Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Asphodel

Myths, Symbols & Folklore
asphodel: It is a variety of lily indigenous to the Mediterranean region and having white, loosely branched flower clusters and a fleshy, sweet root (e.g., the daffodil, narcissus). Among the Greeks and Romans, asphodels were considered to be death plants (and were thus sacred to Hades and Persephone); the roots were thought to be food for the dead, who occasionally (e.g., in Homer) wandered in fields of asphodels. In addition, the asphodel was though to protect against evil spirits. In the Middle Ages the asphodel was associated with the planet Saturn. (Herder)

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