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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Lily. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Lily, Lilium. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Lily (Lilium) Family: Liliaceae (Liliaceae) Origin: The birthplace of bulbous lilies is Central Asia. Various types of lilies are found in North America, Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Area: Various types of lilies are distributed throughout the world, but especially many species are found in temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Chemical composition: Lily bulbs contain many useful substances, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, saponins, tannins, as well as vitamins and mineral salts. Economic value: Lilies are widely used in landscape design due to their beauty and variety of colors. Some types of lilies have medicinal properties and are used in folk medicine to treat various diseases. Also, from the extract of the bulb of some species, an essential oil is obtained, which is used in perfumery and cosmetics. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Greek mythology, the lily was associated with the goddess Hera, the goddess of grain, earth and fertility. It was said that the goddess created lilies to decorate her garden. In other ancient cultures such as the Egyptian and Roman, the lily was also a symbol of fertility and wealth. In Christian tradition, the lily has been associated with the Virgin Mary and has become a symbol of her purity and virginity. The lily has also become a symbol of resurrection and new life, which explains its use at the Easter matinee and other Christian holidays. In Japanese culture, the lily symbolizes health and longevity, while in Chinese culture, it is associated with the Spirit Festival and symbolizes well-being and prosperity. Symbolically, the lily is associated with the concepts of purity, nobility, tenderness and love. It is also considered a symbol of sublimity, grace and beauty.
Lily, Lilium. Description, illustrations of the plant Lily. Legends, myths, history
Many stories, myths and legends have been composed about these beautiful flowers. Since ancient times, people have worshiped the lily as one of the most beautiful creatures on earth. Even the wish for well-being sounded like this: "May your path be strewn with roses and lilies." Ancient Greek myths attributed divine origin to the lily. According to one of them, once the goddess Hera fed the baby Ares. Drops of splashed milk fell to the ground and turned into snow-white lilies. Since then, these flowers have become the emblem of the goddess Hera. Among the ancient Egyptians, the lily, along with the lotus, was a symbol of fertility. Christians also adopted love for her, making her a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The straight stem of the lily represents her mind; drooping leaves - modesty, delicate aroma - divinity, white color - chastity. According to legend, the archangel Gabriel held the lily when he announced to Mary about the imminent birth of Christ. There was a legend about the Siberian red lily, or saranka, in Ancient Rus'. It was said that she grew up from the heart of a deceased Cossack who took part in the conquest of Siberia under the leadership of Yermak. The people also called her "royal curls." A symbol of hope in Ancient Greece, peace and purity in Rus', and in France these flowers meant mercy, compassion and justice. Although lilies come in different shades, it is white flowers that are given a special symbolic meaning. White lily - symbolizes innocence and since ancient times personifies purity and purity. It is no coincidence that lilies are the flowers of brides. And the very name of the flower in translation from ancient Greek means "white-white". The Greeks attribute to her a divine origin. They believed that the white lily, a symbol of innocence and purity, grew out of the milk of the mother of the gods - Hera (Juno), who found the baby of the Theban queen Hercules hidden from her jealous gaze and, knowing the divine origin of the baby, wanted to give him milk. But the boy, sensing his enemy in her, bit and pushed her away, and the milk spilled across the sky, forming the Milky Way. A few drops fell to the ground and turned into lilies. But much earlier than the Greeks, the lily was known to the ancient Persians, whose capital was even called Susa, which means "city of lilies." The lily played a significant role among the Romans, especially in their flower festivals dedicated to the goddess of spring - Flora. Among the Spaniards and Italians, as well as in other Catholic lands, the lily is considered the flower of the Blessed Virgin, and the image of the Mother of God is surrounded by a garland of these flowers. Wearing wreaths of lilies, girls in these countries go to Holy Communion for the first time. But nowhere did the lily have such historical significance as in France, where the names of the founder of the French monarchy Clovis, kings Louis VII, Philip III, Francis I are associated with it. Ancient legends tell about the appearance of a lily on the banner of the French kings, as an emblem of royal power. Fleur-de-lis (French fleur de lys or fleur de lis, literally "lily flower", or lily, or royal lily) is an armorial figure, the fourth most popular natural heraldic symbol after the cross, eagle and lion. France was called the kingdom of lilies, and the French king was called the king of lilies. According to legend, King Clovis defeated the enemies of Christianity with the help of a lily. Clovis took the lily as his emblem after the water lilies in the Rhine suggested to him a safe place where he could ford the river, thanks to which he won the battle. Louis VII chose the lily as his emblem. Three lilies flaunted on the banners of Saint Louis IX during the Crusades and denoted the three virtues: mercy, compassion and justice. The French king Charles VII, wishing to honor the memory of Jeanne d'Arc, finds nothing more lofty and noble than to raise her relatives to the nobility under the name Liliev and give them a coat of arms, which is a sword on a blue field with two lilies on the sides and a wreath of lily above. Under Louis XII, the lily becomes the main decoration of all the gardens of France and is called the flower of Louis. Lily generally enjoyed great love in France. From time immemorial, this flower was considered an expression of the highest degree of benevolence and respect, and therefore it was customary in aristocratic families for the groom to send his bride every morning, right up to the wedding itself, a bouquet of fresh flowers, among which there must have been several white lilies. It is interesting that the white lily in the Middle Ages, which served as a reminder of eternity, became a symbol of promiscuity in the Renaissance, the brand on the shoulder of the representatives of the most ancient profession resembled a lily. In ancient German mythology, the thunder god Thor was always depicted holding a lightning bolt in his right hand, and a scepter topped with a lily in his left. She also adorned the brow of the ancient inhabitants of Pomerania during the festivities in honor of the goddess of spring, and her fragrant aureole served in the German fairy-tale world as a magic wand for Oberon and the home of small fairy-tale creatures - elves. According to these legends, each lily had its own elf, who was born with her and died with her. The corollas of these flowers served as these tiny creatures, bells, and, shaking them, they called their pious brethren to prayer. Prayer meetings usually took place in the late evening hour, when everything in the gardens calmed down and plunged into a deep sleep. Then one of the elves ran to the flexible stem of the lily and began to shake it. Lily bells rang and woke up sweetly sleeping elves with their silvery ringing. The tiny creatures woke up, crawled out of their soft beds, and silently and solemnly went to the lily corollas, which served them at the same time as chapels. Here they bowed their knees, folded their hands piously and thanked the Creator in fervent prayer for the blessings sent to them. Having prayed, they hurried back to their flower beds in the same silence, and soon fell asleep again in a deep, carefree sleep. In Germany, many legends about the afterlife are associated with the lily. It serves as a testament of devotion to the Germans.
And among the ancient Jews, the lily flower enjoyed great love and purity. According to Jewish legends, this flower grew during the temptation of Eve by the devil and could be defiled by it, but no dirty hand dared to touch it. Therefore, the Jews decorated them with sacred altars, the capitals of the columns of Solomon's temple. During the construction of the temple of Solomon, the great architect of Tyre, gave an elegant form of a lily to the wonderful capitals of huge columns, and also decorated its walls and ceiling with images of lilies, sharing the opinion with the Jews that this flower with its beauty will enhance the prayerful mood among those praying in the temple. They say about the red lily that it changed color on the night before the suffering of Christ on the cross. When the Savior walked through the Garden of Gethsemane, all the flowers bowed their heads before him as a sign of compassion and sadness, except for the lily, which wanted him to enjoy its beauty. But when the pained look fell on her, the blush of shame for her pride in comparison with his humility spilled over her petals and remained forever. Lily is also found among the Egyptians, in whom her image now and then comes across in hieroglyphs and denotes either the short duration of life, or freedom and hope. In addition, white lilies, apparently, adorned the bodies of dead young Egyptian girls. A similar lily was found on the breast of the mummy of a young Egyptian woman, now kept in the Louvre in Paris. From the same flower, the Egyptians prepared the famous fragrant oil in ancient times - suzinon, which is described in detail by Hippocrates in his treatise On the Nature of Woman. There is an image of a majestic plant with a leafy stem and fragrant flowers. Author: Martyanova L.M.
Lily. Myths, traditions, symbolism
"The white lily in luxury and splendor / Surpasses many flowers, but does not last long. / So a person must grow old and disappear, / From which God's mercy and care will not save him" (Hochberg, 1675). The lily was highly valued even before the formation of its symbolic value and was a favorite decorative and artistic motif in Egypt, as well as in Minoan Crete and in Mycenae. "Lily" (gentle) is called the voice of cicadas and muses in poetry. The myth allows for the possibility of lilies growing from Hera's milk, which dripped onto the ground, so that even a milk street arose. In Christianity, the lily has become a symbol of pure, virgin love. Gabriel, the angel of the Annunciation, is most often depicted with a lily in his hands, just like Jesus' adoptive father Joseph and Mary's parents Joachim and Anna. "Field lilies", which do not work, but are praised in the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus due to the fact that they are an undeniable trust in God, made this flower an attribute of many saints (among them: Anthony of Padua, Dominic, Philip Neri, Vincent Ferrer , Catherine of Siena, Philomena). The "lily flower" motif is important in heraldry, as lilies "are royal flowers... especially because the shape of the lily is like a scepter, or because snakes avoid lilies, which emit a scent that sweetens the heart" (Beckler, 1688).
According to legend, the Frankish king Clovis I (481 - 511) was awarded a lily by an angel; since 1179 it has adorned the coat of arms of the kings of France. Thanks to Louis XI, she was introduced into the coat of arms of the Medici, and, consequently, into the coat of arms of Florence and Tuscany. The lily of Bourbon differs from the Florentine lily in that it exhibits stamens. In folk symbolism, the lily is not only a symbol of purity, for example, in church processions, but also a symbol of the "old woman-death." In folk tales, a mysteriously appearing lily heralds the death of a monk (Corvey, Hildesheim, Breslau). The folk song about "sin lilies" planted on the grave also alludes to the symbolism of death. Author: Biedermann G.
