10 Anemones: Venus and Adonis
In the language of flowers, anemones mean “forsaken” and this is likely due to its underlying legend.
In Greek mythology, the goddess Venus fell in love with Adonis, the god of desire. Adonis was an active hunter and was killed by the boar he was seeking.
Venus later found his dead body and wept over it.
Her tears of grief fell to the ground and formed anemone flowers.
Some legends say that anemone flowers were formed from Adonis’ spilled blood which forms the stark red color of the blooms. In other forms of the legend, Venus’ heartbreak was made more profound since it was unrequited.
The Greeks have also referred to the anemone flower as “the wind-shaken” because anemones open their petals in accordance with the wind’s wishes.
Because of the blood red color, Christians linked it to the fallen blood of Jesus Christ.
9 Foxglove: Juno and the Fae Folk
In the language of flowers, the meaning of this dainty flower is “insincerity.” This may be due to the hold mischievous fairies have over the foxglove flower and its purposes.
According to fairy folklore, foxglove has been a favorite dwelling place of fairies for centuries. In fact, if a foxglove flower is bent, it means a fairy is housed inside. The little white spots inside the blooms are said to be remnants of a fairy’s touch.
Another tale states that since foxglove is shaped like a bell, fairies would gift them to foxes as a warning to hens.
Besides fairy lore, Roman myth states that Juno was infertile and longed for a child of her own.
Having pity on Juno, the goddess Flora touched Juno’s breasts and womb with the foxglove flower, which magically allowed her to conceive her son, Mars, the god of war.
8 Sunflower: Clytie and Apollo
While the official flower meaning for the sunflower is “haughtiness” the underlying myth is rather heartbreaking.
According to Greek legend, Clytie was a water nymph who fell in unrequited love with Apollo, the god of the sun.
She would always stare longingly towards the sun to gain his attention and affection.
Because of her plight, the other gods took pity on her, for they knew Apollo would never give her what she wished. Therefore, they transformed Clytie into a sunflower, so she could always stare at her beloved Apollo.
That is why the sunflower still follows the sun to this day.
In addition to Greek myths, early Incan and Native American cultures worshiped the flower for its medicinal and spiritual properties.
7 Cornflower: Hercules and Chiron
The most prevalent legend surrounding the cornflower, which means “delicacy,” is the one involving the demigod Hercules and his centaur mentor Chiron.
On one mission, Hercules accidentally injured his mentor by shooting him in the foot with a poisonous arrow dipped in the venom of a hydra beast.
Hercules amended his mistake by remedying the wound with a salve made from cornflowers.
Ever since that legend spread, cornflowers have been used as an antidote for poisonous animal bites.
With that logic, Christian legends also affirm that the cornflower is associated with the virtue of Christ for conquering the serpent, Satan.
Because of that, it is often seen in artworks that feature the Garden of Eden and scenes from the life of Christ.
6 Violets: Artemis and the Virgin Mary
Violets are commonly known for their delicate blossoms. Their delicacy easily illustrates their meaning of “modesty.” This flower’s essence and formation is made evident from both Roman and Greek mythologies.
The story of the goddess Artemis is one in which she had various nymph companions, who were the target of Apollo’s conquests.
To protect her companions from Apollo who could not take no for an answer, Artemis turned her nymph friends into violets.
Therefore, the nymphs’ modesty inspired the meaning of the violet. Another tale told was that of a lovely nymph named Lo who was pursued by Zeus. To hide his affections for her, Zeus turned her into a cow and created the violets so she could eat something sweet in her cow-like form.
In Roman mythology, violets are believed to be the transformed goddesses of Aphrodite’s enemies. These goddesses are those who dared to rival her beauty.
Christian mythology also pairs the Virgin Mary with violets due to her innocence and humility. Supposedly, violets bloomed along the path to Jesus’ crucifixion.
Before the crucifixion, violets were always white, but Mary’s tears caused the white lilies to transform into a more somber blue and purple color.
5 Lily: Zeus, Ishtar, and Jesus
Lilies have been around for centuries, as have the legends surrounding their birth.
Lilies are known for being a symbol of “purity.” In Greek mythology, after Zeus fathered Hercules, he did not want his wife Hera to know he was untrue.
While she rested, he placed the infant at her breast.
She shockingly awoke and flung Hercules away from her, scattering her breast milk to form the Milky Way. Then, drops of her breast milk fell to the earth to form lilies.
