If the beginning of the day begins with positive feelings, then the whole day flies by with less loss. Growing vegetation is a very pleasant activity that brings positive feelings not only to family members but also to many neighbors. A flower garden is a wonderful enhancement to every design. Driving next to a bright flower garden, you can’t help but stop looking at some amazing fruit. And everyone comes up with an idea: maybe it’s necessary to grow a flower garden at home?
The name of the flower “hyacinth” in Greek means “flower of rains”, but the Greeks simultaneously called it the flower of sadness and also the flower of memory of Hyacinth...
The name of this plant is associated greek legend. In Ancient Sparta, Hyacinth was for some time one of the most significant gods, but gradually his glory faded and his place in mythology was taken by the god of beauty and sun Phoebus, or Apollo. For thousands of years, the legend of Hyacinth and Apollo remains one of the most famous stories about the origin of flowers.
The favorite of the god Apollo was a young man named Hyacinth. Hyacinth and Apollo often organized sports competitions. One day, during a sports competition, Apollo was throwing a discus and accidentally threw a heavy discus directly at Hyacinth. Drops of blood splashed onto the green grass and after a while fragrant purple-red flowers grew in it. It was as if many miniature lilies were collected into one inflorescence (sultan), and Apollo’s sorrowful exclamation was inscribed on their petals. This flower is tall and slender, and the ancient Greeks called it hyacinth. Apollo immortalized the memory of his favorite with this flower, which grew from the blood of a young man.
In the same Ancient Greece, hyacinth was considered a symbol of dying and resurrecting nature. On the famous throne of Apollo in the city of Amykli, the procession of Hyacinth to Olympus was depicted; According to legend, the base of the statue of Apollo seated on the throne represents the altar in which the deceased young man was buried.
According to a later legend, during Trojan War Ajax and Odysseus simultaneously claimed ownership of Achilles' weapons after his death. When the council of elders unfairly awarded weapons to Odysseus, Ajax was so shocked that the hero pierced himself with a sword. From the drops of his blood a hyacinth grew, the petals of which are shaped like the first letters of Ajax's name - alpha and upsilon.
Guria curls. This is what hyacinth was called in Eastern countries. “The tangle of black curls will only be scattered by the comb - And hyacinths will fall in a stream on the roses of the cheeks,” these lines belong to the 15th century Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi. True, the claim that beauties learned to curl their hair from hyacinths appeared in Ancient Greece. About three thousand years ago, Hellenic girls decorated their hair with “wild” hyacinths on their friends’ wedding days.
The Persian poet Ferdowsi constantly compared the hair of beauties with the curling petals of hyacinth and highly praised the aroma of the flower: Her lips smelled better than a light breeze, and her hyacinth-like hair was more pleasant than Scythian musk.
For a long time, hyacinths were cultivated in gardens only in Eastern countries. There they were no less popular than tulips. Hyacinth lives in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. He was popular in Ottoman Empire, from where it penetrated into Austria, Holland and spread throughout Europe. IN Western Europe The charming hyacinth came to Vienna in the second half of the 17th century.
In Holland, hyacinth turned up by chance from a shipwrecked ship that had boxes of bulbs on it; broken and thrown ashore by a storm, the bulbs sprouted, bloomed and became a sensation. It was in 1734, when the fever for tulip cultivation began to cool down and the need for a new flower was felt. So it became a source of great income, especially when it was possible to accidentally breed double hyacinth.
The efforts of the Dutch were aimed first at breeding and then at developing new varieties of hyacinths. Flower growers tried different ways, to quickly propagate hyacinths, but nothing worked. Chance helped. One day a mouse ruined a valuable onion - it gnawed the bottom out. But unexpectedly for the upset owner, children appeared around the “crippled” place, and how many more! Since then, the Dutch began to specially cut the bottom or cut the onion crosswise. Tiny onions formed in places of damage. True, they were small and took 3-4 years to grow. But flower growers have a lot of patience, and good care behind the bulbs accelerates their development. In short, more and more commercial bulbs began to be grown, and soon Holland was trading them with other countries.
We are very interested in hyacinths in Germany. A descendant of the Huguenots, gardener David Boucher, who had an excellent collection of primroses, began growing hyacinths. In the second half of the 18th century, he organized the first exhibition of these flowers in Berlin. Hyacinths captured the imagination of Berliners so much that many became interested in growing them, taking up the task thoroughly and on a grand scale. This was a fashionable entertainment, especially since King Frederick himself visited Boucher more than once William III. The demand for hyacinths was so great that they were grown in huge quantities.
