Flora is the Roman goddess of glowering plants whose temple and artifacts have been found that dated back to 238 BC. Her festival, from ancient writings called her festival, near the Circus Maximus, Floralia. She represented the power of vegetation and cereals, bees, honey and seeds that she was thought to give the people. There have been many Greek iconographic artifacts found, as well, in the Greek culture.
The poet, Ovid, invoked Flora, on this day, long ago, that asks who she is. In the poem she answers:
“I enjoy an eternal spring: the year is always smiling, the Trees always
have left, the Earth always grasslands. I have an exuberant garden in the
fields that constitute my dowry: the wind respects it, a source of crystalline
water waters it. My husband covered this garden with generous flowers and said
to me: "You, goddess, have the sovereignty of the flowers." Many
times I wanted to count the series of colors and I couldn't; its amount exceeded
the account. Do you think perhaps that my sovereignty is limited only to the
tender crowns? My divine power affects farm fields as well. If the crops set
the flowers well, there will be a rich era; if the flower of the vine is well
set, there will be Wine; if the flowers of the olive tree set well, the year
will be very fertile. Honey is my gift, I am the one who summons the Insects
that will produce honey for violets, laburnum, and whitening thyme”.
She was honored when someone died by the bringing of flowers to the newly dead and why flowers are so abundant even today at funerals, although we have forgotten the reason why. In those first days of goddess beliefs, it was a custom to festoon the corpse and area it sat during their four days watch (the Wake) over the dead person where they sat with the dead person and made sure the person was really dead, to avoid the decomposition and pests that dead can invite.
She came to represent youth, health and fresh appearance and where the term “prime of life” came to be said. As well, the term “deflowering” came to be in our language, to speak of loss of virginity. How we forget such beginnings.
So, as we celebrate the flowering of our vegetables and the gathering of honey by bees, it would be great to celebrate Flora as well.
©Carol Desjarlais 7.23.21
*New painting finished since I got home 16 x 20"
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