Lily. Botanical description, plant history, legends and folk traditions, cultivation and use
The wonderful white lily - this symbol of innocence and purity - also has its own interesting legend in mythology. The Greeks attributed to her a divine origin; according to them, she grew up from the milk of the mother of the gods - Juno. They say that the Theban queen, the beautiful Alcmene, the mother of Hercules, fearing the revenge of the jealous Juno, in order to hide Hercules born by her from Jupiter, put him under a dense bush; but Minerva, who knew the divine origin of the baby, purposely led Juno to this place and showed her the poor child abandoned by her mother. Juno liked the healthy, charming boy very much, and as the protector and patroness of all newborns, she agreed to give the thirsty baby to suck her milk. But the boy, instinctively sensing his enemy in her, bit her so hard that she, crying out in pain, roughly pushed him away. Milk splashed and, spilling across the sky, formed the Milky Way, and a few drops of it, falling to the ground, turned into lilies. For this reason, these flowers among the Greeks were also called the roses of Juno. Another version of the legend says that Jupiter, wanting to make Hercules immortal, ordered Morpheus to prepare a sleeping pill for Juno, and when, after drinking it, the goddess fell into a deep sleep, he sent swift-footed Mercury to put her little pet under her chest. A healthy, hungry boy began to suck greedily, and from a few drops of milk shed on the ground, those lovely white flowers grew, which were called lilies. But much earlier than the Greeks, the lily was known to the ancient Persians, whose capital was even called Susa (it is believed that the name Susanna comes from the same word, since shucham also means lily in Hebrew), i.e. lily city. For the same reason, several of these flowers flaunted in her coat of arms as a symbol of immaculate beauty. We know further that among the ancient Jews this flower enjoyed great love and the glory of purity. According to Jewish legends, he grew up in paradise just at the time of the temptation of Eve by the devil and could be defiled by him; but even in the midst of temptation he remained as pure as he was, and no dirty hand dared to touch him. As a result of this, the Jews decorated with them not only their sacred altars, but often the foreheads of their crowned bearers, such as, for example, King Solomon. And the great architect of Tyre, who built the temple of Solomon, gave an elegant form of a lily to the wonderful capitals of the huge columns of this temple and decorated its walls and ceiling with images of a lily, sharing with the Jews the opinion that this flower with its beauty will enhance the mood of prayer among those praying in the temple. For the same reason, probably, Moses ordered the image of the lily to decorate the seven candlestick and give it the shape of a font where the high priest was washing. There is also a legend that under the lily was the cradle of Moses, but, of course, not under the white one, but under the yellow one, which usually grows among reeds and reeds. (Here, obviously, we are not talking about a lily (which does not grow in water), but a yellow water iris.) Lily is also found among the Egyptians, in whom her image now and then comes across in hieroglyphs and denotes either the short duration of life, or freedom and hope. In addition, white lilies, apparently, adorned the bodies of dead young Egyptian girls; a similar lily was found on the breast of the mummy of a young Egyptian woman, now kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris. From the same flower, the Egyptians prepared the famous fragrant oil in ancient times - suzinon, which is described in detail by Hippocrates in his treatise On the Nature of Woman. The lily also played a significant role among the Romans, especially in their flower festivals dedicated to the goddess of spring - Flora. These festivities took place annually in the last days of April and were games where women, with the sounds of trumpets and timpani, competed in wrestling and running. The winners received wreaths of flowers as a reward, they were covered, as is often done today when honoring the winners at the games, with a whole rain of flowers. When wreaths were offered, a statue of the goddess herself appeared, decorated with flowers and garlands and covered with a pink veil, which she held with her right hand; in her left hand were peas and beans, which during these games the aediles threw handfuls of Roman rabble like delicacies. These festivities were founded by Pompey's beloved Akka Laurentia, who, for her extraordinary beauty, her other admirer, Cycelius Metellus, even ranked among the host of goddesses, placing her image in the temple of Castor and Pollux. (Aediles were elected officials in ancient Rome who oversaw public order and festivities.) In addition to the statue of the goddess, the lodges, the amphitheater, the arena and the audience were removed with flowers at these festivities. And because the decoration required such a mass of flowers that they were even artificially expelled by this time in greenhouses and greenhouses. Among the flowers that adorned these festivities, the rose played the main role, but the white lily served as a sign of refined taste. It was a flower of luxury, grace, a flower that rich patricians and patricians constantly tried to show off, removing both themselves and their lodges and even chariots with it. For the same reason, this flower was considered by the Romans as a symbol of hope, and its image was even placed on Roman coins as the people's expectation of the blessings received from the king and was accompanied by the words "Hope of the people, hope of the king, hope of the Romans." In addition, the Greeks and Romans looked at her, as we do, as a symbol of purity and therefore crowned the bride and groom with wreaths of lilies and wheat ears as a sign of that pure and full of abundance of life that they wish. The lily was also found in ancient Germanic mythology, and the thunder god Thor was always depicted holding a lightning bolt in his right hand, and a scepter crowned with a lily in his left. She also adorned the brow of the ancient inhabitants of Pomerania during the festivities in honor of the goddess of spring, and her fragrant aureole served in the German fairy-tale world as a magic wand for Oberon and the home of small fairy-tale creatures - elves. According to these legends, each lily has its own elf, who is born with her and dies with her. The corollas of these flowers serve as bells to these tiny creatures, and, shaking them, they call their pious brethren to prayer. These meetings of prayer usually take place in the late evening hour, when everything in the gardens has calmed