In France in the 18th century, hyacinth was used to stupefy and poison those people they were trying to get rid of. Usually the bouquet intended for this purpose was sprayed with something poisonous, and the flowers intended for poisoning were placed in the boudoir or bedroom of the victim.
Legends about flowersThe name of the flower “hyacinth” in Greek means “flower of rains,” but the Greeks simultaneously called it the flower of sadness and also the “flower of memory” of Hyacinth.
The young son of the king of Sparta, Hyacinth, was so beautiful that he outshone even the Olympian gods in beauty. The handsome young man was patronized by the god of the southern wind Zephyr and Apollo. They often visited their friend on the banks of the Eurotas in Sparta and spent time with him, either hunting in densely overgrown forests or having fun with sports in which the Spartans were unusually dexterous and skillful.
Once Apollo and Hyacinth competed in discus throwing. The bronze projectile rose higher and higher, but it was impossible to give preference to any of the athletes - Hyacinth was in no way inferior to God.
Straining his last strength, Apollo threw the disk right under the clouds, but Zephyr, fearing his friend’s defeat, blew so hard that the disk unexpectedly hit Hyacinth in the face. The wound turned out to be fatal. Apollo, saddened by the death of the young man, turned drops of his blood into beautiful flowers so that his memory would live forever among people.
Beautiful, equal to the Olympian gods themselves in his beauty, the young son of the king of Sparta, Hyacinth, was a friend of the arrow god Apollo. Apollo often appeared on the banks of the Eurotas in Sparta to visit his friend and spent time there with him, hunting along the mountain slopes in densely overgrown forests or having fun with gymnastics, in which the Spartans were so skilled.
One day, when the hot afternoon was approaching, Apollo and Hyacinth competed in throwing a heavy discus. The bronze disk flew higher and higher into the sky. So, straining his strength, the mighty god Apollo threw the disc. The disk flew high to the very clouds and, sparkling like a star, fell to the ground. Hyacinth ran to the place where the disk was supposed to fall. He wanted to quickly pick it up and throw it, to show Apollo that he, the young athlete, was not inferior to him, God, in his ability to throw the discus. The disk fell to the ground, bounced off the blow and with terrible force hit the head of Hyacinth, who ran up. Hyacinth fell to the ground with a groan. Scarlet blood gushed from the wound in a stream and stained the dark curls of the beautiful young man.
A frightened Apollo ran up. He bent over his friend, lifted him, placed his bloody head on his lap and tried to stop the blood flowing from the wound. But it's all in vain. Hyacinth turns pale. Hyacinth's clear eyes always dim, his head bows helplessly, like a wreath withering in the scorching midday sun. wildflower. Apollo exclaimed in despair:
You are dying, my dear friend! Oh, woe, woe! You died by my hand! Why did I throw the disk! Oh, if I could atone for my guilt and descend with you into the joyless kingdom of the souls of the dead! Why am I immortal, why can’t I follow you!
Apollo holds his dying friend tightly in his arms and his tears fall onto Hyacinth’s bloody curls. Hyacinth died and his soul flew off to the kingdom of Hades. Apollo stands over the body of the deceased and quietly whispers:
You will always live in my heart, beautiful Hyacinth. May the memory of you live forever among people.
And according to the word of Apollo, a scarlet rose from the blood of Hyacinth, fragrant flower- hyacinth, and on its petals the groan of grief of the god Apollo is imprinted. The memory of Hyacinth is still alive among people; they honor him with festivities on the days of hyacinths.
Hyacinth is considered the flower of love, happiness, fidelity and sorrow. From Greek it is translated as “flower of rains,” but the Greeks also called it the flower of sadness and memory of Hyacinth. There is an ancient Greek legend associated with this flower. For thousands of years, this myth about the origin of the flower has been one of the most famous and popular. Hyacinth was for some time one of the most significant people Ancient Sparta, but over time his glory faded, and the place of Hyacinth was taken by the god of beauty and sun Phoebus (Apollo). The young man became his favorite.
