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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Myrtle. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Mirt, Myrtus. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Myrtle (Myrtus) Family: Myrtle (Myrtaceae) Origin: Mediterranean and South Asia Area: Myrtle is found naturally in the Mediterranean, southern Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. Chemical composition: Myrtle contains essential oil, gallic acid, tannins, flavonoids, vitamins A and C, and trace elements. Economic value: Myrtle is used as an ornamental plant and as a source of essential oil, which is used in perfumery and cosmetics. Myrtle also has medicinal properties and is prescribed in traditional medicine for the treatment of colds, diseases of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and other diseases. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Greek mythology, myrtle was associated with the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, love and fertility. It was said that the myrtle was a symbol of femininity and beauty, and was used in religious ceremonies associated with the veneration of the goddess Aphrodite. In Mediterranean culture, myrtle is associated with the concept of fertility and abundance. It is used as a symbol of fertility and prosperity, and often adorns wedding bouquets and wreaths. In the culture of the East, myrtle is associated with the concept of mysticism and spirituality. It is used in rituals related to purification and enlightenment and symbolizes the idea of spiritual purity and humility. Symbolically, myrtle is associated with the concept of life and eternity. It symbolizes the idea of rebirth and restoration of vitality. Myrtle is also associated with the concept of love, fidelity and friendship, and is used as a symbol of these ideas. In magic and esotericism, myrtle is used as a protective talisman that can scare away evil spirits and negative energy. It is also used to improve mood, increase energy, and bring good luck.
Mirt, Myrtus. Description, illustrations of the plant Myrtle. Legends, myths, history
According to one ancient Arab legend, the myrtle grew on the earth from the fragrant branch of the plant that Adam took with him from Paradise on the day of his exile, in order to transfer to our sinful earth at least one of those marvelous plants that adorned the garden of bliss forever lost to man; and therefore myrtle in ancient times usually served as a symbol of hope, this echo of heavenly happiness, which on earth is often one of the greatest blessings and consolations for suffering humanity. Another Greek legend tells the following. Among the numerous nymphs that inhabited the vicinity of the forest of Athens, Minerva especially liked the beautiful Myrsina. She constantly admired her, spoiled her endlessly and could not breathe on her. But the love of one woman for another often meets a dangerous rival in pride. So it happened here too: dexterous, graceful in her movements, Mirsina defeated the goddess in speed of running and wrestling. Self-esteem was hurt, envy flared up, and the goddess, forgetting everything, killed Mirsina. Coming to her senses, she was horrified by the crime she had committed and began to pray to Zeus and other gods to leave her at least some memory of her dear, beloved favorite. The gods took pity, and from Mirsina's body grew a myrtle tree as graceful as herself. Seeing him, Minerva sobbed and, embracing him in her arms, did not want to part with him anymore. But in vain she hugged him, in vain caressed him - the wonderful myrtle remained only a soulless green monument, only a bitter memory of the lovely creature that she ruined. Written sources testify that the ancient Greek goddess-huntress Artemis did not like this tree, as it once caught on her clothes and interfered with the hunt. In ancient Rome, the goddess of love Venus, on the contrary, adored this tree. In Roman mythology, many legends are associated with myrtle. One of them tells about the cruel beauty Alcina, who lives on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Possessing extraordinary beauty, she attracted the attention of many sailors, but as soon as they reached the cherished island, the girl turned the unfortunate into myrtle trees. In another legend, the myrtle was a tree behind which Venus hid from the faun, emerging naked from the waves of the sea. There is also a legend that Venus won the famous beauty dispute thanks to a wreath of myrtle. Paris gave her the apple because he liked the green wreath. In the festivals that took place in honor of Venus, all the Greeks decorated themselves with wreaths of myrtle. And the noble Roman women in April adorned themselves with myrtle, sacrificing to Venus, and prayed to the goddess to keep them young and beautiful longer. In addition to the festivities of Venus, myrtle played a large role in the celebrations of Ceres, Proserpina and Bacchus. According to another legend, Venus used the branches of myrtle as rods. She carved Psyche with them when she decided to equal Venus in beauty. Later, the myrtle was dedicated to the companion of Venus - Grazia, and was a symbol of sensual love among the Greeks. They decorated the bride and groom on their wedding day. In some countries of the East, myrtle adorned the heads of brides. Until now, this custom has been preserved in Germany and in Bremen. In France, during weddings, myrtle in a pot is carried simply as an attribute of the festival. In England, myrtle in wreaths and bouquets is present at the marriage of dignitaries, especially those of the royal house. In other countries, small white myrtle flowers are now replaced with artificial ones on the bride's veil.
