 |
Daffodil
(The), or “Lent Lily,” was once white; but Persephone, daughter
of Demeter (Ceres), delighted to wander about the flowery meadows of
Sicily. One spring-tide she tripped over the meadows, wreathed her
head with wild lilies, and, throwing herself on the grass, fell asleep.
The god of the Infernal Regions, called by the Romans Pluto, fell in
love with the beautiful maid, and carried her off for his bride. His
touch turned the white flowers to a golden yellow, and some of them
fell in Acheron, where they grew luxuriantly; and ever since the flower
has been planted on graves. Theophilus and Pliny tell us that the
ghosts delight in the flower, called by them the Asphodel. It was once
called the Affodil. (French, asphodéle; Latin, asphodilus;
Greek, asphodilos.)
“Flour of daffodil is a cure for madness.”
Med. MS.Lincoln Cathedral,
f.282.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Daffodil from Infoplease:
|
|
