Syringa in Mythology

Hey dear community, at the beginning I would like to welcome you all to my contribution and hope you had a day that brought some positive experiences into your life! In this post, I would like to discuss the importance of a plant in mythology and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.

Here you can see some pictures of Lilac which is also known under the scientific name Syringa and according to mythology it is under a special protection of the nymphs and in Greek mythology there is also an interesting legend when it comes to the origin. Even if the origin of the botanical name is not completely clarified, according to a legend the god of the forest Pan, who was especially revered by the shepherds and mainly lived in the Arcadian region once fell in love with a beautiful nymph called Syrinx and since she did not reciprocate his love, she later turned into this plant in order to be able to camouflage herself better. When Pan continued to search for her in the forests, he found this plant and decided to harvest the stems to create his well-known flute and lilac was revered as a magical plant in ancient Greece. If you follow the traces of the origin, there are assumptions that it originally comes from the Balkans and it is suspected that it was spread by the Ottomans in Europe and Spain was considered an important center at the time, from where it has been spread to more and more countries in Europe. Some traces can also be found in Turkey in Istanbul where King Ferdinand I (1503 - 1564) from the house of the Habsburgs, who was also known as the emperor of the Roman Empire, had sent an ambassador who created some drawings of the plant which have made a great contribution. The lilac can also be found in the mythology of the Celts and here, too, it was appreciated because of the magical properties and associated with nature spirits and the Celts were of the opinion that the fragrance would have a special effect, which is why it has often been worn jewelry. The symbolism is often diverse and can vary depending on the color of the flowers and it was also often considered a typical sign of devotion and often it also appears as a symbol of love or sensuality and it is no wonder that it has been represented by different artists for centuries.

Thanks a lot for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about mythology! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens.