THE LEGEND OF CROCUS

Spring will soon knock at our door ; nature wakes up, birds are back and flowers and other plants begin to bloom. One of the first bulb flowers of the season is the crocus. It's the legend of this tiny flower that I'd like to share with you.

According to legend, Crocus was a young shepherd of fine and noble spirit. One day he saw the beautiful nymph Smilax and fell deeply in love with her.

The gods were so impressed with the depth of his devotion that they granted him immortality and turned him into a flower, which ever since bears his name. So that the two lovers could be forever together, Smilax was transformed into an evergreen tree: the yew.

Crocus is also associated to Valentine’s Day since legend tells us that in the note Saint Valentine sent to Augustine, the jailor’s blind daughter, he had wrapped a crocus (saffron) flower, one of his healing plants. And when she opened the note, her sight was restored and the first flower she saw was the saffron crocus.

© Dulce Rodrigues

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