Young men often competed with each other in sports. Once, during such a competition, Apollo threw a disc and accidentally hit Hyacinth with it. From the drops of blood that fell on the green grass, fragrant lilac-red flowers grew, resembling many small lilies collected in one inflorescence. In this flower. which the Greeks called “hyacinth”, the memory of the young man is immortalized.
Myths about flowers - Hyacinth
As noted earlier, in Ancient Greece this plant was considered a symbol of dying and resurrecting nature.
The procession of Hyacinth to Olympus is depicted on the famous throne of Apollo in the city of Amykli. As legend has it, at the base of the statue of Apollo sitting on the throne, there is an altar where Hyacinth is buried.
However, this is not the only myth about the flower. there are others too. According to another, later legend, during the Trojan War, Ajax and Odysseus simultaneously declared their rights to own Achilles’ weapons after his death. The unfair decision of the council shocked Ajax so much that he pierced himself with a sword. From his blood a hyacinth grew, the shape of its petals resembled the first letters of Ajax’s name - alpha and upsilon.
For a long time, “garden” hyacinths were grown only in Eastern countries, where they were very popular. Proof of this were the lines of the Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi, who wrote in the 15th century - “A comb will scatter a tangle of black curls - And a stream of hyacinths will fall on the roses of the cheeks.” However, it is worth noting that belief. as if it was the hyacinth flower that taught girls how to curl their locks, again from the Draenei of Greece. There, girls used these flowers to decorate their hair. They also valued hyacinth due to its magnificent aroma, which turned out to be more pleasant than Scythian musk. Wild hyacinth grew in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. Hyacinth was especially popular in the Ottoman Empire, from where it spread throughout Europe. In Europe, the flower appeared relatively recently - in the second half of the 17th century - in Vienna, from where it further spread.
Elizarova Svetlana
Hyacinth
Summary of the myth
A. A. Ivanov. "Apollo, Hyacinth and Cypress"
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) - son of the Spartan king Amycles and great-grandson of Zeus. According to another version of the myth, his parents are the muse Clio and Pierre.
The young son of the king of Sparta was so handsome that even the Olympian gods considered him worthy of their company.
Hyacinth was the favorite of the god Apollo. And one day, when both were competing in discus throwing, the god of the west wind, Zephyr, watched them from heaven. He had tender feelings for Apollo, so he changed the flight of his disk and Hyacinth was mortally wounded in the head.
Apollo held his dying friend tightly in his arms and his tears fell on Hyacinth’s bloody curls. Hyacinth died and his soul flew off to the kingdom of Hades. Standing over the body of the deceased, Apollo quietly whispered: “You will always live in my heart, beautiful Hyacinth. May the memory of you live forever among people.” And at his word, from the blood of Hyacinth a scarlet, fragrant flower grew, as if stained with blood, and on its petals the groan of grief of the god Apollo was imprinted.
Wind represents something intangible, transitory. Because of this, Apollo accidentally killed Hyacinth.
Image of Hyacinth associated with sacrifice because of love. He fell as a result of jealousy. But at the same time, we can say that this is also a payment for traction ordinary person to the divine.
Flower (flourishing)- a symbol of young life widespread throughout the world, indicating the impermanence of any earthly beauty, which can only be durable in heavenly gardens.
The symbolism of flowers emphasizes their connection with the cycle of life and death, as a symbol of transience, brevity of life, spring, beauty, perfection, innocence, youth, soul.
Hyacinth- a flower that, according to myth, was previously a person or could grow only due to the death of a person.
The name of the flower in Greek means “flower of rains,” but the Greeks simultaneously called it the “flower of sadness” and also the “flower of memory” of Hyacinth. The Greeks believed that on the petals of wild hyacinth one could read the word “ay-ay”, which means “woe, woe!”
Also in Ancient Greece, it was considered a symbol of dying and resurrecting nature. A flower emerging from blood represents the resurrection in spring, greenery scorched by the heat of the sun.
Flower of love, happiness, fidelity and sorrow.
Communicative means of creating images and symbols
Death of Hyacinth. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1752-53
At the burial site of Hyacinth, in Amykla, hyacinthia (hyacinthia) were held annually - festivals in honor of Hyacinth, the largest holiday of the Spartans, which was celebrated in July in the Peloponnese, Asia Minor, southern Italy, Sicily, and Syracuse.
Over time, the cult of Hyacinth was supplanted by the cult of Apollo, and the festival of Hyacinthia began to be celebrated as the festival of Apollo.
