Sadly, Achilles did not have his coveted yarrow at hand, which he used to treat his wounded soldiers, when he was mortally wounded during the Trojan Wars, some heard him say, ‘oh, If only I had some yarrow, I would surely survive ‘. Cybele by Luca Giordano (Naples 1632 – Naples 1705). According to the poet, Anacreon, white roses appeared from the sea foam which fell from Aphrodite’s (Venus) body as she arose from the sea. The aster is a star-shaped, daisy-like wildflower. (Homeric Hymns), Greek : Libanos (Source: Ovid). (Médailles et Antiques de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France). IOLE: Greek myth name of a woman loved … The god Dionysos discovered or created the first grapevine and instructed mankind the arts of viticulture and winemaking. (Source: Apollodorus, Pliny the Elder). (Source: Apollodorus, Hyginus, et al) The stem of the young ash was in the crafting spear-shafts. (Source: Nonnus), Greek : Hyakinthos The Greek myth, of how the Sunflower or Heliotrope, came to be, tells the story of the sea nymph, Clytie, a tale of unrequited love. Myth 3 : Herb of Glaukos. In order to elude Hera, Zeus turned Io into a white heifer (some versions of the myth have it that Hera herself transformed Io). The root, bark, seed and flowers were all believed to have medicinal uses and were used to treat stomach pains, bladder issues, jaundice and even nightmares. (Source: Apollonius Rhodius, Valerius Flaccus, et al) Dianthus comes from the Greek words dios, meaning god and anthos, meaning flower. Paeon was the physician to the gods who quite unintentionally, drove his teacher, Asclepius, into a rage, after he succeeded in healing Pluto with a milky liquid which he had extracted from the root of a peony. Echo tried her best to gain the attention of Narcissus, to no avail, at her wits end, seeing him alone in the woods one day, Echo drew up her courage and threw her arms around him. A Persian princess who was loved by the sun-god Helios. Species : Hedera helix Mythology : Death of Adonis. One day, as the lovers were throwing discus, a discus thrown by Hermes hit Crocus on his head, killing him outright. 40 Adorable Characteristics which Make Greeks Special, 20 Amazing Ancient Greek Inventions Still in Use Today - The Greeks Did it First. Myth 3 : Nymphai Oreiades. One of the Mainas nurses of Dionysos. The aromatic leaves of the bay are edible and are / were used in cooking. The Greek named the flower amarantos, the unfading, helikhryson, turning gold, and khrysokomê, the golden-haired. In Greek mythology, this is the name of a youth loved by Apollo who accidentally killed him, after which the hyacinth flower … Sacred to : Apollon (the god and victors of his Phthian Games were crowned with wreaths of laurel ; he was titled Daphnaios) ; Artemis (she had sacred laurel groves and was titled Daphnaia) It flowers in pink-white blossoms in the spring and produces an autumn crop of edible nuts in a tough shell. Chrysanthe – Chrysanthe is pronounced kri-SAN-thee and means ‘golden flower.’ The root words, Chrysos (golden) and Anthe (flower) are also what makes up the name of the pretty flower Chrysanthemum which was used in a popular and very lovely children’s book by the same name. This ghostly grey plant was believed to dominate the fields of the land of the dead. Myth 1 : Wedding of Hera. Once when the nymph Nana was sitting beneath its branches a nut fell into her lap and impregnated her. It has large oval leaves. Statue of Theophrastus, Palermo Botanical Garden. The Oneiroi, spirits of dreams, roosted on the branches an elm tree near the entrance of Haides. "Lily." And many of our flower names today stem directly from particular legends. Myth 4 : Nymphai Epimelides. With those caveats, the names of Greek vases are fairly well settled, even if such names are a matter of convention rather than historical fact. The god Apollon was born and raised in the sacred Ortygian cypress grove in Lykia. English Origin. The lily was dedicated to the goddess Hera, the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth, and the wife of Zeus, god of the sky, lightning and the thunder in Ancient Greece, ruler of all the gods on Mount Olympus. Adonis was a handsome youth loved by the goddess Aphrodite. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, Eris the goddess of strife, cast a golden apple addressed to the fairest amongst the goddesses. The fact that Crocus, a mere mortal, became disenchanted with his love for Similax, enraged the gods, who turned him into a flower, Smilax, who did not escape the wrath of the gods, was given a similar fate and was transformed into bindweed. During the third day of the festival the ‘Day of Blood’, the high priest would cut his arms and offer the blood as a sacrifice, while his acolytes would castrate themselves underneath the violet-covered tree. Myth 8 : Witchcraft of Kirke. Violets were also placed on graves of young children, as the flower lent hope of resurrection of young souls. Species : Aconitum napellus Description : An evergreen pencil-shaped tree with needle like leaves and small cones. The goddess Persephone and her companion Nymphs were gathering rose, crocus, violet, dwarf iris (agallis), lily and larkspur blooms in a springtime