down and plunged into a deep sleep. Then one of the elves runs to the flexible stem of the lily and begins to rock it. The lily bells ring and wake up sweetly sleeping elves with their silvery ringing. Tiny creatures wake up, crawl out of their soft beds, and silently and solemnly go to the corollas of lilies, which at the same time serve as their prayer houses. Here they kneel, fold their hands piously and give thanks in fervent prayer to the Creator for the blessings sent to them. Having prayed, they just as silently hurry back to their flower cradles and soon fall asleep again in a deep, carefree sleep... But nowhere did the lily have such historical significance as in France, where the names of the founder of the French monarchy Clovis, kings Louis VII, Philip III, Francis I and a whole legend about its appearance on the banner of the French kings are associated with it. About this appearance of the famous three golden lilies, ancient legends report the following. Clovis, while still a pagan, seeing in the battle of Tolbiac that the Allemani (the French name for the Germans), with whom he waged war, prevailed over his soldiers, exclaimed: "The Christian God, the God worshiped by my wife Clotilde (daughter of King Chilperic, Christian), help me win, I believe in You!" And then suddenly an angel of God appeared to him with a branch of lilies and said that from now on he would make this flower his weapon and bequeath it to his descendants. At the same moment, the soldiers of Clovis were seized with extraordinary courage, with renewed strength, they rushed at the enemy and put him to flight. In gratitude for this, Clovis in 496 AD. went to Reims and with all his Franks, their wives and children received holy baptism. And from now on, the lily becomes in France the emblem of royal power in the shadow of the church. But the lily received from the angel Clovis, according to many scientists, was not white, but fiery red. It was, in their opinion, the same flower that grew in East Flanders, in the river Li (Lys), flowing into the Scheldt, where the battle of Clovis took place, after which his victorious warriors, picking lilies, returned to their homeland with wreaths of these flowers on the head. From the name of the same river, the French name of the flower probably came from - (Lee, fox). About this red lily, let's say by the way, there was even a special legend. They say that it turned from pure white on the night before the Savior's suffering on the Cross. When the Savior, tormented by heavy anguish, walked that night through the Garden of Gethsemane, then all the flowers bowed their heads before him as a sign of compassion and sorrow. But the lily, shining with its incomparable whiteness in the darkness, said to itself in the self-consciousness of its beauty: I am so much more beautiful than all my other brothers that I will stand upright on my stalk and gaze intently when He passes me so that He can properly enjoy my beauty and my scent. And the Savior really stopped for a minute, perhaps even to admire her, but when His suffering gaze fell on her in the moonlight, then the lily, comparing her pride with His humility and seeing how all the other flowers bowed their heads in grief before Him, she suddenly felt such a reproach, such a remorse that a blush of shame spread over all her petals ... This blush remained on her forever. Here, the legend adds, is why red lilies never stand with their heads raised up and always close their petals by night. The opinion, however, that the lily of Clovis was red is not further confirmed, since the French royal lilies, which are the emblem of the kings, were always white. The conversion of Clovis to Christianity took place, as we have seen, as early as the XNUMXth century, and since then many centuries have passed, and nothing more is said about the lily in the French chronicles. The only memory of her during this time is only the scepter of the first French kings crowned with this flower, stored in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, the oldest of the churches in Paris, built back in the XNUMXth century. In the XNUMXth century, Louis VII also chose the lily as his emblem, when, going on the second crusade as the head of a separate detachment, according to the custom of that time, he had to choose some motto for himself to be placed on the banner. He chooses her, on the one hand, because her name, then pronounced Loys (Loy), has some similarities with his name - Louis (Louis), and on the other, in remembrance that King Clovis defeated his enemies with her help. Christianity; he also goes to fight against the infidels. In addition, these lilies were supposed to remind his soldiers of the heroic deed of the sovereign, who expelled the Romans from their fatherland and was the founder of the French monarchy. Thus, here for the first time appears that white banner with three golden lilies, which later becomes the emblem of royal power and devotion to the papacy. (It should be noted that according to recent studies by historians, art critics and botanists, the fleur-de-lis, the emblem of the French royal court, is not a lily, but an iris.) The lily is also found in the coat of arms of Saint Louis IX, but only together with the daisy, which he added in memory of his beloved wife Marguerite. Three lilies also adorned his banners during the crusades he undertook and denoted compassion, justice and mercy - three virtues that distinguished the whole reign of this kindest of kings. The shape of a lily was also given, as we have already said, to the end of the scepter, and France itself was called the kingdom of lilies, and the French king - the king of lilies. They said about lilies: “lilies do not spin”, indicating that there cannot be a woman on the French throne, and the expression “etre assis sur des lys” meant to hold a high position, since not only all the walls of courts were decorated with lilies, but even all seat chairs. (Recall the novel by the famous French writer M. Druon, translated as "It's not good to spin lilies".) Philip III the Bold, who succeeded Louis XI, was the first of the French kings whose seal consisted simply of three lilies, and under Charles VII, who lived from 1422 to 1461, i.e. 200 years after Philip III the Bold, this seal is already becoming the state emblem. The same king, wishing to honor the memory of Joan of Arc, finds nothing more lofty and noble than to raise her relatives to the nobility under the surname du Lys (Lily) and give them a coat of arms, which is a sword on a blue field with two lilies on the sides. and a wreath of lilies above. Under Louis XII, the lily becomes the main decoration of all the gardens of France and is called the flower of Louis, since, according to contemporaries, nothing better than this pure, impeccable