Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-18
LEGENDS AsoUT FLOWERS
Human Blood or Tears Often the
: FabIed Source of Plants.

Fabled Source OF Plants.
Human blood. and tears are fire.
quently lengendary sources Of plants.
AS a general rule. red flowers spring
from the former and white from the
latter. Thus, Greek tradition says
that the anemone sprang from the
passionate tears Venus shed over the
dead body Of Adonis. ,,.., 49,,
Among the Virginian tribes, too, red
clover was supposed to have sprung
from and to be colored by the blood
Of the red men slain in battle with the
white invaders. In a. similar manner
the red peoples which followed the
plowing Of the field ofWaterloo. were
said to have sprung from the blood Of
the killed and wounded in that battle.
According to tradition, the Danish
invasion is the cause Of the Daneweed,
q coarse asteraceaus plant common IN
Endland,, as It sprang. from the blood
Of Danes slain in battle, and II cut on
certain day in the year It bleeds. The
dwarf elder, for the same reason, Is
called Danewort and Danes blood.
The clustered bellfiower Is also asso-
ciated with this historical event. ,,,Is
In the village Of Barlow there are
four remarkable hills supposed to have
been thrown up by the Danes as mon
umental memorials Of the battle
fought in 1905 between Canute and
Edmund Ironside. The clustered bell
flower is largely scattered over these
mounds and the cottagers about, at
tribute its presence there to its having
originated in Danish blood. Ea' :,
In Sussex the lily of the valley Is
said to be memorial Of the battle st.
Leonard fought with dragon. The
holy man encountered a mighty worm
or fire drake in the forest and battled
with 1t for three days. Atslast the
saint was victorious, though wounded
seriously, and wherever his blood
dropped there sprang up lilies Of the
valley In profusion. In France the lily
Of the valley is said to spring from
the virgins tears.
There is an amusing story told Of
the origin Of the bramble. There was
once three partners engaged in the
wool trade. They loaded ship with a
large cargo, but It was wrecked and
the firm became bankrupt. All re-
sorted to metamorphosis for protec-
tion. One partner became the bat, and
so skulks about till midnight to avoid
his creditors; the second became the
eormorant, and Is forever diving into
the deep to discover the foundered
vessel; while the third became the
bramble bush, that sits by the road
side and seizes hold Of every passing
sheep to make up his loss by theft.
A rather humorous pedigree is as
signed to the violet. These flowers
were once girls who, having defeated
Venus in a dispute she had with Gu
pid as to whether she or they excelled
in sweetness, were beaten blue by the
angry goddess and changed to violets.
There is a suitable legend told in
Germany of the plantain, or way
bread, which haunts so persistentiy
the track Of man. The plant was for
merly a maiden who, while watching
by the wayside for her lover, was
transformed into this plant. But once
in seven years 1t becomes bird, either
a cuckoo or a hoopoe. and goes flying
Off in search of the lost lover.
The story Is duplicated in another
German legend regarding the succoiy.
A patient girl, after waiting day by
day for her betrothed for many a
month, at last, worn out with watch
ing. sank exhausted by the wayside
and expired. Only her pretty blue
eyes remained alive and watchful, and
so. before many days had passed, this
little plant with its starlike blossom
sprang up all about the spot where
the broken hearted maiden had sigh
ed away her life. Hence the common
name of the plant "Wegewarter," or
watcher Of the road."-Suburban
Life.