Ancient Greece had been rich in their heritage. Their culture, worship, farming, and many other things they did were always attributed to gods. There are many plants associated with Greek mythology, some of them were discussed in our last post – Plants of Greek Mythology #1.
Read on to know more about other such plants.
1.Prickly Lettuce:
The ancient Greeks cultivated the wild prickly lettuce, which was tall with elongated leaves, yellow flowers and feathery seeds and is sacred to Aphrodite as it is generally considered to be associated with impotency.
2.Linden:
A deciduous tree which grows to a height of 60 to 80 feet. There are 2 most accepted myths surrounding Linden tree- one of them is that of Philyre: Philyra was a Thessalian Nymphe loved by the Titan Kronos. When his wife Rhea interrupted their rendeavous he transformed himself into a horse and fled. Philyra was later so ashamed at having given birth to the half-horse Kheiron that she begged Zeus to change her form. He agreed, transforming her into a linden tree. And the other myth is of the Linden and the Oak tree- Philemon and Baukis were a pious couple who hospitably received the gods Zeus and Hermes when they were travelling amongst mankind in disguise. The gods destroyed those who had turned them away and rewarded the couple by making them priests of the temple and transforming them into a pair of entwined trees at death: Baukis a linden, and Philemon an oak.
3.Lotus Tree:
Lotis was a Dryopian Nymphe who was transformed into a lotus-tree to escape the lustful pursuit of the god Priapos.
4.Mint:
Minthe was a Nymph loved by the god Haides. When she boasted that she was superior to his queen Persephone, the goddess, or her mother Demeter, transformed her into the mint plant.
5.Mulberry:
Pyramos and Thisbe were a pair of ill-fated lovers from the Assyrian city of Babylon. Their parents forbade their romance and the pair agreed to meet secretly beneath a white-berried mulberry tree outside the city limits. When Pyramos arrived he found Thisbe’s shawl in the jaws of a lion and believing her killed plunged a sword through his breast. The girl upon discovering her dead lover also killed herself. The mulberry tree soaked up the lovers’ blood and its berries were turned from white to black-red.
6.Myrra:
Smyrna (or Myrrha) was a Cyprian, Lebanese or Assyrian princess whose mother dared to compare her in beauty to the goddess Aphrodite. The offended divinity caused the girl to fall in love with her own father as punishment. When the King discovered his daughter had seduced him in disguise, he pursued her with an axe, but the goddess mercifully intervened by transforming Smyrna into a myrrh tree. Adonis was later born of the incestuous union from the tree’s trunk and entrusted to the care of Nymphs. The tears of the girl formed the aromatic gum of myrrh.
7.Narcissus:
Narkissos was a hubristic youth who callously scorned all those who sought to court him. The goddess Nemesis exacted revenge by causing him to fall in love with his own reflection. The boy became obsessed with the image and slowly wasting away was transformed into a narcissus flower.
8.Oak:
The oak was the dominant tree of the ancient Greek landscape and was considered sacred and magical in many other mythologies as well. Philemon and Baukis were a pious couple who hospitably received the gods Zeus and Hermes when they were travelling amongst mankind in disguise. The gods destroyed those who had turned them away and rewarded the couple by making them priests of the temple and transforming them into a pair of entwined trees at death: Baukis a linden, and Philemon an oak.
9.Olive:
The olive was the most important tree of ancient Greek horticulture. The fruit was used as a relish with bread, and its oil employed in cooking, lamps for light, and as a, sometimes perfumed, lotion for the skin and hair. The mythology associated is that Athene and Poseidon once engaged in a contest for dominion of Athens. Zeus agreed to award the city to the god who produced the best gift for man. Athene then created the first olive tree which she caused to spring forth from the rock of the Akropolis, whilst Poseidon produced a horse. The gods judged Athene’s the better gift and awarded her the city.
10.Pomegranate:
Associated with Hera and Aphrodite, the myth associated is that Side was the wife of the giant Orion who boasted to be more beautiful than the goddess Hera. In anger the goddess sent her to Haides. Presumably this was accompanied by a metamorphosis into her namesake fruit tree, the pomegranate.
11.Walnut/Hazelnut/Chestnut:
Karya was a Lakonian maiden loved by the god Dionysos. When her two sisters tried to prevent the liaison, the pair were driven mad and having gone to Mount Taygetos were transformed into stones. Karya meanwhile died and was changed into a nut tree. The goddess Artemis informed her father Dion of the affair and commanded he found a sanctuary in honor of Artemis Karyatis.
12.Wheat:
Wheat was primarily the mot important crop of ancient Greeks. Myth is that after the return of Persephone from the underworld, Demeter bestowed the art of agriculture upon mankind.
13.Willow:
A deciduous tree which grows to a height of 20 to 30 metres tall. Silky white hairs on its long thin leaves give the tree a silver sheen. Its flowers are catkins. Wicker baskets, shields and other items were made from its stems. Mythology says that when Orpheus and the Argonauts encountered the Hesperides in their garden, the three nymphs transformed themselves into trees: Erytheia became an elm (ptelea), Hesperiea poplar (aigeiros), and Aigle a willow tree (itea).
By: Archa Dave