flower could convey the purity of the morals and soul of this father of the people. The lily also played a significant role in the image of the order signs. Louis XVIII, returning to the throne after the hundred-day reign of Napoleon I, established the Order of the White Lily, which consisted of a silver lily hung on a white silk ribbon. This order was distributed by him in such quantity that it became, as it were, the emblem of the Bourbon party, in contrast to the adherents of Napoleon, whose emblem was the violet. We note by the way that during the republic of 1793, the republican government tried in every possible way to humiliate this emblem of royal power and even ordered that convicts be stigmatized with the image of a lily. (The protagonist of the novel by A. Dumas "The Three Musketeers" discovers a brand in the form of a lily on the shoulder of Milady.) On military banners, the sign of lilies was replaced by an eagle with outstretched wings, and in 1830-48 by a Gallic rooster. In this era, the famous Tuileries Garden in Paris was always full of wonderful white lilies - and suddenly they disappeared. They say that this happened on the orders of King Louis Philippe, who ordered all of them to be cut off. How true this is is not known, but since 1830 the lilies in this garden no longer bloomed. Another order sign, in which lilies were depicted, was established back in 1048 by the Navarrese king Dan Garcia IV. Further, Pope Paul III also established in 1546 the Order of the Lily, which he awarded mainly to the champions of the church and the papal throne, and Pope Paul IV approved it and placed it above other orders. The image of the lily is also in the highest Italian order of the Annunziata, founded in 1362 by the Duke of Savoy Amedeus VI. In addition, the lily was generally considered a very honorary sign in French coats of arms and was also found on coins. Louis XIV put into circulation in 1655 coins that even bore the names of gold and silver lilies. The golden lily was worth 7 livres (pounds of silver) and contained 23 carats of gold. On one side of it was an image of a king or a cross decorated with lilies and crowned at the ends with crowns, and on the other, the coat of arms of France with lilies, supported by two angels. Silver lilies were of three denominations: 20, 10 and 5 sous. They had an image of a king with a crown on the front side, and on the back - an image of a cross of 8 intertwined L, topped with a crown and surrounded by four lilies. These coins did not go very long: silver coins were abolished the next year, and gold ones lasted until 1679. Now they, especially silver ones, are very rare and are absent even in many of the largest numismatic collections. The image of a lily also had other French coins - florins, introduced for the first time in use in Florence and bearing such a name from the Italian word florino (flower), which often meant lilies that flaunted in the coat of arms of Florence. (The coat of arms of Florence also depicts a stylized iris flower (remember A. Blok's poem "Florence, you are a tender iris ...").) The first florins appeared in France during the reign of Louis IX. On one side of them was the image of the king or John the Baptist, and on the other - a cross surrounded by lilies with the inscription: "Christ wins, Christ reigns, Christ rules."
Lily generally enjoyed great love in France. From time immemorial, this flower was considered an expression of the highest degree of benevolence and respect, and therefore it was customary in aristocratic families for the groom to send his bride every morning, right up to the wedding itself, a bouquet of fresh flowers, among which there must have been several white lilies. The lily enjoys the same love among the southern neighbors of the French: Spaniards and Italians. Among these peoples and in general in all Catholic lands, it is considered mainly the flower of the Blessed Virgin, and the image of the Mother of God is constantly surrounded here by a garland of these flowers. In wreaths of lilies, girls go here for the first time to St. Communion, which is done in memory of the fact that, as if, in such wreaths in the early days of Christianity, all girls received St. Baptism. In the Pyrenees, there has been a custom since time immemorial on June 24, on Midsummer Day, to bring lilies cut in huge quantities to the church and put them in large elegant vases for consecration. Here they remain throughout the mass and are sprinkled with holy water, and then bouquets are made from the lilies consecrated in this way and, having arranged them crosswise, they are nailed over the door of each house, which from that moment is already considered as if under the protection of John the Baptist. Here these bouquets remain until the next Midsummer Day. There is a legend that with a lily in his hand he appeared on the day of St. The Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin, and therefore on all our icons representing this event, he is always depicted with a branch of these flowers. (In the paintings "The Annunciation" (one by Sandro Botticelli, painted in 1489-1490, the other by Andrea del Sarte (1511-1514), as in many other paintings and icons, the archangel Gabriel is depicted with a blooming lily.) With the same branch as a symbol of purity and purity, Catholics depict St. Joseph, St. John, St. Francis, St. Norbert, St. Gertrude and some other saints. Lilies are also cleaned in the underground Roman catacombs and the tomb of St. Caecilia. Germany also took a great interest in the lily. We have already talked about the role of this flower in ancient Germanic mythology, but, in addition, there are still many different legends about it here and beyond mythological tales. Lily, it must be said, was bred in the Middle Ages in huge numbers in monastery gardens and reached such a size and beauty that it involuntarily aroused general surprise and thus gave rise to many tales related to the life of monks among the ignorant mass. So, in the Corvey monastery, which existed in the Middle Ages on the Weser River, on the basis of these legends, she played the role of a flower of death. Each time, one of the brethren who was about to die found a white lily on his chair in the church three days before his death. And then one day, says the legend, one of the ambitious monks decided to use him to get rid of the annoying old abbot of the monastery and take his place. Secretly, having obtained a branch of lilies, he put it in the place of the aged prior, and the old man, frightened, did not hesitate to really give his soul to God. The ambition of the ambitious man was fulfilled, and he was elected rector. But, having occupied a position that so tempted him, from that time on he could not find peace for himself. He was tormented by pangs