MYRTLE-FOR Erasmus+project
Collaborative dictionary of mythological plants
FUNDED BY EUROPEAN UNION
TARGET GROUP NUMBER: 5
Haizea Agirre and Iker Gordo
Scientific name: Myrtus communis
VULGAR NAME
Spanish: Mirto
Basque: Mirto
Italian:
Greek:
Morphological description
Myrtus communis, the "common myrtle", is native across the mediterranean Region, Macaronesia, western Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is also cultivated.
The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall. Theleaf is entire, 3–5 cm long, with a fragrant essential oil.
The star-like flower has five petals and sepals, and numerous stamens. Petals usually are white. The flower is pollinated by insects.
The fruit is a round berry containing several seeds, most commonly blue-black in colour. A variety with yellow-amber berries is also present. The seeds are dispersed by birds that eat the berries.
Uses
Myrrha
Myrrha (Greek: Μύρρα), also known as Smyrna (Greek: Σμύρνα), is the mother of Adonis in Greek mythology.
She was transformed into a myrrh tree after having had intercourse with her father and gave birth to Adonis as a tree.
The myth details the incestuous relationship between Myrrha and her father, Cinvras. Myrrha falls in love with her father and tricks him into sexual intercourse. After discovering her identity, Cinyras draws his sword and pursues Myrrha.
She flees across Arabia and, after nine months, turns to the gods for help. They take pity on her and transform her into a myrrh tree. While in plant form, Myrrha gives birth to Adonis. According to legend, the aromatic exudings of the myrrh tree are Myrrha's tears.
Aphrodite
As with many ancient Greek deities, there is more than one story about her origins. According to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born when cronus cut offUranus's genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam (aphros). According to Homer´s, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. According to Plato (Symposium, 180e), these two origins were of entirely separate entities: Aphrodithe and aphrodite pandemos
Because of her beauty, other gods feared that their rivalry over her would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, so zeus married her to Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness and deformity, was not seen as a threat. Aphrodite had many lovers—both gods, such as ares, and men, such as anchises. She played a role in the Eros and Psyche legend, and later was both adonis's lover and his surrogate mother. Many lesser beings were said to be children of Aphrodite.