On the throne of Apollo the ascension of Hyacinth to Olympus was depicted; According to legend, the base of the statue of Apollo seated on the throne represented the altar in which Hyacinth was buried.
The myth of Hyacinth in painting served as the subject of several works, including the frescoes “Apollo and Hyacinthus” by Annibale Carracci and Domenichino, the painting “Hyacinth” by G. B. Tiepolo, etc.
The marble composition by B. Cellini “Apollo mourns Hyacinth” has not survived to this day. However this story attracted Mozart, his musical work “Apollo and Hyakinthos” is dedicated to this episode.
But besides works and celebrations in memory of Hyacinth, in our present there is a flower named after him and a hyacinth stone, of a reddish hue.
Social significance of the myth
Myths about the transformation of people into plants are known to all nations globe. And the myth of Hyacinth is one of them. But he was remembered not only for the image of spiritual love. The myth remains one of the most famous and beautiful legends about the origin of flowers.
The name of Hyacinth is imprinted in the history of religions, where he is considered to be a pre-Greek plant god, who was revered as a deity of shepherds or one of the deities of Ancient Greece, personifying the dying and resurrecting nature, whose importance was subsequently eclipsed by Apollo, and it was reduced only to the role of the hero of tragic-lyrical legends .
But the memory of Hyacinth is alive among people. This is confirmed by the festivities in which this hero was honored and by the fact that today, as an echo from a beautiful legend, there is hyacinth - a flower of love, fidelity and sorrow. And do not forget about this truly sad beautiful story gives hyacinth - a stone of sadness and sorrow, crimson or reddish in color, shimmering like dewdrops of Apollo's tears falling on Hyacinth's blood-soaked wound.
Hyacinth, like many gems, has its own magical properties. So, this stone guarantees an increase in the level of its owner mental activity and the development of a passion for various kinds of sciences.
Hyacinth is also credited with calming effects: it is believed that it relieves melancholy, softens sadness and grief, gives hope, and can be worn during periods of depression. But, despite all the advantages, hyacinth brings loneliness and unhappiness in love. Therefore, it is believed that it can only be worn temporarily - during periods of depression.
Apollo. Cypress. Hyacinth.Hyacinth.
One day, the solar god Apollo saw a beautiful earthly youth and was inflamed with a tender feeling for him. This beautiful young man's name was Hyacinth, and he was the son of the Spartan king Amycles.
But the loving deity had a rival - Thamyrid, who was also not indifferent to the handsome prince Hyacinth, who was rumored to be the founder of same-sex love in Greece in those years. At the same time, Apollo became the first of the gods to be seized by such a love illness.
Apollo easily eliminated his rival after learning that he had carelessly boasted of his singing talents, threatening to surpass the muses themselves.
The golden-haired lover quickly informed the muses of what he had heard, and they deprived Thamirides of the ability to sing, play and see.
The unfortunate braggart dropped out of the game, and Apollo calmly, without rivals, began to seduce the object of his love's desire.
After leaving Delphi, he often appeared in the bright valley of the Eurotas River and amused himself there with games and hunting with his young favorite.
Once on a sultry afternoon they both took off their clothes and anointed their bodies olive oil, they began to throw the disc.
At that time, Zephyr, the god of the south wind, flew by and saw them.
He did not like that the young man was playing with Apollo, since he also loved Hyacinth, and he picked up Apollo's disk with such force that it hit Hyacinth and knocked him to the ground.
Apollo tried in vain to help his lover. Hyacinth faded away in the arms of his divine patron, whose love gave rise to envy among others and brought him death.
Hyacinth could no longer be helped, and soon he breathed his last in the arms of his friend.
To preserve the memory of the beautiful young man, Apollo turned drops of his blood into beautiful fragrant flowers, which began to be called hyacinths, and Zephyr, who realized too late what terrible consequences his unbridled jealousy had led to, flew, sobbing inconsolably, over the place of his friend’s death and tenderly caressed the exquisite flowers that grew from drops of his blood.
He dedicated his work to this ancient story. musical composition V.A. Mozart.
