Aster: the legend of the flower. Myths about flowers

Our distant ancestors did not doubt that plants came to this world not by chance, they have special significance. The ways of their appearance were shrouded in mystery, which spawned numerous theories, including "magical" theories. One of these symbols was the aster. The legend of the flower, the appearance of which served as the source of the name, ascribes to it the divine origin. So where did this beautiful plant come from?

The Legend of the Flower: Astra from Persephone

The most beautiful description of the history of this "star" plant came to our contemporaries from the inhabitants of ancient Greece. It was they who first recorded an interesting myth explaining where the aster came from. The legend of the flower says that people should thank him for Persephone.

How is eternally the young goddess of spring associated with the advent of this plant? Persephone is the unhappy wife of Hades, who ruled the underground kingdom. He forcibly took her as his wife, stealing from her mother Demeter. The gods ordered the young wife to spend at least half of her life (autumn and winter) in her husband's abode, so year after year she fell under the earth with the arrival of cold weather.

And here is the aster? The legend of the flower claims that, at the end of August, the unfortunate goddess noticed a young man and a girl in love who exchanged kisses while they were hidden in the darkness of the night. Persephone, devoid of love and forced to go to Hades soon, sobbed in despair. The tears of the sufferer turned into stardust, descending to the earth and transforming into miraculous asters. It is not surprising that this plant has been associated with love from Greeks since ancient times.

"The Stars" found the monks

Not only Persephone is "accused" of appearing on our planet such a miracle as an aster. The legend of the flower, which is popular in China, contains another explanation. It all started with the journey of two Taoist priests who decided to get to the stars. The path of the monks, as expected, was long and difficult. They had to penetrate through the juniper bushes, fall, slipping on ice trails, wander through the inhospitable forest.

Finally, the clergy climbed Mount Altai. Once on the top, they decided to rest, as their legs were ripped to the blood, only rags left their clothes. Monks hardly descended into the valley, where they saw a transparent stream and a flower meadow. And here is the legend about the flower? Astra turned out to be that beautiful plant that the travelers found in the valley. Noticing this miracle, they realized that there are stars not only in the sky.

Monks could not refrain from taking samples of plants with them. They began to grow them on the monastic grounds, having come up with a suitable name. In Latin, the word "astra" means "star".

Gift of Aphrodite

People who once inhabited Ancient Greece, had a rich imagination. Not surprisingly, they are offered another legend about the flower. Astra, as you know, is considered a symbol of the Virgo sign. People who are governed by a romantic constellation will be interested to know why this plant was chosen for them.

It turns out that the ancient Greeks, who lived before our era, were actively interested in astrology, already had an idea of the constellation of the Virgin. It, in turn, was identified with the inhabitants of the ancient world with the goddess Aphrodite. The theory says that the tears of the goddess of love, shed because of the death of the beautiful lover, turned into cosmic dust. This is another legend about the flower (the aster, as it turns out, is popular long ago) is different from the story, the heroine of which is Persephone. Dust settled on the ground, gradually transformed into a plant.

Astra in Ancient Greece

This was the first state, whose inhabitants began to grow asters. Given the "divine" versions of the origin of the "star" plants, there is nothing surprising in that they were given a special place. The legend of the autumnal flower of the astra, believed in those times, claimed that it has the ability to take away troubles from home, drive away evil spirits. This explains the habit of the ancient Greeks to decorate these plants with local areas.

It is interesting that asters were brought to Crimea from Greece. Evidence that the flower was grown by the Scythians was found in Simferopol. The excavations carried out there made it possible to find out the drawings on which these plants appeared. They were located on the walls of the imperial tomb. Curiously, but the Scythians saw in this work of nature the sun and also considered it a divine gift.

Symbol of love

In ancient Greece, the temples that glorified the powerful and beautiful Aphrodite became widespread. As already mentioned above, the legend about the autumn flower (aster is meant) assures that the tears of this goddess of beauty turned into a plant . This explains why it was chosen as a symbol, with drawings of which the altars were decorated. The parishioners who visit the temple of Aphrodite for the raising of prayers also weaved the plant into hair, clothes.

Not many people know that the aster was used during the divination by young Greek women. The girls who wanted to start a family learned thanks to the magic ritual the name of the suitor. The rite ordered to visit the garden at the height of the night, approach the flower bushes and listen carefully. It was believed that the asters would recognize the name of the future bridegroom from the stars and inform the one who would be able to hear their quiet whispers.

"Star of the East"

Not only the Greeks, but also the Chinese have been cultivating asters for centuries, giving these beautiful flowers a special meaning. From generation to generation, recommendations were given that describe how to make bouquets correctly. The teaching of feng shui, which sees in it the symbol of love, is favorable to this plant. According to Feng Shui, "stars" help those who wish to activate the love sector. In it it is necessary to arrange a bouquet.

The legend of the flower (aster for children - also a kind of symbol), passed in China from father to son, says that these gifts of nature save from evil demons. To protect the inhabitants of the country burned petals, scattering ashes around the house.

It is interesting that "star" bouquets help and spouses, whose feelings have faded after a lapse of years. There is even a recipe for a special salad with flower petals, which Chinese women share with their daughters for centuries. It is believed that enough to feed such a dish of the cooled husband, so that he regained his lost ardor. Recommended for such a dish and childless couples, because it kindles the sexual desire, which will lead to the appearance of babies.

European traditions

Europeans also had an idea of what a magical astra (flower) is. Legends and beliefs that surrounded him had a direct impact on European traditions. With the help of this plant, one could even express secret thoughts. The donor, presenting a bouquet of "stars", could tell the recipient about admiration, friendly respect, hidden love, and even to report hatred. Everything depended on how the bouquet is made up. Most often, asters were presented to ladies by ardent gentlemen.

However, not all inhabitants of Europe have a tender flower associated with love. In the eastern part, this plant was considered a symbol of sadness, which was associated with the sadness of the end of summer.

An interesting fact is that the aster is decorated with the coat of arms of the Republic of Tatarstan, since in this country the flower symbolizes eternal life. Here it is also used to decorate residential buildings, attracting prosperity to the family.

Myths about other colors

Of course, myths are surrounded not only by "stars", but also by other fall flowers of legend, beliefs. Astra, for example, can not compete in the number of stories about the origin of violets. One of the popular versions insists that these gifts of nature appeared thanks to Zeus. The Thunderer turned the violet daughter of Atlas into a violet, hiding from the enamored Apollo, but forgot to disfigure the girl.

Gladiolus - another record for the number of myths. The famous theory says that it arose on the planet as a result of the battle that took place between the Thracians and the Romans. After the victory of the Romans, many young Thracians were slaves, among them two friends. When the cruel ruler told them to fight to the death, they refused. The brave young men were killed, but the first gladioli grew from their defeated bodies.

This is how the most famous legends of astra and other beautiful flowers look.