of conscience, all joy, all peace of mind disappeared, he gradually withered away and, confessing at his deathbed confession of the crime he had committed, he died ... It is also interesting that the legend "about the night-blooming lily" exists in the Harz mountains. It took place near the town of Lauenburg. A lovely peasant girl, Alice, went with her mother to the forest for brushwood, and on the way they unexpectedly met the ruler of this country, Count Lauenburg, a big Don Juan and red tape. Enticed by her beauty, the count immediately invites her to come to his castle and promises to enrich her and make her the happiest of mortals. Knowing his cruelty and stubbornness, the mother, for the sake of appearance, also persuades Alice to agree to the count's proposal, but as soon as he leaves, he runs with his daughter to a neighboring monastery and begs the abbess to shelter them from the persecution of the count. Soon, however, the count opens their shelter, takes the monastery with his knights by storm and kidnaps the unfortunate woman. Hugging her tightly, he rushes with her on horseback to his castle and at midnight enters his courtyard. But the mountain spirit stands up for her, steals her soul, and the count brings Alice to him already dead. They take her off her horse, and in the place where her feet touched the ground, a wonderful white lily grows, which has since been known among the people under the name "Lauenburg lily". The legend of the lily, which exists in Norman folk tales, is also very beautiful. One knight, having lost faith in the love of women and being unable to find a wife for himself, began to spend whole days in cemeteries, as if asking death, would she show him the way to happiness? And so, wandering among the graves, he met one fine morning a woman of such beauty that he could not even imagine. She was sitting on one of the marble slabs, dressed in a luxurious dress, with wonderful shiny gems on her belt. Her hair was as golden as the pollen of the lily she held in her hands. Such a wonderful fragrance spread around her and she herself was so captivating that the soul of the knight was filled with some kind of reverence, and he, kneeling down, kissed her hand. From this kiss, the beauty, as it were, woke up from a dream and, smiling at him, said: “Would you like to take me to the castle with you, knight? I will give you the happiness that you have been seeking for so long, but before I go with you, you must promise me that you will never speak of death in my presence and that even the very word 'death' will never be in your house. will not be uttered. Think of me as the personification of life on earth, as the flower of youth, as the tenderness of love, and think so continually." The admiring knight put the beauty on his horse, and they rode off. The animal started galloping, as if not feeling any increase in weight, and as they passed through the fields, the wild flowers bowed their heads, the trees gently rustled their leaves, and the whole air was filled with a wonderful smell, as if from some invisible field of lilies. They got married and were very happy. And if sometimes the melancholy characteristic of a knight took possession of him, then as soon as the young wife put a lily in her hair or pinned on her chest, all his sadness was removed as if by hand. Christmas has come. The young people decided to invite their neighbors and have a feast for the glory. The tables were decorated with flowers, the ladies smiled cheerfully and shone from the precious stones that covered their dresses, and the men were in the most cheerful mood, laughing and joking. And while everyone was feasting, the invited troubadour singer sang either about love, or about a tournament and knightly exploits, or about nobility and honor. Then, inspired, he moved on to even more sublime themes and sang about heaven and about resettlement in them through death. And suddenly, at these words, the beautiful lily turned pale and began to wither, like a flower slain by frost. In desperation, the knight grabs her in his arms, but sees with horror that she is shrinking and shrinking, and he is no longer holding a woman, but a lily, whose marvelous petals are falling to the ground. Meanwhile, heavy sighs, like sobs, are heard in the air, and the whole hall is filled with that wonderful smell that he felt at the first meeting with her. With a desperate wave of his hand, the knight moves away and disappears into the darkness of the night, never to appear again... Changes also took place in the yard: it became cold, gloomy, and the angels covered the earth from heaven with lily petals, like snow. In Germany, many legends about the afterlife are also associated with the lily. She, like a tomb rose, serves among the Germans as evidence of either devotion or the posthumous revenge of the deceased. According to popular belief, she is never put on a grave, but she herself grows here under the influence of some invisible force, and grows mainly on the graves of suicides and people who died a violent and generally terrible death. If it grows on the grave of the murdered, then it serves as a sign of impending revenge, and if on the grave of a sinner, then forgiveness and atonement for their sins. Such a belief is even told in the famous medieval ballad "The Killer's Servant". This ballad tells how one noble lady, at the request of her lover, persuaded her devoted servant to kill her husband, attacking him by surprise in the middle of the field. The servant performs the task, the beautiful lady praises him and generously rewards him; but when she rides on her gray horse across the field where the murder has been committed, then suddenly the white lilies growing here begin to nod menacingly at her. Fear and remorse take possession of her, neither day nor night she finds more peace and goes to the monastery. (In A. Mitskevich's ballad "Lilies" (translated by S. Mar), the heroine, having killed her husband, plants white lilies on the grave.) On the lilies, expressing the atonement of sins, there always appear some words written in golden letters. Such words are spoken of in medieval songs about the robber knights Schutenzam and Lindenschmit, who were caught and executed by the Nurembergers, as well as in a song about Count Friedrich, who killed his bride with a sword that accidentally fell from his scabbard. In desperation, her father kills him, and the song ends with the words: "Three days passed, and 3 lilies grew on his grave, on which it was written that the Lord accepted him into his holy cloisters." Finally, it serves, as it were, as a greeting from the deceased to the creatures dear to him who remained on earth, as a result of which there is even a belief that this flower is planted on the grave by the spirit of the deceased.
