Forget-me-not - Myosotis scorpioides – Förgätmigej
I found these growing beside the river. I love it when I find wild flowers growing “in town”!
The Forget-Me-Not has the same name in several languages (Swedish included).
There are a number of legends about the origin of the name:
In a German legend, God named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, "Forget-me-not, O Lord!" God replied, "That shall be your name." In a similar legend, the little flower cried out, "Forget-me-not!" as Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden.
Another legend says that the Christ Child was sitting on Mary's lap one day and said that he wished that future generations could see her eyes. He touched her eyes and then waved his hand over the ground and blue forget-me-nots appeared.
One legend has it that in medieval times, a knight and his lady were walking along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers, but because of the weight of his armour he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted "Forget-me-not".
This is a flower connected with romance and tragic fate. It was often worn by ladies as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love. In 15th-century Germany, it was supposed that the wearers of this flower would not be forgotten by their lovers.
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2 comments:
I've always wanted forget-me-nots, and often wondered about the name. What charming stories!! And a beautiful picture, especially with the way the sun is shining on them.
i like all the story's of how they got their names, they are so lovely to look at no one could forget them. in a lot of the historical fiction i used to read, they were mentioned over and over.
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