Story of Hyacynth (cover name for Cyclamen)...
By katarina
18 comments
Because I have missed some fresh flowers around me this dark month, I bought a white hyacinth.
Nothing special, but I really consider green and white colours to be the most delicate and stylish combination both in garden and bouquet.
As you all know, many flowers, plants and trees are connected with a human history, different cultures and myths. Some myths are really ridiculous. I was surprised, when I had found that this flower is an old Greek mythological reference to homosexual love. Why?
I didn´t find anything suspicious, anything that would resemble to different love or beauty, anything that should be discussed …or
..denounced….Simply, didn´t find any connection and gave it up.
So what is that Greek myth?
Hyacinth was a beautiful boy and lover of the god Apollo. His problem was, that he was also loved by the wind Zephyr. Apollo and Hyacinth once played throwing the discus. Hyacinth ran to catch it to impress Apollo. But Zephyrus blew Apollo’s discus off course, so Hyacinth was stuck by the discus and died. When Hyacinthus died, Apollo didn’t allow Hades to claim the boy; he made a flower, the hyacinth, from his spilled blood. According to Ovid’s account, the tears of Apollo stained the newly formed flower’s petals with the sign of his grief.
I suppose, that the flower named after Hyacinth would have been red. What do you think about it?
:))
So everybody imagines something different under the name Hyacinthus. Here is the lovely painting of Jean Broc, how he thought Hyacinth and his death looked like. I doubt, it was so romantic.
But – here is the story and here is the flower :))
25 Nov, 2012
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Comments
Great story, but the wrong plant I agree its a Cyclamen.
25 Nov, 2012
any way there are a lots of myth connectin flowes and ppl.
25 Nov, 2012
its a lovely plant!
25 Nov, 2012
pretty:-)))))))))
25 Nov, 2012
We got two for the price of one here - the lovely myth about Hyacinth and Apollo and a picture of a beautiful cyclamen!
There is actually a nice myth about the cyclamen too.They grow wild in Palestine. The story goes that after the crucifixion of Jesus the flowers all bend over with their ears down to the ground (as they still do when nearly past their best) to listen for the Second Coming.
25 Nov, 2012
wow!
and we call them cyclamen because thire stems make circls(cyclus=greek word for circl)
25 Nov, 2012
Yes definately a Cyclamen , we have red Hyacinths , so yes they could be stained by blood !
25 Nov, 2012
I apologize to all, SORRY, it is of course cyclamen. Must be absent minded when I googled hyacinth instead of cyclamen, LOL. Thank you to all and please, forgive me big fault on this webpage..:(
Well, I also expected Bik to react and he DID!
Bik, are red hyacints natural for Greece?
25 Nov, 2012
...and as I said, everybody imagines something different under the name Hyacinthus. Literally. LOL.
Anyway, we will overcome, right? By the way, Steragram, that´s a very nice story of yours!!! In Catholic mythology cyclamen is associated with the Virgin Mary, too.
25 Nov, 2012
Is it? I wonder why?
25 Nov, 2012
It is a fine example of your (dare I say it, cyclamen!) It is such a pure white and I think you should now buy a white hyacinth to keep it company.
Lovely
:-)
25 Nov, 2012
I had never heard that story before steragram, fascinating and rather lovely
I think that's a lovely idea wildrose!
Katarina I agree, white and green is simply beautiful!
25 Nov, 2012
Steragram@Virgin Mary had many flower symbols - rose was the most popular, but also grapes, periwinkle, white lily, daisy, lady-slipper, impatients, thistle...
Here I found very nice article for those who are interested in history:
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/flowers.html
and finally, here is where I found note on cyclamen and Virgin Mary:
http://www.paghat.com/c-hed-silverheart.html
26 Nov, 2012
Hi Katarina .
The leaf patterns on your cyclamen are very pretty.
Good idea to have plants to cheer up the darker months. :o)
26 Nov, 2012
that must be cyclamen persicum album!
I thaught native hyacynth is blue not red.
moste greek people call them zoumpouli!!!!(turkish word for hyacynthus)!!!!!!xaxaxa
26 Nov, 2012
I have this information, too. So I wonder, if there was a sort of old and naturally pink hyacinth, otherwise why did the Greek myth chose hyacinth.
26 Nov, 2012
Idont know dear :)
26 Nov, 2012
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you mean cyclamen?
25 Nov, 2012