This "school opera" in Latin was written by an eleven-year-old composer. The plot is based on - ancient myth, developed in one of the episodes of the X book of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
"Apollo et Hyacinthus seu Hyacinthi Metamorphosis"
Apollo and Hyacinth, or the transformation of Hyacinth
Cypress
On the island of Keos in the Carthean Valley, there was a deer dedicated to the nymphs. This deer was beautiful. His branched horns were gilded, a pearl necklace adorned his neck, and precious jewelry hung from his ears. The deer completely forgot his fear of people. He entered the houses of the villagers and willingly extended his neck to anyone who wanted to stroke it.
All the inhabitants loved this deer, but the young son of King Keos, Cypress, loved him most of all.
Apollo saw this amazing friendship between man and deer, and he wanted, at least for a while, to forget his divine purpose to also enjoy life carefree and fun. He descended from Olympus to a flowering meadow, where a wonderful deer and his young friend Cypress were resting after a rapid jump. “I have seen a lot both on earth and in heaven,” Apollo said to two inseparable friends, “but I have never seen such pure and tender friendship between man and beast. Take me into your company, the three of us will have more fun.” And from that day on, Apollo, Cypress and the deer became inseparable.
The cypress led the deer to clearings with lush grass and to loudly murmuring streams; he decorated his mighty horns with wreaths of fragrant flowers; often, playing with a deer, young Cypress, laughing, jumped onto its back and rode around on it through the flowering Carthean valley.
Once settled over the island hot weather, and all living things in the midday heat hid from the burning sun rays in the dense shade of trees. On the soft grass under a huge old oak tree, Apollo and Cypress dozed off, while a deer wandered nearby in the thicket of the forest. Suddenly Cypress woke up from the crunch of dry branches behind the nearby bushes, and thought that it was a wild boar creeping up. The young man grabbed a spear to protect his friends, and with all his strength, he threw it towards the sound of crunching dead wood.
A weak, but full of excruciating pain groan was heard by Cypress. He was glad that he did not miss, and rushed after the unexpected prey. Apparently evil fate guided the young man - it was not a ferocious boar that lay in the bushes, but his dying golden-horned deer.
Having washed his friend’s terrible wound with tears, Cypress prayed to the awakened Apollo: “Oh, great, almighty god, save the life of this wonderful animal! Don’t let him die, because then I will die of grief!” Apollo would have gladly fulfilled Cypress’s passionate request, but it was too late—the deer’s heart stopped beating.
In vain did Apollo console Cypress. Cypress's grief was inconsolable; he prayed to the silver-bowed god that God would let him be sad forever.
Apollo heeded him. The young man turned into a tree. His curls became dark green pine needles, his body was covered with bark. Slender tree he stood like a cypress before Apollo; like an arrow, its top went into the sky.
Apollo sighed sadly and said:
I will always grieve for you, wonderful young man, and you will also grieve for someone else’s grief. Always be with those who mourn!
Since then, the Greeks hung a branch of cypress at the door of a house where there was a deceased person; funeral pyres were decorated with its needles,
on which the bodies of the dead were burned, and cypress trees were planted near the graves.
This is such a sad story...
O Greece, land of legends and myths,
sing Hyacinth, flower of rain...
Once upon a time, a beautiful young man named Hyacinth
And the son of the Spartan king, he was the favorite of the God Apollo.
And patronized Hyacinth and Apollo and God Zephyr,
He sent the south wind to people and played hide and seek with the north wind.
Three friends often got together - hunted, competed,
They were well versed in art, sports games competed.
One day they gathered to practice discus throwing.
And having fun in freedom, indulge in sweet pleasures.
But Hyacinth surpassed the gods in beauty, dexterity, and strength.
Apollo threw the disk so hard that the walls of the world shook.
Zephyr, afraid that this disk will suddenly cripple the sun god
I blew on him so hard, feeling worried for Apollo.
And that disk flew back, mortally wounding Hyacinth,
Oh woe, woe! Is there a way out of the dark death of the labyrinth?
How to revive Hyacinth... and breathe life into him again?
It didn’t work out for friends, how painful it is to lose a friend!
Apollo cried then...Oh, Hyacinth! Oh, my poor friend!
And he made a posthumous vow to carry the memory through the centuries
Apollo and the god Zephyr bowed their heads and blew the horn of sorrow,
And drops of Hyacinth’s blood suddenly became a fragrant flower...
Oh Hyacinth! In spring you decorate the vaults of the sky,
And in Greece you are a symbol of the rebirth of nature!