Let's also say that some Caucasian lilies can turn yellow and red under the influence of rain, and therefore Caucasian girls use them for divination. Having chosen a lily bud, they open it after the rain, and if it turns out to be yellow inside, then their betrothed is unfaithful, but if it is red, then he still loves. The basis of this belief was a very interesting legend that arose back in the XNUMXth century. Once, this legend says, one bridle, returning from a raid, brought with him a young man, the son of a comrade who died during one fight, and adopted him. (Uzdens are one of the categories of the former feudal nobility in the North Caucasus.) The young man, having settled in the house of his second father, met his daughter, the beautiful Tamara, and fell in love with her. She answered him the same, and the young people decided to get married. But her father betrothed her to someone else. Then the young man invites her to run away with him, but the girl, always obedient to the will of her father, does not agree and promises only to pray for a successful outcome, being sure that everything will turn out well if she only goes to one holy hermit living in the mountains and asks him about it. And so, having gathered several servants and relatives, Tamara goes to him. They come. Those accompanying her remain outside, while she enters his cell. At this time, a terrible thunderstorm breaks out. The rain pours like a bucket, the lightning sparkles, the thunder rumbles without ceasing. The retinue barely manages to hide in a nearby cave. The storm passes, the retinue waits for an hour, another, evening comes, but Tamara is still gone. Then all the relatives go to the monk to ask what is the matter with Tamara, why does she not appear? But the hermit tells them: "The Lord heard our prayer. Tamara no longer languishes in her soul, no longer suffers. Look here!" The attendants, following the sign of the monk, look and see in his garden a lily of such beauty that they had never seen before. Its wonderful smell reaches them like incense. But they are overcome by doubt. They do not want to believe in a miracle: they pull the hermit out of his cell, search the whole dwelling, the whole garden, and, having come into indescribable anger, attack him and kill him. Then they burn everything that can burn, destroy the house, smash images of saints, break old trees, destroy its entire library - in a word, when they finally go to tell their father about the mysterious disappearance of Tamara, only a lily remains in the place of fire and destruction. Having learned about the death of his dear, unforgettable daughter, the father dies, but the young man hurries to the place of the transformation of the flower and, stopping in front of him, asks: "Is it true that it is you, Tamara?" - And suddenly there is a quiet whisper, as from a breath of breeze: "Yes, it's me." In desperation, the young man leans towards her, and his large tears fall to the ground near the lily. And he sees that the petals of the lily begin to turn yellow, as if from jealousy, and when the next fall on the flower, they turn red, as if from joy. It is clear that this is his dear, dear Tamara, that his tears are pleasant to her, that she longs to revel in them. And he pours them, pours them endlessly, so that by night the Lord, taking pity on him, turns him into a rain cloud so that he can refresh the lily-Tamara with rain drops as often as possible, as with his love. And now, when a drought begins in the Caucasus, village girls with a song about Tamara go to the fields that are thirsty for moisture and strew them with lily flowers. Attracted by a flower dear to her, the cloud gathers and abundantly pours its burning tears on the earth ... In conclusion, let us recall the importance of lilies in China. In this country of curiosities called "golden lily" is not our charming flower, but the mutilated hoof-shaped leg of a Chinese woman, considered by the sons of the Heavenly Empire, as you know, the height of beauty. Thanks to such mutilated legs, the gait of Chinese women is usually very slow and ungraceful, and in order to maintain balance, poor women have to stagger from side to side and swing their arms violently. But it is precisely this staggering that the Chinese liken to the gentle swaying of lilies, and the disfigured legs that cause it are likened to the lily itself. What would lily say to that if she could only speak?! Author: Zolotnitsky N.
