Many legends, myths and rituals of different peoples of the world are dedicated to forest violets. They are also among the Slavs, and among the ancient Greeks, and in the culture of the Western European Middle Ages. However, this is not surprising, because, despite its modesty and unpretentiousness, the violet was and remains one of the most beloved flowers.
Legends about violets in ancient Russia
In Ancient Russia, girls ate the roots of violets, as they believed that this would help attract the attention of the guys. In the spring, the peasants necessarily ate 3 flowers of the first violets in order to be healthy throughout the whole year. The tricolor violet (pansies) in Russia was called Ivan da Marya. Various legends were told about her. According to one version, the brother and sister, who grew up in different families, were turned into a flower and, not knowing about their relationship, decided to get married. According to the other, the sister was kidnapped by a water one, and her brother managed to save her with the help of wormwood-grass.
Violet in ancient mythology
The forest violet was considered a symbol of Athens. According to ancient Greek myth, Apollo fell in love with one of the beautiful daughters of the titan Atlas and began to scorch her with hot sun rays. Wanting to get rid of the persecution, the girl turned to Zeus, begging him to save her from the excruciating heat. God turned the beauty into a forest violet and hid her in the cool thicket of the forest.
Another legend says that the beautiful goddess of love Aphrodite on a hot day decided to swim, retiring to a distant forest thicket. Suddenly she found herself staring at her with a few prying eyes. The goddess was terribly angry and decided to punish the mortals who saw her. She complained about them to Zeus himself. The lord of the gods turned them into three-colored violets - pansies, which became a symbol of curiosity and surprise.
Another of the myths tells that in the old days violets grew only in the divine heavenly gardens. The beautiful Persephone - the daughter of the goddess of fertility Demeter - collected them in a bouquet. At this time, she was seized by the god of the underworld, Hades, who dragged the beauty into his domain to make him his wife. On the way, Persephone dropped the bouquet, and the violets scattered on the ground. Since then, they delight people with their beauty.
A similar legend, in which only the names of the characters changed, existed among the ancient Romans. I must say, in Ancient Rome, not a single holiday could do without these wonderful flowers. Forest violets were pinned to dresses. Poets wrote poems about them, and musicians composed songs.
From the middle ages to the present day
The Jews believed that the tears of Adam turned into violets, who burst into tears when he learned that God had forgiven his sin. The ancient Gauls revered the violet as a symbol of fidelity and chastity, therefore delicate bouquets of violets became an obligatory attribute of wedding ceremonies. They were used to decorate the bride's dress and showered the newlyweds' bed.
Nowadays, in the French city of Toulouse, poetry competitions are held, the main award of which is a golden violet flower. Thus, after passing through the centuries, love for the violet has survived to this day.