(Nadya Ulbl)
Hyacinth is a flower of love, happiness, fidelity and... sorrow. The name of the flower “hyacinth” in Greek means “flower of rains,” but the Greeks simultaneously called it the flower of sadness and also the flower of memory of Hyacinth. There is a Greek legend associated with the name of this plant. In Ancient Sparta, Hyacinth was for some time one of the most significant gods, but gradually his glory faded and his place in mythology was taken by the god of beauty and sun Phoebus, or Apollo. The legend of Hyacinth and Apollo has remained for thousands of years one of the most famous stories about origin of flowers.
The favorite of the god Apollo was a young man named Hyacinth. Hyacinth and Apollo often organized sports competitions. One day, during a sports competition, Apollo was throwing a discus and accidentally threw a heavy discus directly at Hyacinth. Drops of blood splashed onto the green grass and after a while fragrant purple-red flowers grew in it. It was as if many miniature lilies were collected into one inflorescence (sultan), and Apollo’s sorrowful exclamation was inscribed on their petals. This flower is tall and slender, and the ancient Greeks called it hyacinth. Apollo immortalized the memory of his favorite with this flower, which grew from the blood of a young man.
In the same Ancient Greece, hyacinth was considered a symbol of dying and resurrecting nature. On the famous throne of Apollo in the city of Amykli, the procession of Hyacinth to Olympus was depicted; According to legend, the base of the statue of Apollo seated on the throne represents the altar in which the deceased young man was buried.
According to a later legend, during the Trojan War, Ajax and Odysseus simultaneously claimed ownership of Achilles' weapons after his death. When the council of elders unfairly awarded weapons to Odysseus, Ajax was so shocked that the hero pierced himself with a sword. From the drops of his blood a hyacinth grew, the petals of which are shaped like the first letters of Ajax's name - alpha and upsilon.
Guria curls. This is what hyacinth was called in Eastern countries. “The tangle of black curls will only be scattered by the comb - And hyacinths will fall in a stream on the roses of the cheeks,” these lines belong to the 15th century Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi. True, the claim that beauties learned to curl their hair from hyacinths appeared in Ancient Greece. About three thousand years ago, Hellenic girls decorated their hair with “wild” hyacinths on their friends’ wedding days.
The Persian poet Ferdowsi constantly compared the hair of beauties with the curling petals of hyacinth and highly praised the aroma of the flower: Her lips smelled better than a light breeze, and her hyacinth-like hair was more pleasant than Scythian musk.
For a long time, hyacinths were cultivated in gardens only in Eastern countries. There they were no less popular than tulips. Hyacinth lives in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. It was popular in the Ottoman Empire, from where it penetrated into Austria, Holland and spread throughout Europe. The charming hyacinth came to Western Europe in the second half of the 17th century, primarily to Vienna.
In Holland, hyacinth turned up by chance from a shipwrecked ship that had boxes of bulbs on it; broken and thrown ashore by a storm, the bulbs sprouted, bloomed and became a sensation. It was in 1734, when the fever for tulip cultivation began to cool down and the need for a new flower was felt. So it became a source of great income, especially when it was possible to accidentally breed double hyacinth.
The efforts of the Dutch were aimed first at breeding and then at developing new varieties of hyacinths. Flower growers tried different methods to propagate hyacinths faster, but nothing worked. Chance helped. One day a mouse ruined a valuable onion - it gnawed the bottom out. But unexpectedly for the upset owner, children appeared around the “crippled” place, and how many more! Since then, the Dutch began to specially cut the bottom or cut the onion crosswise. Tiny onions formed in places of damage. True, they were small and took 3-4 years to grow. But flower growers have a lot of patience, and good care of the bulbs speeds up their development. In short, more and more commercial bulbs began to be grown, and soon Holland traded them with other countries
We are very interested in hyacinths in Germany. A descendant of the Huguenots, gardener David Boucher, who had an excellent collection of primroses, began growing hyacinths. In the second half of the 18th century, he organized the first exhibition of these flowers in Berlin. Hyacinths captured the imagination of Berliners so much that many became interested in growing them, taking up the task thoroughly and on a grand scale. This was a fashionable entertainment, especially since King Frederick William III himself visited Boucher more than once. The demand for hyacinths was so great that they were grown in huge quantities.
In France in the 18th century, hyacinth was used to stupefy and poison those people they were trying to get rid of. Usually the bouquet intended for this purpose was sprayed with something poisonous, and the flowers intended for poisoning were placed in the boudoir or bedroom of the victim.