Among the Romans, a myrtle wreath adorned the head of the god of marriage - Hymen. It was believed that myrtle has a stimulating effect. Getera - maids of love and fun, decorated the statues of Venus-Ericina with myrtles and roses, praying her to grant them the art of pleasing. In Italy, even now, women and men add myrtle essence to baths to preserve youth, vigor and excitement. Myrtle wreaths of the Greeks were a sign of the power of the highest Athenian ranks. A wreath of myrtle was honored in Rome for heroes for civil valor or war without shedding blood. The myrtle wreath was put on those who wanted to recite the verses of the poets Aeschylus and Simonides. A lyre was also wrapped around the myrtle when someone wanted to sing his improvisation. There is a legend that the insidious sorceress turned her bored lovers into myrtle. However, the brave Moorish knight, who owns white magic, freed himself and almost all his predecessors from witchcraft. In New Greece, myrtle is considered sacred even now: no one passes by a myrtle bush without picking at least a small twig, if he wants to preserve youthful vigor and freshness of strength until old age. It has been used by man since ancient times. In ancient and subsequent times, myrtle was valued as a ritual plant. Already in the Middle Ages, its medicinal properties were known. Myrtle water was prepared from the leaves of the plant, with the help of which the face was rejuvenated. Wine infusions from the fruits of myrtle were considered an invigorating drink, which they took with them on long journeys. It was customary to carry with you a sprig of myrtle, which should preserve strength. In the Baltic states, myrtle is still grown indoors: girls, when they get married, put a wreath of its branches on their heads. Hence one of the popular names of this plant is "bride tree". Author: Martyanova L.M.
Myrtle (myrtle). Botanical description, plant history, legends and folk traditions, cultivation and use
Myrtle - this is the most modest of plants, the flowers of which almost do not attract attention and all the beauty of which is concentrated only in fragrant shiny leaves - has always enjoyed such fame and love of the peoples of different countries and times that many of the most beautiful and luxurious flowers can envy it. According to one ancient Arab legend, myrtle grew on earth from a fragrant branch of that plant that Adam took with him from paradise on the day of his exile, in order to transfer to our sinful earth at least one of those wondrous plants that adorned the garden of bliss forever lost to man; and therefore myrtle in ancient times usually served as a symbol of hope, this echo of heavenly happiness, which on earth is often one of the greatest blessings and consolations for suffering humanity. According to other sources, her homeland is Persia, from where she was transferred from time immemorial to Egypt, where her image can often be found on monuments from the time of the pharaohs in scenes representing some kind of solemn processions. In these scenes, as a rule, all the women weeping and walking in front of the procession carry myrtle branches in their hands. Among the ancient Jews, myrtle was considered the emblem of the world. Jewish laws ordered her to clean her tent with greenery during the seven-day festivities in memory of the Exodus from Egypt, when all Jews were ordered to stock up on good fruits (lemons), palm branches and branches of a weeping willow. Such a combination of these plants was supposed to mystically depict the unity of the deity with his creation, and the lemons represented the Creator himself, the palm branch - the spiritual principle, the myrtle - the sky with all its starry world, and the weeping willow - the earth with its numerous inhabitants. In the myrtle bush, an angel also appeared to Zechariah, announcing the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, as a result of which it was prescribed to decorate the tabernacle with branches on the days of the festivities and generally use them during religious church ceremonies. (The tabernacle (Greek - a hut, tent) is a Hebrew portable, camping temple; it is considered a prototype of the Christian church.) In addition, the Jews had a custom to decorate the dead with myrtle wreaths, which at first was transferred even to Christians, but then was forbidden by the fathers of the church as non-Christian, as well as the custom to decorate the heads of brides with them, which, on the contrary, has survived to this day in some countries, especially in Germany. Myrtle enjoyed no less respect among the ancient Greeks. According to their beliefs, this is not a simple product of the earth, but it grew only at the will and desire of the goddess of wisdom, Minerva, as repentance and memory of the crime she had thoughtlessly committed. The Greek legend tells the following. “Among the numerous nymphs that inhabited