A Continuing Exploration of Mythological Connections to Flora and Fauna

Having grown up in a floral shop, I naturally love flowers. I used to spend hours in the greenhouses with my grandfather, watering and taking care of his precious charges. People always asked my grandfather how he managed to grow the most beautiful flowers in the state of Oklahoma. He always answered in the same way: With love.

My favorite flower growing up was the carnation. In particular, I loved the red and white striped ones. However, I couldn't figure out how they grew with two different colors in a single flower. My grandfather told me he used a magic word to turn white carnations into the peppermint ones.

I spent many hours trying to figure out what that magic word was. When the flowers finally bloomed in red and white I was deliriously happy except for one thing. I didn't know which word I had used that made the magic happen. It wasn't until much later that realized there was no magic word. By then, of course, it really didn't matter.

Flowers continue to enthrall people all over the world for a lot of different reasons. They are beautiful, smell delicious, brighten our day, and make us feel better. They have done that for thousands of years; all the way back to the days of ancient mythology.

Here are some of the myths that surround many the flowers that we enjoy today. Let's start with my favorite - - the carnation.

Carnations have different meanings to different cultures. The ancient Aztecs believed that they were the flowers of the dead. Their fragrant petals were used to adorn the corpses of royalty as they were being prepared for burial. Their scent helped to curb the smell of decaying corpses as they lay in state and as the burial process began.

To many Oriental cultures, the carnation also has meaning, albeit not always the same one. Some considered carnations a flower of royalty as well. It was never gifted to those of a lower class. Others also viewed it as the death flower as well as one that brought bad luck.