The first hyacinths appeared in Russia in 1730. 16 varieties for the Annenhof Garden in Lefortovo were ordered from Holland by the gardener Branthof. They would have been ordered from abroad if the botanist A.I. Resler had not grown hyacinth bulbs in Batumi in 1884 and proved own experiences that this plant may well grow on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. Since then, domestic varieties of hyacinths are not inferior to foreign ones either in beauty or in the duration of flowering.
Here are the hyacinths under the shine
Electric torch,
Under the shine white and sharp
They lit up and stand, burning.
And now the soul is shaken,
As if talking to an angel,
She staggered and suddenly swayed
Into the blue velvet seas.
And he believes that he is higher than the vault
God's heavenly light,
And he knows that where freedom is
Without God, there is no light.
Whenever you want
Find out which gardens
The lord took her away
The creator of every star,
And how bright the labyrinths are
In the gardens behind Milky Way -
Look at the hyacinths
Under an electric lamp.
(Nikolai Gumilyov)
Under the thin moon, in a distant, ancient land,
This is what the poet said to the laughing princess:
The song of the through cicadas will die in the olive foliage,
the fireflies on the crushed hyacinths will go out,
but the sweet cut of your oblong
satin-dark eyes, their caress, and ebb
slightly bluish on the white, and shine on the lower eyelid,
and gentle folds above the top - forever
will remain in my shining poems,
and people will love your long, happy gaze,
while there are cicadas and olives on earth
and wet hyacinth in diamond fireflies.
Thus spoke the poet to the laughing princess
under a thin moon, in a distant, ancient land ...
(Nabokov)
Hyakinthos or Hyacinth (Hyakintos), in Greek mythology:
1. Son of the Spartan king Amycles, great-grandson of Zeus according to Apollodorus. A young man of extraordinary beauty, the favorite of Apollo and Zephyr (or Boreas). When Apollo once taught Hyakinthos how to throw a discus, Zephyr, out of jealousy, pointed the disk thrown by Apollo at Hyakinthos's head and he died. From his blood Apollo produced a flower. In honor of Apollo and Hyakinthos, three-day festivals (Hyakinthia) were celebrated in Amyclae, in Laconia, which existed during the times of the Roman Empire.
2. Spartan, father of Antheida, Egleida, Aitea and Orpheus, whom he brought to Athens and sacrificed at the grave of the Cyclops Gerest, when the pestilence began in Athens; the sacrifice had no effect, and the oracle ordered the Athenians to bear the punishment that the Cretan king Minos would impose on them.
3. According to another legend, Hyakinthos, the son of Pierre and the muse Clio, was loved by Apollo and Thamiris, the Thracian singer.
Death of Hyacinth, 1752-1753,
artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo,
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid
Historical reference.
Sparta (Σπάρτη), in ancient times main city Laconia, on the right bank of the Eurotas River, between the Aenus River and Thiasa, also a state whose capital was Sparta. According to legend, Sparta was the capital of a significant state even before the Dorians invaded the Peloponnese, when Laconia was allegedly inhabited by the Achaeans. Here reigned Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, who played such a prominent role in the Trojan War. Several decades after the destruction of Troy, most of the Peloponnese was conquered by the descendants of Hercules (“return of the Heraclides”), who came at the head of the Dorian squads, and Laconia went to the sons of Aristodemus, the twins Eurysthenes and Proclus (great-great-grandsons of Gill, son of Hercules), who were considered the ancestors of those who reigned in Sparta was both the Agiad and Eurypontid dynasties. Some of the Achaeans went to the north of the Peloponnese to the region that was named Achaia after them, the rest were mostly converted into helots. It is impossible to restore, at least in general terms, the actual history of the ancient period of Sparta, due to the lack of accurate data. It is difficult to say to which tribe the ancient population of Laconia belonged, when and under what conditions the Dorians settled it, and what kind of relationship was established between them and the former population. What is certain is that if the Spartan state was formed thanks to conquest, then we can trace the consequences only of relatively later conquests, through which Sparta expanded at the expense of its closest neighbors. A significant part of them probably belonged to the same Dorian tribe, since by the time the large Spartan state was formed in Laconia, the tribal opposition between the original population of the country and the Dorians who came from the north-west of Greece had already been smoothed out.
