Flowers and Gods

Pan and Boreas were attracted by Pitys, a beautiful nymph. When she choses Pan, Boreas ( a god controlling the north air) blew her over a cliff. The Mother Earth, Gaea, took Pitys dead body and turned it into a pine tree. When the north wind (Boreas) blows through the tree you can sill hear her weep. According to another story Pan chased her and in order to get away from him Pitys turned herself into a pine tree. The tree then became holy to Pan, who made a wreath of pine branches to wear.

According to the Greeks, the rose was born when Chloris, the goddess of flowers, stumbled over the lifeless body of a beautiful nymph lying in the forest. Moved by her fate, Chloris looked to her fellow-gods for help in transforming the nymph into a flower. Aphrodite gave the nymph the gift of beauty; Dionysus gave her nectar for fragrance; and the three Graces gave her charm, joy, and brilliance.

Narcissus a young beautiful man attracts women and men alike. Unfortunately Narcissus was only capable of feeling love for one person - himself. While hunting a girl, the Nymph Echo, spotted him. She approaches him secretly.

Narcissus Is there anyone here?
Echo Here!
Narcissus Come to me!
Echo Come to me!
Narcissus Why are you avoiding me?
Echo Why are you avoiding me?
Narcissus Here! Come with me!
She rushes out of her hiding place and flings herself at him. Narcissus, repelled by the idea of physical contact, pushes her away, and starts to run. Narcissus Take your hands off me! No! How dare you touch me!" Echo [screaming]: "Touch me!"

Echo was frustrated. Her beauty dried up and wasted away. Only her voice remained. Because she was immortal, she could not die for love, however much she longed to. Men still hear Echo's voice, in the woods or mountains where she hides.
Narcissus rejects also the love of males. Nemesis (or some say Artemis) wants to let him find out what it is like to love someone you can never have. One day Narcissus while trying to drink from a pool sees a image irresistibly attractive that he immediately fell in love. Narcissus was in love - with his own reflection. He tried to kiss the beautiful image but it was not possible. He knew it was himself, but he was powerless to resist. And so, like Echo, Narcissus began to pine away, wasted by an impossible love. Soon his beauty and his strength were gone - consumed by the fire inside him. Echo saw what happened. She was still angry, but she knew the pain he was suffering. Ah, the boy I loved in vain!", "The boy I loved in vain" she echoed. Narcissus finally died from his suffer, his body soon felt apart but a new flower was growing with white petals surrounding a red circle: the Narcissus.

Echo and Narcissus

A nymph with whom Apollo fell in love with. Daphne trying to escape cries for her father, the river god Peneus, who turns her into a laurel tree. Apollo then made it his sacred tree, and winners at the games of his sanctuary at Delphi were crowned with laurel wreaths.



(Compiled from various Mythology sources)

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Update 23-3-2004

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