Both Greeks and Romans attributed lilies to their own goddesses of Juno, Venus, and Hera. In the Near East, the lily was mostly associated with the goddess of fertility, Ishtar. Later, Christians adopted the meaning of the lily as the symbol of the Virgin Mary’s purity.
Some say when she witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross, lilies sprung up from her tears that fell to the earth.
Since these legends’ re-tellings, the lily has been used as a symbol for saints and other figures known for their exceptional virtue.
4 Wallflower: The Scottish Maiden
This tragic legend tells the story of the birth of the wallflower, the meaning of which is “fidelity in love.” The tale goes that once there was a Scottish maiden who fell to her death from a tower.
This maiden was of noble birth who was betrothed to one she did not love.
The man she truly loved was away, but every day she waited for him on the top of her tower.
In one version, she fell to her death by climbing down a rope ladder to join her beloved.
Another version stated while she was tossing him a wallflower, she lost her balance and fell to her death in that way.
This legend goes as far back as medieval times and is one of the main sources of the wallflower’s other meaning: “lost love.”
3 Forget-Me-Not: A Knight and His Maiden
Forget-me-nots are a symbol of “true love,” according to the language of flowers.
There are different versions of this legend, but the most popular one is of German/Austrian descent.
According to the tragic tale, a romantic knight and his fair lady were walking along the Danube River when the lady saw a blue flower floating downstream.
Distressed that such a lovely flower would be lost, her knight dove into the water to retrieve it for her.
Tragically, the weight of his armor pushed him under the current, and as he drowned he yelled out to her, “Vergiss Mein Nicht” which translates to “forget me not.”
English lore states Henry IV used the forget-me-not flower as his own personal symbol of triumph. After the Battle of Waterloo, legend says that these flowers bloomed where his enemies were slain, thus further proving the legitimacy of his reign.
2 Narcissus: Echo and Narcissus
More commonly known, the narcissus flower is a symbol of “egotism.” The legend states that Narcissus from Greek legend was known as being the most beautiful of all the gods.
The nymph Echo fell in love with Narcissus, but because of her curse to only echo other people’s words, Narcissus never returned her advances.
The love was unrequited and that broke Echo’s heart so profoundly that she died and wasted away into the land, with only her echoing voice remaining.
One day, Narcissus came to a body of water, to quench his thirst. However, while gazing into its depths, he saw his own reflection and fell in love with it.
Because he never wanted to disturb the beautiful image, he refused to take a drink. Eventually, his egotism was the cause of his demise. From his body, the narcissus flower was formed by the gods, which is why narcissus flowers still grow so close to water.
Another version tells of how he was turned into a narcissus flower by way of a curse from the gods for his vanity and cruelty. If he could not love a nymph as lovely as Echo, he would be doomed to only fall in love with himself. And so, he did.
1 Rose: Chloris and the Nymph
One out of many legends surrounding the rose is of the goddess of flowers in Greek mythology, Chloris. One day she was strolling through the woods and came across the deceased form of a nymph.
Out of sympathy, Chloris created a flowering form from her body. She called on Zephyrus, god of the wind to clear away the clouds so Apollo could let the sunshine on the bloom.
Aphrodite infused it with the most spectacular beauty while the three graces bestowed on the rose joy, splendor, and charm.
Because of its spectacular beauty, Aphrodite named the flower “Rose” after her son Eros, the god of love.
Another legend states that when Aphrodite was born from the sea, the white sea foam splashed onto the land and bushes of white roses formed there. The rose was also believed to have been brought about by Cupid, the messenger of the gods.
Roses sprang from the earth when the nectar he was carrying to a council of the gods fell from the heavens. Roses were also believed to have bloomed in Bethlehem with the birth of Jesus. Since then, the rose has been considered the “Queen of Flowers.”
The rose’s beauty has been beloved across many generations and among various cultures. The folklore surrounding the beauteous rose is far-reaching and enchanting, with many stories holding true to the rose’s symbol of everlasting love.
There is no doubt that people across cultures and generations have been drawn to the beauty, charm, and joy of flowers.
Now, due to science, those with scientific knowledge understand the biological processes that allow flowers to bloom so beautifully. Yet, over thousands of years, various flowers have been believed to have come about by more supernatural means. Here are 10 fascinating folk tales and legends about the origin of flowers.
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