Flowers in Greek Mythology

In Greek myth, flowers were sometimes used as convenient tools in the hands of gods and mortals. When Prometheus brought fire from the gods of mankind, he hid it in the stem of a giant dill that grows up to 15 feet tall and blooms with yellow flowers. The rose of fasting, also known as the deer, healed the daughters of King Proitos, whom the god Dionysus had driven mad as a punishment for their disrespect. Zeus, who intends to seduce Europe, a Phoenician princess, transforms into a bull, exhales a crocus flower to lure her close, and then kidnaps her.

Legend has it that the orchid was actually a boy who fell in love with one of the girls accompanying the god Dionysius. The young man wanted the girl so badly that he did not get married and tried to kiss her. But the girl broke free and ran away, and the god Dionysius, realizing this, summoned the beasts and sent them to destroy the boy. But then he felt sorry for him and turned him into a beautiful flower - an orchid flower. Since then, the orchid flower  bouquet is seen as a sign of desire.

Another legend tells how one of Atlas' daughters was persecuted by Apollo, who fell in love with her. The girl could not stand it and asked Zeus for help. To save her, he turned her into a carnation.

A third legend implicates Aphrodite with the appearance of the carnation. The goddess was bathing in a mountain lake when she noticed that mortal men were watching her, hidden behind a bush. She immediately ran to Zeus and asked him to punish them. The Thunderer decided to turn them into carnations, whose flowers seemed to have eyes and lips painted on them.

Many times a man has been told that he is as narcissistic as Narcissus. So the ancient Greek legend of the beautiful spring flower tells how one day, while hunting, the handsome Narcissus stopped to rest near a lake and drink water. However, the crystal waters attracted him and he began to look with interest at his face on their surface. The young man truly fell in love with the reflection he saw in the water. Day and night he did not leave the lake and begged for his own face. In the end, unhappy, he wished for death. This was the only deliverance from the torments of impossible love. However, the gods took pity on him and turned him into a flower.

Cleopatra used it as a cosmetic, Sappho called it "the ruler of flowers". The largest rose valley in ancient times was in Persia. According to Greek mythology, the roses originated from the foam that covered Aphrodite when she emerged from the sea waves. The Greeks considered it a powerful aphrodisiac, while the ancient Germans considered it a symbol of death.

But it seems that the most beautiful of all is the Roman legend. The goddess of love Diana was terribly jealous of Amur. She was most jealous of his lover, the nymph Rosalia. And one day, she lured her rival into the woods. The thorny bushes wounded Rosalia's body and she died from her wounds. And from the tears of Cupid on the branches of the bushes bloomed roses - that way he wanted to say that one’s love shouldn't hurt you but to bloom into something beautiful. A bouquet of roses is indeed a sign of true love!