the vicinity of the forest of Athens, Minerva especially liked the beautiful Mirsina. She constantly admired her, endlessly pampered her and could not breathe on her. But the love of one woman for another often meets a dangerous rival in pride. It happened here too: deft, graceful in her movements, Mirsina defeated the goddess in speed of running and fighting. "Everything, she killed Mirsina. Recovering herself, she was horrified by the crime she had committed and began to pray to Zeus and other gods that they would leave her at least some memory of her dear, beloved favorite. The gods took pity, and from Mirsina's body grew as graceful as her, a tree - myrtle. Seeing him, Minerva sobbed and, embracing him in her arms, did not want to part with him anymore. But in vain she hugged him, in vain caressed him - the wonderful myrtle remained only a soulless green monument, only a bitter memory of the lovely creature she ruined. As a result, myrtle probably played no part in the rituals of Minerva, and wreaths of myrtle were offered to this goddess only on rare occasions. She was a tree dedicated to Venus, who, as one legend says, emerging naked from the waves of the sea to the island of Cythera, hid from a faun pursuing her behind a myrtle. According to another legend, Venus was crowned with a wreath of myrtle in the famous dispute about beauty, and thanks to him, Paris, as if, even gave her an apple. In remembrance of this pleasant event, Venus made myrtle her favorite plant and often called herself "Myrthea", which, however, did not prevent her from using a branch of myrtle as a rod, and she carved Psyche with it, as they say, when she decided to equal her in beauty. In the celebrations in honor of Venus that took place annually in April, all the participants, as well as all the young girls and young people present, were crowned with myrtle wreaths. On the wedding day, the bride and groom were decorated with myrtle wreaths, and this myrtle, according to Cato, found a special name among the Romans - wedding myrtle (Myrtus conjugalis). In addition to the festivities of Venus, myrtle also played a large role in the Eleusinian celebrations in honor of Ceres, Proserpina and Bacchus; and in the part where the festival in honor of Ceres was connected with the festival of Bacchus, it even replaced the ivy that belonged to all its celebrations. (Eleusinia - agrarian festivals, the center of which was the city of Eleusis (near Athens). The growth of fruits seemed like a great secret, which Ceres (Demeter) reveals only to the elect.) On the sixth day of these festivities of Bacchus, a boy named Yakha was carried on a wreath of myrtle to the temple of Ceres, where he was glorified all the next night and sung in a special hymn composed in his honor. Here, in the sanctuary of the Eleusinian temple, Ceres also carried a myrtle wreath on her head, and all the priests belonging to the temple were crowned with the same wreaths. Then the myrtle was also dedicated to the companion of Venus - Grazia, whose statues, in addition to the rose and the dice (symbols of beauty and carefree youth), also held in their hands a myrtle branch - a symbol of sensual love. Finally, myrtle wreaths played a significant role back in Eleutheria - games in honor of freedom, where all the chariots were decorated with them during the procession, and in the festivities that took place on the island of Crete and in Corinth - Gelotia in honor of the goddess of the moon - Europe, where with the greatest pomp they carried a myrtle wreath, which had about 7 fathoms in diameter. Myrtle was of great importance not only in the religious rituals of the Greeks, but also in their social and domestic life. So, the highest Athenian ranks wore myrtle wreaths as a sign of power, with myrtle wreaths in their hands there were also petitioners who wanted to arouse sympathy for themselves; the winners at the Isthmian games were decorated with myrtle and the statues of fallen heroes were removed with myrtle wreaths, wanting to show that they were not forgotten by the people. (The Isthmian Games, or Isthmia, are holidays in honor of Poseidon, celebrated every 2 years in Isthma (Isthmus of Corinth), where the temple of the Isthmian Poseidon was located.) Myrtle was cleaned at home where the wedding took place; they removed the guests, in whose honor some kind of celebration was arranged; and they also crowned the statues of the gods with it, if they wanted to resort to their help. Thus, a story has come down to us that the Peloponnesian inhabitant of Tantalus, wanting to get Hippodamia, the daughter of Enom, to marry him, ordered the whole statue of Venus of Lemnos to be covered with myrtle. But the custom was especially original to put on a myrtle wreath every time someone who wanted to recite the verses of Aeschylus or Simonides, by which, of course, the ancient Greeks wanted to express special