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FLOWERS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY |
Valentine.gr |
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Agave-Mexican
Agave, Century
The
Greek word "agave" means admirable or highborn (in
origin). This plant came to Greece from
Mexico. However, its name is Greek and it was probably used because
the Greek Agave was one of the "lesser" gods of the Moon, that
means that she was one of the faces of the ancient Mother Earth of
the Mediterranean; the ground in Jalisco, Mexico, reminds a lot of
the ground in Mediterranean countries. Agave was the daughter of
Kadmus, King of Thebes, and
sister of Semele who was Dionysus’ mother.
When Semeli was thunder-striken by Zeus, Agave spread the
rumor that Zeus killed her sister because she spoke badly of him.
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 Later
on, Dionysus avenged his mother’s death and
punished Agave very severely. When Dionysus returned to
Thebes, where Pentheus, son of Agave, was the king, he ordered all the women of the town to go to
Mount Kithairon and perform rituals in his honour.
Pentheus, who did not approve the introduction of such
worship, tried to spy on the women. His mother noticed his
shadow, but thinking it was a wild animal, she dismembered and devoured
him.
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 Althaea-Marsh Mallow
The
following legend has no connection to this plant, other than its
name. Althea was the
wife of Oineus, King of Kalydona, the mother of Deianeira and
Meleager. When her son turned seven days old, the goddesses of Destiny
(the three Moirae) visited her and told her that her baby would die if the torch that
was lighted in the house at the moment was burned down to the end.
Immediately, Althea put off the torch and hid it in a chest.
Meleager grew up and became a famous hero but during the
quest for the Kalydon boar, Meleager killed by mistake his uncles,
Althea’s brothers. Althea went berserk and threw the torch into the fire.
Meleager died immediately. When Althea realized what had happened she hang herself in
despair.
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