meadow when she was abducted by the god Haides. Unknown 18th century French engraving. (Source: Apollodorus) The fruit is edible but has an acidic tang. Mythology : Death of Adonis. Now Leucothoe was out of the way, Clytie fully expected Helios to return to her, but what she had done to poor Leucothoe, only hardened his heart against her. Chloris, was abducted by Zephyrus, the god of the west, who turned her into a goddess, once they were married, together, they had son, Karpos, it’s thought her home was the Elysian Fields. As her tears fell to Earth, the beautiful aster flower burst forth. After the armour of Akhilleus was awarded to Odysseus he went mad and threw himself upon his own sword. The youth Melanion (meaning he of the apples) prayed to Aphrodite for help, and the goddess presented him with three golden apples. Species : Lilium candidum Flower names for baby girls and boys too were first popular around the turn of the last century and have started to bloom again as modern baby names. Aphrodite (Venus) got into an argument with her son Eros (Cupid), over who was more beautiful, herself, or a nearby group of girls, Eros, without thinking, replied, ‘the girls’, which sent Aphrodite into such a rage that she beat the girls until they turned blue and purple, and became violets. Species : Crocus sativus They ancients mostly used them as swine-feed. Hyacinth – a small genus of bulbous, fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, (This Greek myth is the same as the crocus myth, only the characters differ.). Myth 2 : Barrow of Eetion. The tree is prized for its wood. Hermes-and-Io-as-cow.-Side-A-from-a-Greek-black-figure-amphora-540–530-BC.-Found-in-Italy. Myth 2 : Poison of Medea. Evelyn De Morgan – Chloris (Flora), Ancient Greek Goddess of blossoms and flowers (1880). Others suggest the name carnation comes from the word corone (flower garlands) or coronation as carnations were used prolifically in Greek ceremonial crowns. Description : An important grain-crop in the ancient word, second only to wheat. Description : Firs are mountain growing pyrmaidal-shaped conifers. Gaia had heard from an oracle that her sons were destined to be destroyed and so searched the world for a magical herb which would grant them immortality. When he pursued her, she fled and transformed into a laurel tree to escape him. Origin: Greek. Greek : Pharmakon (singular), pharmaka (plural) Myth 2 : Korymbos. Description : A summer-blooming herb whose flowers turn to face the sun. Myth 1 : Thyrsos of Dionysos. Narcissus, though, had no time for girls; he was too taken up with himself and scorned the advances of all, including the poor nymph, Echo (who could talk the hind legs off a donkey), who was head over heels in love with him. 25 of the Most Famous Ancient Greek Statues and Sculptures - Where Are They Now? IOLANTHE: Greek name, apparently coined by Gilbert and Sullivan for their play of the same name first produced in London on November 25, 1882. Wreaths of wild celery or parsley were worn by mourners at funerals and hung in tombs. Sacred to : Haides (asphodel planted around tombs), Persephone & Hekate (statues of these goddesses were adorned with asphodel on the island of Rhodes) The white Iris represents purity and innocence, making it a perfect flower for baptisms and weddings. Zeus did at least think a little about Io’s well-being, and created the sweet-scented flowers, violets, for her to eat. (Source: Pausanias) Description : A perennial spring-flowering bulb with delicate blood-red flowers. These retain their colour after being dried. Myth 1 : Metamorphosis Hyakinthos. Greek : Kôneion Mythology : Hamadryas Kraneia. Mythology : Cure of the Proitides. The daughters of King Proitos of Argos were driven mad by the god Dionysos as punishment for scorning his worship. The Greek myth about the narcissus flower involves the gods' punishment of human shortcomings. Zeus, a known philanderer, loved Io deeply but was wary of the legendary wrath of his wife, Hera, and on no account wished for her to discover his affair. Yarrow, ‘the plant of a thousand leaves’, in Greek mythology, is the plant which Thetis, sea nymph, and goddess of water, is said to have added to the bath water, when bathing her son, the ancient Greek hero, Achilles, in order for its protective powers, to cover his skin and make him invincible, a sort of bullet-proof jacket, so to speak. Mythology : Birth of Attis. Showing off to his lover, Hyacinth ran to catch the discus, Zephyrus saw his chance and blew the discus off course causing it to strike Hyacinth on the head, felling him instantly. The child conceived was Attis, who grew up to became the consort of the Kybele. The identification of the plant species are from the Henry George Liddell Greek-English lexicon. This myth is probably the one which gave the peony a bad name as the bringer of bad luck. Another myth tells us that violets first appeared on the spot where Orpheus laid his enchanted Lyre. Iris Carrying the Water of the River Styx to Olympus for the Gods to Swear By, Guy Head, c. 1793. (Source: Hesiod), Greek : Sykea Species : Delphinium ajacis It is the largest genus in the family, containing between 525 and 600 species. In the image right - click on thumbnail - , the letters AI are typed beside the letter shapes on the central petal. (Source: Strabo), Greek : Ptelea Time passed, Odysseus became increasingly worried about his men and dispatched another group of men, to see what was going on with the first group, time, again, passed and Odysseus thought to himself ‘if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself!’ and set out to find his men. Mythology : Metamorphosis Askalabos. One afternoon, the opportunity arose when Apollo and Hyacinth were throwing a discus around. The sweet iris was named by the Greeks after the goddess of the rainbow. The Birth of the Milky Way – Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Species : Hordeum vulgare Herakles was sent to fetch Kerberos forth from the underworld as one of his twelve labours. The ball-shaped lettuce of today is a derivitive species (Lactuca sativa). Crocus and Smilax – printed by Sebastian Mabre-Cramoisy, 1676. The tree was decorated at the centre of her orgiastic rituals, its phallic cone representing the castrated members of her lover. As Apollo wept over Hyacinth, his tears, which dropped on the ground, turned into the beautifully scented flowers, the hyacinths. Odysseus, once they had dropped anchor, at this mysterious island, sent some of his men to look for supplies, and to check out the locals. Have you ever Sacred to : Aphrodite (probably planted in the "Adonis-gardens") The Titan Prometheus stole fire from heaven for man, hiding the flame inside a fennel stalk. Species : Vitex agnus castus The larkspur flower sprang from his blood, its petals inscribed with the "ai" of his name. Some of these flower names are totally classic and timeless (like Rose or Lily) ... since the name has a Greek origin that means "rainbow," according to Behind the Name. Description : A climbing spiny vine with pale green flowers and red berries. (Source: Hesiod, Apollodorus, Callimachus, et al) Delphinium or Larkspur – a genus of about 300 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. 1875. Description : One of the main garden-crops of ancient Greece. Jean Broc, The Death of Hyacinthos (1801). (Source: Homeric Hymns) The ancient Athenians considered the violet a symbol of the city of Athens. Description : The Greeks did not distinguish between parsley and celery. with weddings), Aphrodite (assoc. Sacred to : Dionysos (garlands of bindweed worn in the orgies of the god) Lily – Lilium ) a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. (Source: Ovid) Myth 3 : Bouquet of Persephone. ANFISA f Russian Russian form of the Greek name Ἀνθοῦσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". Hera then sent a horse-fly to sting Io, driving her to wander the world without respite, during her wanderings Io came across Prometheus, who advised Io how she would be restored to human form and become the ancestress of the greatest hero of all times, Heracles. Sunflower or Heliotrope – Helianthus is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species. (Source: Ovid) ... * See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information. Myth 2 : Herb of the Gigantes. The hero Damasen killed the beast, but afterwards, as Moria was watching, its mate appeared and restored it to life with a magical herb. The Greek myth about the narcissus flower is a cautionary tale about the imperfections of humans. Sacred to : Zeus (victors of his Nemean Games were crowned with wild celery), Poseidon (victors of his Isthmian Games were later also crowned with celery, replacing the pine wreath) (Source: Pausanias), Greek : Anemônê Description : An herbaceous perennial plant with purplish-blue flowers which grows up to a metre in height. the use of superstitious charms and spells by the average man), witchcraft (the harmful use of magic) and the concoction of poisons. The Acropolis of Athens by Leo von Klenze (1846). The plant is toxic but was used by the ancients as a treatment for madness and certain other illnesses. They were referred by Zeus to the shepherd prince Paris, who awarded the apple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. It included not only the physician's art, but also magic (i.e. When he left her for another, she wasted away and was transformed into a sun-gazing heliotrope. Species : Asphodelus ramosus It secretes a sweet sap known as manna in July and August which was harvested by the ancients. Anemone – a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. (Source: Pausanias), Greek : Smilax Asphodel Source fr. Myth 1 : Spittle of Kerberos. During the spring festival of Cybele and Attis, a pine tree was felled, brought to the temple, and covered with violets. The ancient Greeks loved this delicately perfumed flower indeed, I’ll just list the best of what I unearthed! Species : Helichrysum siculum and Helichrysum orientale The Meliai were the Nymphs of the manna ash-tree who were born from the blood of the castrated Ouranos which splattered upon the earth. Was also an ancient Greek ὄρχις-orchis, meaning `` unfading '' anger the goddess of blossoms and bright red which! And follow the Beazley naming convention in his honour with a small spring-flowering deciduous tree name that translates to. 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