respect for these poets, and to wrap myrtle around the lyre when someone wanted to sing some improvisation. The myrtle wreath was often called "Naucratis" by the Greeks. The origin of this name is told as follows. Once a merchant named Herostratus from the city of Naukratida was returning to his home from the island of Cyprus, carrying the sacred statue of Venus he had acquired there. Suddenly, such a terrible storm arose near the coast of Egypt that from minute to minute they expected the death of the ship. In horror, the entire crew gathered around the statue of the goddess and prayed for her salvation. And now, taking pity, Venus ordered the myrtle bushes to grow around the ship. The myrtles grew up, protected the ship from the pressure of the waves, and the entire crew and passengers were saved. Having reached their native harbor, the entire crew, in gratitude, twisted wreaths of myrtle for themselves, and Herostratus in a solemn procession transferred the myrtle statue to the temple of the goddess and made her a thankful sacrifice. Then he gave all the guests a luxurious feast, at which he wove wreaths of miraculous myrtle and handed them to those present as a saving talisman. Since then, as they say, the myrtle wreath began to bear the name "Naucratis". Another original ancient legend associated with myrtle is the story of the death of Phaedra, Theseus' wife. Not far from the city of Trazen, says this legend, there is a huge myrtle, under which for several years the treacherous Phaedra, immersed in heavy sad thoughts, sat down every time her beloved stepson Hippolytus set off on his brilliant chariot, accompanied by a whole pack of dogs to hunt. Exhausted with love for him, the unfortunate woman impatiently pierced the leaves of the myrtle with her golden hairpins, which served her as a hairstyle, and, in the end, hanged herself on the same myrtle. The traces of pricks from Phaedra's hairpins, ends the legend, can still be seen if you look at the leaves in the light. We only add that the dots that look like injections are not at all traces of any injections, but small glands containing the essential oil, thanks to which the leaves of myrtle have a pleasant smell characteristic of them. On the site of the tragic death of Phaedra, a temple was erected in honor of Venus. One medieval legend is also curious about the transformation of one Moorish knight into such a tree. This knight, named Rogero, moored on a ship to shores unknown to him, tied his horse to a myrtle tree, and himself quenched his thirst at a spring flowing into some garden. Then, placing his helmet, shield, and weapons beside him, he lay down to rest, when suddenly a voice came from the tree to which he tied his horse, saying to him: "Am I not suffering enough to have to endure such rudeness?" The knight, hastening to untie his horse, asked: "Who are you? A tree or a mortal? I apologize for my involuntary mistake and therefore I will try, if only to erase it, to fulfill whatever you wish." Then the tree, releasing a few resinous drops from the bark like tears, said: “I am Astolfo, the paladin of France, who in his time was one of the bravest and most courageous knights. Returning from the East with several comrades, I reached the castle of the terrible Alcina. She seduced me with her beauty, and I followed her to her island dwelling. was carried away, and then, to get rid of me, she turned me into a myrtle. Many others suffered the same fate, and here before you are many people turned into cedars, olives and palm trees. Some of them are turned into springs, into rocks, and some into animals. Beware of undergoing the same fate! " But Rogero paid little attention to this warning. He also met the lovely Alcina, and, struck by her beauty, allowed himself to be taken to her castle with walls of gold and columns of diamonds. He lived merrily with her for many days, then he got tired of her and was turned into a myrtle. But since he possessed the knowledge of white magic, which was stronger than black, he not only freed himself, but also took revenge on Alcina for her perfidy, freeing all the other comrades she turned into something. Serving mainly as a symbol of love, myrtle was, however, among the Greeks and a symbol of a gloomy afterlife. The ancients, as you know, having placed the daughter of Ceres, Proserpina, kidnapped by Pluto, in his gloomy kingdom of shadows, decorated this kingdom with green vegetation. And myrtle played a leading role here, forming those mysterious passages and dens where the inconsolable wandered, whom some unbearable passion forced them to end life on earth ahead of time. Virgil describes these avenues of sighs thus: "Not far from there you see sad fields. These are places where loud sighs of lovers are heard, Whom the inexorable arrow of Cupid Forcibly turned into wandering shadows. Here they roam along mysteriously hidden paths, Overgrown with