these myths have been handed down and persist to modern times.
Below, we describe the mythology behind 7 plant species that are commonly found in gardens and apartments.
1. Narcissus
One of the best-known myths related to flowers is that of Narcissus, the mythical hunter son of Cephisus and the nymph Liriope, known for his handsomeness. Many fell in love with the young man, who brutally rejected every suitor. The nymph Echo also fell in love with Narcissus and was rejected with such brutality that the nymph was reduced by grief to turning into just a voice (an echo). To avenge the wrong done to Echo, the goddess Nemesis decided to punish the Narcissus: she lured him to a pond, making him fall madly in love with his own reflection. Narcissus was then overcome by regret and, taking up a sword, killed himself. From his blood, a flower was born - the flower that took its name from this tragic Greek figure.
2. Carnation
Frequently found as cut flowers in homes, the carnation in ancient Greece was a sacred flower linked to the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Its scientific name, Dianthus, in fact, means "The flower of the gods" and legend has it that a shepherd fell in love with the goddess Artemis. Eventually, Artemis rejected the shepard, in favor of her vows of chastity. The young shepard then fell into a state of profound grief and the tears he cried as he died of a broken heart, fell to the ground and were transformed into wonderful white flowers: carnations.
3. Anemone
A beautiful flower with blood-red petals, the anemone is also described in Greek mythology. Anemones sprang from the blood of the mythical hunter, Adonis, killed by a wild boar which god Ares ordered him to hunt (Ares was jealous of Adonis' relationship with goddess, Aphrodite).
4. Hyacinth
Hyacinth was the name of a handsome young Spartan prince and hero, who several gods fell in love, including the god Apollo and the wind gods, Zephyrus and Boreas. The young man chose Apollo as his lover and the other gods, plotted revenge. One day, Hyacinth and Apollo were playing with throwing discs and Zephyrus took this opportunity to get his revenge: he blew the disc off course and it hit Hyacinth in the head, killing him. Apollo was devastated by this loss and decided Hades would take Hyacinth's soul: as a result, Apollo decided to transform Hyacinth into the magnificent flower that we know by his name today.
5. Sunflower
This myth tells the story of the nymph, Clizia, who was in love with the god Apollo and spent all day following the course of his chariot across the sky. The god soon got tired the young nymph, who cried in despair for 9 days. Whilst crying, Cliza kept her feet on the bround, while continuing to follow the course of the sun, and her beloved god, in the sky with her head. Over the course of the 9 days, Clizia's body transformed into sunflower. To this day, Clizia still follows her beloved Apollo across the sky, tracking him with her beautiful inflorescence.
6. White lily
The Greek myth linked to this flower centers around one of Zeus' many infidelities: from his illegitimate union with the mortal, Alcmena, Heracles was born, a demi-god who would need to drink a god's milk to become immortal. Zeus decided his wife, Hera, should breastfeed Heracles (and put his wife to sleep to do this). Hera, however, awoke and tossed aside baby Heracles with such force that milk squirted from her breast, forming the Milky Way. The drops of milk that fell to the ground, gave rise to white lilies.
7. Cornflowers
The Cornflower has numerous origin stories and the Greek myth is linked to the centaur, Chiron. Son of Cronus, the centaur was known for his talents in medicine, archery, prophecy, music and wisdom. As a result, Chiron became a teacher to many Greek heroes, including Hector, Achilles and Asclepius. Heracles shot Chiron in a hoof with a poisoned arrow, but the centaur healed his wound using using a cornflower poultice. As a result, this flower derives its botanical name, Centaurea cyanus, from Chiron.
What other myths do you know of that are related to flowers?