Lily. Botanical description, plant history, legends and folk traditions, cultivation and use
Lily got its name from the ancient Gaulish word "li-li", which literally means "white-white". The first images of her are found on Cretan vases and frescoes, starting from 1750 BC, and then among the ancient Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. In Persia, during the reign of Cyrus, the lily was the main decoration of lawns, courtyards and reservoirs. The capital of ancient Persia, Susa, was called the city of lilies, and several flowers of this majestic plant were depicted on its coat of arms. According to ancient Greek legend, the Theban queen Alcmene secretly gave birth to the boy Hercules from Zeus, but, fearing the punishment of Zeus's wife, Hera, she hid the newborn in the bushes. However, Hera accidentally discovered the baby and decided to breastfeed him. But little Hercules sensed an enemy in Hera and rudely pushed the goddess away. Milk splashed into the sky, which formed the Milky Way, and those few drops that fell to the ground sprouted and turned into lilies. From the XNUMXth century BC, information came that the magnificent garden of the Athenian beauty Phryne was buried in white lilies. The ancient Greeks, attributing a divine origin to the flower, considered it also a symbol of hope. In honor of the flower, young Greek women competed in running at the festivities of Flora, where the winner was certainly decorated with a wreath of white lilies, and each girl flattered herself with the hope of getting such a wreath. In late Christian iconography, the archangel Gabriel on the day of the annunciation hands the holy virgin Mary a white lily. According to biblical legend, she grew out of the tears of Eve, who was expelled from paradise. According to the legends of other peoples, it appears on the graves of innocently convicted people. The Siberian legend tells that the lily saranka (in Siberian "saran") grew from the heart of the Cossack ataman Yermak, who died during the conquest of Siberia in 1585, and since then the flower has given courage and stamina to soldiers. The legend of the saran came to life during the Great Patriotic War war, inspiring Siberian warriors to the exploits. Siberian old-timers assure: "Whoever touches the Saran even once, he will be strong and courageous for the rest of his life." In Rus', a white lily was considered a symbol of purity and purity, so they were often given to brides. The lily was also honored in Rus' as a symbol of peace. The beauty and grace of the white lily was reflected in folk songs, legends, epics, and in many works of art. An important place is occupied by lilies in the history of France. In the XNUMXth century, the French king Clovis defeated the Germans on the banks of the Li River. The victors returned from the battlefield, decorated with lilies, and since then three lilies have flaunted on the banners and in the coat of arms of France, personifying the three virtues - compassion, justice and mercy. At the Louvre Museum in Paris, the famous museum of art treasures, a golden monument to Joan of Arc has been erected. A folk heroine in knightly armor sits on a horse and holds a spear with a banner in her hands. For her exploits in the name of the motherland, after her death they began to call her de li ("lily"). The coat of arms of Joan of Arc depicts a sword with two lilies on the sides and a wreath of lilies on top on a blue background.
In the distant past, the entire coastal strip of Italy, from Pisa to Naples, was occupied by swamps. In all likelihood, the legend of the beautiful Melinda and the swamp king was born there. The king's eyes shimmered like phosphorescent rot, and instead of legs there were frog legs. And yet he became the husband of the beautiful Melinda, whom he was helped to get by a yellow egg-pod, personifying treason and deceit from time immemorial. Walking with her friends by the swampy lake, Melinda admired the golden floating flowers and, in order to pick one of them, stepped on the coastal stump, under the guise of which the lord of the bog was hiding. The "stump" went to the bottom and dragged the girl along with it, and on the bridge, where she disappeared under water, snow-white flowers with a yellow core surfaced. So after the lilies-pods appeared water lilies-lilies, meaning in the ancient language of flowers "you must never deceive me." Lilies are first-class ornamental plants, and the beginning of their culture dates back to the distant past. The oldest cultivated plant, the snow-white lily is found wild in Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. People have long learned to grow white, yellow, red and speckled lilies in gardens, which are called tiger lilies. In Russia, white lilies began to be cultivated under Peter I. And if the white lily is a symbol of innocence and purity, then the red personifies shyness, because the paint of shame spilled over its petals. It is impossible not to recall the already mentioned saranka lily, which almost does not look like its sisters. If the white lily is cold, strict, indifferent in appearance, then the locust is its clear opposite. The petals of her flowers are exactly turned inside out. It seems that the locust is about ready to start dancing. But the most beautiful of all is the Lauenburg lily. When it first bloomed, it looked so elegant that the wild flowers bowed their corollas before it, the trees fluttered their leaves, and the air was filled with a wonderful smell. With moisture in the rim, she looked like a pearl. "The Parian stone in its whiteness, and the scent of nard will not surpass the lily. I believe that after the gold of the roses it is appropriate for the silver lilies to follow; after all, with its aroma and appearance, the lily, as they believe, will not yield to the beauty of roses ..." - so majestic and inspirational the French doctor Odo from Mena speaks about the flower. The rarest and, therefore, the most valuable of the lilies is the royal lily, whose homeland is the western Sichuan of China, a narrow valley lost among the mountains in snow hats. In 1903, the English botanist E. Wilson first arrived here, who had the priority in discovering this plant with snow-white flowers. Lily bulbs were brought to England, and from England her lily highness went on a triumphal procession through the gardens and parks of the world. Author: Krasikov S.
Lily, Lilium. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Lily, Lilium. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Lilies are beautiful and fragrant flowers that are used as ornamentals and essential oils. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing lilies: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
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