a dense myrtle forest..." Moreover, since Venus, as Venus-Libitina and Aphrodite-Epitimbia, was, on the one hand, the goddess of death, who, calling everything to life, at the same time drew everything into the gloomy abyss of the underworld in order to revive everything again, and on the other hand, the guardian of graves and mortal remains, myrtle was also considered a plant of death and adorned the graves of the ancient Greeks. Especially diligently planted with it the graves of the dear dead, believing that it would accompany them in the realm of shadows. Faith in this connection was so great that in the tragedy of Euripides "Electra" we see: anyone who wanted to serve as a witness at the trial against the deceased had to first go to his grave and lay a myrtle branch as a sign that he would speak only one truth at the court. From the ancient Greeks, the cult of myrtle passed to the ancient Romans. Erato, the muse of erotic poetry, wore a myrtle wreath. The same wreath was adorned with the head of the god of marriage - Hymen, who was always depicted as a charming young man with a lit torch in his hand. However, on the altar of the patroness of women - Bona Dea (good goddess), during the service of which no man should have been present, laying myrtle was strictly forbidden, since this plant, according to the Romans, was a reminder of sensual pleasure, representatives of which were Cupid and Venus. It was believed that the myrtle itself had an exciting beginning, as a result of which it was allegedly even dedicated to these deities. For the same reason, the Roman friends of fun - hetaeras crowned on April 2, the day of the celebration of the spring holiday of Venus-Ericina, a statue of her with myrtles and roses, praying for her to grant them the art of pleasing. Noble Roman women did not miss this month either. Having bathed in April under the myrtle trees and adorned themselves with their branches, they went to sacrifice to Venus, praying her to keep them young and beautiful for a longer time. A custom similar to this has survived to this day in Italy, where now women, pouring myrtle essence into baths, are convinced that it will endow them with beauty and virgin freshness. They say that even men do not neglect such baths there. Let us say, by the way, that even this myrtle water, known as angelic water, is in such use in Italy and Greece that not a single noble lady in these countries can do without it. In addition, a volatile oil is extracted from all parts of the plant, which was used in ancient times as a skin irritant, and from the juice of crushed myrtle fruits with alcohol an oily liquid is obtained, which is considered by great mistresses to be liked by the means that impart beauty and freshness to the skin. In addition to this cosmetic value of myrtle, let us add that in ancient times it also had some medicinal value. So, the wine infusion of the mentioned fruits was considered an elixir of health, vigor, they were usually treated in the hope of restoring strength and restoring health to wounded soldiers. In addition, the young, still unblown aromatic buds of its flowers were used by the ancients in a special preparation as a means of reinforcing the stomach. And even now its seeds are used in Tuscany instead of cinnamon, with which they have some similarity in taste. Here is also in great use a wine infusion of branches and fruits of myrtle, called "myrtiducum", the aroma of which the Tuscans especially like. Finally, the myrtle fruits of Myrtus pinatis growing in the West Indies are also used in England, where they are called Semen Amomi, or simply English spice. They taste very similar to peppers. The temple of Venus-Ericina in Rome was located inside the circus, not far from the Aventine Hill, and was all surrounded by myrtle bushes and trees, as a result of which this Venus even bore the name "Mircia". Her other nickname was Venus cloacina - Venus the purifier, since it was believed that myrtle had a cleansing power, and therefore, when the struggle for the abduction of the Sabine women ended, the Romans and Sabines, laying down their weapons, cleansed themselves (on the very spot where the now mentioned statue of Venus was later erected) with a smoke from the lit branches of myrtle. (The abduction of the Sabine women is a well-known scene from Roman mythology. When one of the founders of Rome, Romulus, who killed his twin brother Remus, became the Roman king and held a holiday, he invited his neighbors - the Sabines. During the holiday, Roman youths began to kidnap Sabine girls, which was the reason for the outbreak of war between the Romans and the Sabines.) But among the Romans, myrtle had not only the meaning of a talisman crowning the beauty, but also played an important role in public life. Romulus, as you know, after his elevation to a deity, received the name Quirinus - from the Sabine word "quirinus" - a spear (in a figurative sense - a warrior), and a temple was erected to him. But over time, this temple turned into ruins and remained in this form until 306 BC. e., when finally the consul Lunius Papirius Cursor restored it. Then the first sundial in Rome was placed on it, and two myrtle trees were planted in front of them, of which one was supposed to depict patricians, and the other plebeians. Planted near such a highly venerated temple, these trees became sacred to the Romans. They began to see in them something inspired, divine, and firmly believed that they could always be used to judge the preponderance of one or another party. “If,” they said, “the patricians prevail over the plebeians, then their tree grows luxuriantly, and the plebeian tree withers, and if the plebeians win, then their tree grows, and the patrician tree dies.” To what extent their faith was confirmed, we do not know, but they say that they followed their development with superstitious fear and trembling.
Myrtle also played a significant role in Roman triumphs. The Romans crowned heroes with a wreath woven from it for civil valor or for a war without shedding blood. This wreath was called "corona ovalis", from the word ovus - a sheep, since when laying it, a sheep was usually sacrificed to the gods. The first to receive such an award was the consul Postum Tubertus, who defeated the Sabines; but when the same wreath was presented to M. Crassus upon his return from a victorious campaign, he rejected it, and the senate, finding that he was right, awarded him a laurel wreath - as a reward for military exploits. We have already said that the ancient Jews and Greeks had a custom to decorate the bride and groom with myrtle. This custom was preserved among the descendants of the ancient Greeks, the modern Greeks, and so far, they now have myrtle now and then replaces the usual orange blossom in this case in our time. (Orange blossom, literally - "orange flowers", twigs of flowering citrus trees that decorated the bride, they also made up her bouquet.) From them, he probably moved to Germany. The time of its appearance here is not completely reliably known, in printed sources until the 1583th century it is not mentioned at all, although in some books, such as, for example, in the book of Comarius "On the Marriage Crowns", published in Magdeburg in 1672, all the flowers that can be used at a wedding are listed in detail, and in the book of Santa Cli, published in XNUMX, they are even given with an indication of the symbolic meaning of each of them. Among them are hyacinth, royal scepter, rose, violet, lily of the valley, forget-me-not, daisy, amaranth and others, rosemary is also mentioned as a flower for wreaths of the dead, but not a word about myrtle. (The royal scepter, or mullein, is a large herbaceous plant from the Norichnikov family.) On the other hand, there is an indication that myrtle was used as a wedding decoration much earlier than the 1583th century. So, on the veils of brides of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, on which comemorative (commemorative) inscriptions were usually made and which are stored in ancient surnames as a precious heritage of ancestors, one can see woven inscriptions surrounded by wreaths of myrtle. Moreover, there is even a legend that the first to wear a myrtle wreath at a wedding (XNUMX) was the daughter of Jacob Fugger, a famous medieval millionaire. Therefore, about this year must be considered the beginning of the custom of decorating brides with myrtle wreaths in Germany. However, the general use of myrtle as a wedding flower occurred much later, and the introduction of this custom went, apparently, from the bottom up, since from trading people, which Fugger was, he moved first to noble, and then to princely families. How rare this use was, however, even in the 1760th century, is already clear from the fact that when in XNUMX the daughter of the city foreman of the city of Halberstadt had a small myrtle wreath on her head on her wedding day, it was considered as something especially noble, aristocratic, and even the press announced this. The wreath is kept in this family to this day. It was made from artificial myrtle branches ordered from Paris. As for the question of how this custom originated in Germany, it seems that it passed here from Greece and from the East, since it appeared primarily in the cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg, which, as is known, had the main relations with these countries in the Middle Ages. The custom of decorating brides with a myrtle wreath has been preserved in Germany to this day, so that these flowers are preferred there to the orange blossom used in France for this purpose. Now, out of respect for the ancient custom, even grand ducal brides are decorated with such wreaths there, and in some places, such as, for example, in Bremen, each wedding is even accompanied