Monday, January 30, 2012

What is the name of the flower that was named after Adonis in the book of Metaphorphis by Ovid?

Adonis and Venus

What is the name of the flower that was named after Adonis in the book of Metaphorphis by Ovid?
I quote:

As Pomegrananates are, as briefly clinging

To Life as did Adonis, for the winds

Which gave the name of the flower, Anemone,

The wind-flower, shakes the peddles off, too early,

Doomed all too swift and soon.
Reply:Adonis died at the tusks of a wild boar, sent by either Artemis in retaliation for Aphrodite instigating the death of Hippolytus, a favorite of the huntress goddess, or Aphrodite's paramour, Ares.[4] As Aphrodite sprinkled nectar on his body, each drop of Adonis' blood turned into a blood-red anemone, and the river Adonis (modern Nahr Ibrahim) flowing out of Mount Lebanon in coastal Lebanon ran red, according to Lucian.

The most detailed and literary version of the story of Adonis is Ovid, Metamorphoses, x
Reply:It probably refers to the field poppy or rosa rugosa, but there is a flower today CALLED an "Adonis Flower" or "Pheasant's eye." (Adonis annua)


No comments:

Post a Comment