Sad faces of love. PR in Ancient Mythology Legends of Hyacinth

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.

Images and symbols of myth

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 retribution for the craving of an ordinary person for 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 plot 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 peoples of the globe. And the myth of Hyacinth is one of them. But he was remembered not only for the image of spiritual love. The myth has remained 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 not to forget about this truly sadly beautiful story is given by 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 precious stones, has its own magical properties. Thus, this stone guarantees its owner an increase in the level of mental activity and the development of a craving 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.

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 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 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 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 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.

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?

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...

Legends about flowers

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 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.

Greek mythology / Myths and legends of ancient Greece

Hyacinth

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 the corolla of a wildflower withering in the scorching midday sun. 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 so, according to the word of Apollo, from the blood of Hyacinth a scarlet, fragrant flower grew - hyacinth, and on its petals the groan of grief of the god Apollo was imprinted. The memory of Hyacinth is still alive among people; they honor him with festivities on the days of hyacinths.

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Hyacinth

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 of Ancient Sparta, but over time his fame faded, and Hyacinth’s place 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 claimed 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.

FIRST VERSION OF THE MURDER OF HYACINTH.

Apollo needs no introduction.
Here he is - a handsome man and an athlete (there is still a third epithet missing - Komsomol member!)

Marble bust (Roman copy of a bronze original from 460 BC)

His friend, lover, partner (choose the options yourself!) Hyacinth or Hyakinthos is the son of the Spartan king Amycles and the great-grandson of Zeus.
According to another version of the myth, his parents are the muse Clio and Pierre.

Hyacinth was the favorite of Apollo, who accidentally killed him by hitting him while throwing discs. From Hyacinth's blood, hyacinth flowers grew, as if stained with blood, on their petals the exclamation “ah, ah” appears - the dying groan of a beautiful young man.

Beautiful, equal in beauty to the Olympian gods themselves, the young son of the king of Sparta Hyacinth was a friend of Apollo. Apollo often came to Sparta to visit his friend and spent time with him there, hunting on the mountain slopes or having fun with gymnastics, in which the Spartans were so skilled.
Why did Apollo leave the Olympian gods and come to Sparta to Hyacinth?
The heart of this deity of light burned with love.
Hyacinth also lived in friendship with Apollo. Playing the cithara, arts, sciences were only the content with which this divine love was filled.

Alexander Ivanov Apollo, Hyacinth and Cypress 1831-34

He often asked about the life of the gods and asked Apollo to talk about his exploits, about the many great judgments committed, to explain the reasons for the cruel sentences of some and untold mercies for others. But Apollo rarely answered, but mostly smiled and remained silent.
What were their endless conversations about?
They were connected by an unearthly relationship, a marriage of two souls from time immemorial. No words “love”, “eros”, “intimacy”, “communication”, “dialogue” can define this relationship, called virgin love - the indescribable attraction of an immortal divine being to an earthly mortal, and an earthly one to the divine.

More than once they said to each other:
- Oh, Hyacinth, if I were a mortal like you, I would sacrifice myself to love.
- Oh, Apollo, there is no greater joy for me than to die out of love for you. Perhaps this way at least a small portion of my sins will be redeemed. I can reach Olympus, and we will be inseparable.
Hyacinth forgot about his destiny to become the king of Sparta, about his duty to the fatherland and father. No, for him there was only one Apollo.
- To die in your arms, oh divine, and to be raptured to Olympus! Perhaps this is how I will thank Zeus for the miracle of communication with His divine messenger.
You, brilliant Apollo, the Olympic favorite. And I, a miserable mortal, will descend into the dark and dark underworld. Are we really facing eternal separation? Or will I ever wait for my bright friend Apollo to visit his Hyacinth in the kingdom of shadows? No! No no! No one will ever separate us. The gods will do something so that we are inseparable! Heavenly love is inseparable, isn't it, Apollo?

Once friends competed in discus throwing. The mighty Apollo was the first to throw the bronze disc. A disk flew high into the heavens, like the sun, sparkled like a star and flew to the ground.
Hyacinth can't take his eyes off him. What is this? Has the bronze disk turned into a shining sun? And Hyacinth, blinded by frantic joy, runs after the disk. He is about to grab the sun in his hands and drink from its divine rays!
Hyacinth ran up to the place where the disk was supposed to fall. But the disk, bouncing off the ground, hits him in the head with terrible force. Blood gushes like a river. The dark curls of the beautiful young king of Sparta, equal in beauty to the Olympian gods themselves, turned scarlet.

Death of Hyacinth 1675

A.A. Kiselev Hyacinth Dying in the Arms of Apollo 1884

Giovanni Batista Tiepolo Death of Hyacinth 1752-53

J. Broc Death of Hyacinth 1801

Apollo runs up to his friend, lifts him up, and places his bloody head in his lap. Apollo's attempts to stop the blood gushing from the wound and heal his friend are in vain. He covers Hyacinth's face with kisses, but Hyacinth fades away before his friend's eyes. His clear eyes fade.
Apollo hears his words from his lips:
- So this is how our Mother Wisdom judged! Now my sins will be forgiven.
Oh Apollo, I thank you. Through what you have done, the gods of Olympus will accept me into their kingdom.
Apollo is in despair.
- No no! You will not die, my beautiful friend, my Hyacinth, with a face more beautiful than the gods, surpassing the Olympians in wisdom! Oh woe is me, woe! I became a friend's killer. Why did I throw the disc? How can I now atone for my guilt before you? Oh, that I might come into the world as a mortal, and could die for love of you! Wouldn't it be better for me to descend into the joyless kingdom of the dead in order to be inseparable from you? Oh, why am I immortal? How I would like to be in your place, Hyacinth, and die in your arms.
- Now we will be inseparably together, right, Apollo? Forgive me and do not forget me, my madly beloved.
With these words, Hyacinth dies in the arms of Apollo.
Apollo gives his last kiss to his lover.
- The memory of our love, divine Hyacinth, will forever be preserved in the history of mankind.
A beautiful flower bloomed at the site of Hyacinth's death. Its petals shone like dew from the tears of Apollo.

Materials taken from WIKIPEDIA and websites.