by a special myrtle feast. From other states, Mirta plays a role in weddings in France, and moreover, mainly in village weddings, where, however, they do not always decorate the bride’s head, but they are more just like an attribute of the festivities in the form of a plant in a pot, which goes to sign a marriage agreement to the mayor (mayor), and in England, where my civilian wreaths and bouquets are in great use. marriage of high -ranking persons, especially a person of the royal house. At the English court, this wedding custom is said to have been introduced by the late Queen Victoria, who personally planted in her gardens at Osborne a tiny myrtle branch taken from the wedding bouquet of her daughter, the late Empress Frederick of Germany. This twig took root, and when it grew into a tree, Victoria never missed an opportunity not to put at least one branch plucked from her into the wedding bouquet of her daughters and granddaughters. Since then, this custom has taken root, and now the composition of the bouquet of every bride of the English royal house necessarily includes a myrtle branch from this tree. The famous French dramatic actress Rachel was also a great lover of myrtle. While still a poor Jewess and living in the attic of the Rue Temple in Paris, she carefully looked after, as she writes in her notes, a little myrtle, which, as it seemed to her, should bring her happiness. And happiness really smiled at her; from an obscure little actress, she became a world celebrity. But even being already surrounded by a halo of glory, she continued to love and cherish this plant, large bushes and even trees of which always adorned all the rooms of her luxurious premises and especially her boudoir. By the way, we note that, loving the humid climate, myrtle has taken root in England so much that now it can be considered a native plant, but meanwhile, until the end of the 1586th century, it was not yet here. It is said that the first myrtle tree was brought here in XNUMX by Sir Walter Raleigh and Francis Carew from Spain, where they lived for a long time as representatives of England. These same nobles were the first to inform the English government of the formation of the great Spanish armada and warned him of the danger threatening England; so that with the introduction of myrtle into England is connected, one might say, the deliverance of the fatherland from the misfortune that threatened it. This tree was planted at Beddington, in Surrey, and existed as early as 1724, so that, therefore, it reached 156 years of age. At this time it was 18 feet high and had a crown of about 45 feet. Now it no longer exists and died, in all likelihood, in the harsh winter of 1740, when, according to the chronicle, most of the exotic trees in Carew Park in Beddington froze (by the way, and at the same time as the myrtle, the first orange tree planted there). (Foot - 30,48 cm.) But myrtle trees of this size are not uncommon in England; and at present there are many of them to be seen in Devonshire, in Worthing, in Breadwater, and especially in the Isle of Wight, where they are found in almost every garden. In many places they are even covered with a mass of flowers. Respect for myrtle was preserved in New Greece; and here, and especially on the island of Crete, there is even a belief that you should never pass by a myrtle bush without picking at least a small twig from it, if you want to preserve youthful vigor and freshness of strength until old age. There was even a song: "Whoever passes by the myrtle, / Without tearing off the fragrant branch from it, / He - be he a hero, be a husband in the prime of life - / Will be only a weak old man." The same belief in the invigorating effect of myrtle was preserved in Italy, where on Shrovetide in some cities, for example in Tuscany, all boys and young girls are decorated with wreaths of myrtle as a sign that they are full of strength and youth. For the same reason, Roman pilgrims, going on a long journey, always stock up on a ring of myrtle, which, in their opinion, gives them strength to make the journey safely. But, on the other hand, the myrtle leaves seen in a dream were considered even in the Middle Ages as a harbinger of some kind of trouble. "If you are a poor servant," the dream book of that time says about this, "then know that you will lose your place, but if you are rich, then great grief awaits you." Author: Zolotnitsky N.
Mirt, Myrtus. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Mirt, Myrtus. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Myrtle (Myrtus) is an evergreen shrub or tree that grows in temperate and subtropical climates. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing myrtle: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
Myrtle has many health benefits and its leaves are used in cooking and folk medicine.
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