Flowers and Greek mythology

Flowers are beautiful gifts of nature. Since ancient years we have used flowers as gifts to send messages of love and more emotions. Each flower is followed by a story, a symbolism . So let's look at some of them and what are the myths that follow them.

The Greek Mythology includes many myths with references to flowers. Some of them are internationally famous and have been transmitted orally or in writing over the centuries. 

Find below some of the most popular flowers and learn the myths and symbolism that follow them.

Anemone

Symbolizes expectation, the ephemeral, the passing, simplicity, but also loneliness.

Its name is Greek and it got it from the wind. It is also called a wind flower, because the wind is the one that helps its buds to bloom, but also the one that scatters their petals in every blow.

In mythology it is connected with the ancient love myth of Adonis and Aphrodite. According to it, Adonis went hunting in the forest. There the god Mars who envied Adonis, because Aphrodite left him for the eyes of the handsome young man, transformed into a wild boar, attacked Adonis and killed him. Uncomforted, Aphrodite took the lifeless body of her lover in her arms and, as it is said, sprinkled nectar on the wound. And from the mixture they made the nectar with the blood sprang a beautiful flower

Sunflowers

Sunflowers symbolize warmth, happiness and longevity.

According to an ancient Greek myth Clytie, a nymph, adored Apollo. At first, he loved her back, but soon he fell in love with Leucothoe. Because of her jealousy, Clytie told Leucothoe’s father of the relationship and he punished her by burying her alive. In anger, Apollo turned her into a flower, but even in flower form she still loved him and would spend her days watching him as he moved the sun across the sky in his chariot, just like sunflowers move to face the sun.

Narcissus

The Narcissus flower is a symbol of selfishness, vanity and arrogance.

There are two versions of the origin of the name. According to the first Narcissus was an extremely handsome young man. His mother had told him that he would stay that way all his life if he did not pay attention to his beauty. Narcissus decided to see his reflection in the waters of a spring. He was so fascinated by its beauty that he stood there admiring himself until he withered and died on the banks of the spring. The flower of the same name grew there.

According to another version, he thought that his reflection was the nymph who lived there. He jumped into the water to catch her and drowned. The narcissus flower sprouted at that point.

Peony

Symbol of good luck, symbol of wealth and honour, favours women and love. It declares romance and keeps love alive, lust and love. It often adorns the bride's bouquet and is considered an omen of good luck for a happy wedding.

According to mythology, the peony got its name from Paeon who seems to have been a deity of healing after healing Hades and Mars from wounds. The myth related to the flower says that Paeon was a student of Asclepius, the god of health and medicine. Once, Leto, mother of Apollo and goddess of fertility, taught him how to acquire a magical root that grew on Olympus which alleviated the pain of women during childbirth. Asclepius was jealous and tried to kill his student. Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by transforming him into the flower of the peony. However, peony seeds were used for pregnant women in antiquity.

Crocus

Crocus is the symbol of youthfulness and joy. 

Crocus was a friend of the god Hermes. One day while the two friends were playing, Hermes accidentally hit Crocus on the head and killed him. A flower sprouted at the scene. Three drops of the blood of the unfortunate young man that fell in the center of the flower gave the spots of the plant that has since been named crocus. 

According to another version, Crocus was a young man, who due to an unfortunate love for a beautiful shepherdess, Smilax was transformed into the plant of the same name. At the same time Smilax became the homonymous climbing plant.  

Rose

In Greek mythology the rose was created by the goddess of flowers and vegetation Chrolis. One day she found the lifeless body of a nymph in the forest and transformed it into a flower. She then called Aphrodite the goddess of love and Dionysus the god of wine. Aphrodite gave the flower beauty and Dionysus added nectar to give it a sweet fragrance. Zephyrus the god of the wind blew away the clouds and so Apollo the god of the Sun was able to shine and make the flower bloom. Thus the rose was created and crowned "King of flowers".

Poppy

Symbol of eternal sleep and imagination. Red is a symbol of hope and pleasure, yellow is a symbol of wealth and success. Symbol of consolation, fertility and eternal life! 

According to Greek mythology, when the god of the Underworld stole Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, she, wanting to forget her pain, drank a strong drink made from a kind of poppy, the "opium". When the goddess woke up, she went down to the meadows and made the plains fertile and the crops rich, returning to the people the goods of the earth. 

According to another legend, it is considered a symbol of Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep and dreams.

On the other hand, for the ancient Greeks, poppies were important for athletes because they were believed to bring strength and vitality. Thus, Greek athletes were given a mixture of wine, honey and poppy seeds for consumption. The ancient Greek women, in fact, used poppies as a herb of love because they considered it a sign of fertility.

Amaryllis

According to an ancient legend, Amaryllis was a shy, timid but at the same time determined nymph who had fallen madly in love with a shepherd, Altaion. The man he adored had the beauty of Apollo and the power of Hercules, but showed no interest in Amaryllis' feelings. His wish was to be given a rare flower and to be the first in the world to touch it. So Amaryllis consulted the oracle of Delphi and they urged her to pierce her heart with a golden bow and find herself at the door of Altaion. So she wore a white dress for 30 whole days and did what she was advised. She found herself on the steps of Altaion and when he opened the door, he saw a rare and beautiful crimson flower, which had been created from the heart of Amaryllis. 

So you are a woman who has pure feelings but when you set a goal, you will persevere until you achieve it. Love transforms you into a female, ready to claim, challenge and conquer the man she wants, even if you have to work hard for it! In numerology the lexicon of your name is 8, so you are a woman who wants to have financial comfort in your life, you set goals and plan your every action in order to achieve what you want. You have a brilliant career and you try hard to grow in all areas of your life!

Iris

The Iris flower took its name from the ancient goddess Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. Iris was also a messenger of the gods, mainly Zeus and Hera. She carried messages from the "eye of heaven" to earth with the curve of the rainbow. The word iris means "eye of heaven". It was the name given to the goddess, the flower and the pupil of our eyes. This means that each of us carries with us a piece of heaven.

Take a look at the list above and discover some of the most interesting Greek myths about the origin of our favorite flowers.

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