Lovely lily - the personification of innocence and purity. She attributed the divine origin of the ancient Greeks - in their words, she rose from the milk of the mother of the gods Juno. But much earlier Greek lily was known for the ancient Persians, who called the capital of Susa, that is, the "City of Lilies."

Lily flowers in the stories and legends

In his coat of arms as a symbol of unblemished purity, adorned with a few lilies. Glory of chastity the flower and used by the ancient Hebrews. According to legend, the lily was growing in the garden of Eden when Eve tempted the devil, but the temptation of a beautiful flower remained as pure as was, and no evil dared touch it. The great architect of Tyre, built the Temple of Solomon, gave a graceful form of the lily and adorned the capitals of the temple images of lilies of the walls and ceiling, separating the Jews believed that this flower will exacerbate prayerful mood. And Moses commanded images lilies decorate sedmisvechnik. There is also a legend that a yellow lily, which usually grows among the reeds, stood the cradle of Moses. Lily meets and the Egyptians, and its image in hieroglyphics indicates that the brevity of life, freedom and hope. From this flower in preparing the famous ancient aromatic oil - "suzinon."
Important role played by the Romans and Lily at the festival of Flora. Women during the festival competed in running and wrestling, and showered victorious rain of flowers. Removed the statue and the lilies of the goddess Flora, and the whole amphitheater, the audience, the arena box ... This flower is considered a symbol of hope among the Romans, and his image on coins of the Romans, even as the expectation of the people pleasant benefits of the reigning king. In a sign of the total abundance and pure life that they desire, with wreaths of lilies and wheat stalks crowned with a bride and groom.
Lily met and in Germanic mythology, the god of thunder - Thor - always depicted holding in his right hand zipper on the left - scepter surmounted by a lily. Its fragrant corolla was considered in Germanic mythology as a magical wand of Oberon and habitation of the elves. Each lily has his elves, who along with her is born and dies. Corollas of these flowers are the elves of the bells, bells which they collect their brethren to prayer.
Nowhere Lily did not have such historical significance, as in France. It is said that the founder of the French monarchy Clovis, while still a pagan, I saw that loses the battle of allemannam Tolbake, and offered a prayer of winning the Christian God. And an angel appeared to him with a branch of lilies, saying that now he has done his weapon lily and bequeathed it to his descendants. Clovis was granted the victory in this battle, and he with all his Franks, their wives and their children baptized. Since then, the French lily - a symbol of royal power under the shadow of the church.
Though a symbol of royal power has always been a white lily, some argue that the lily, an angel bestowed Clovis was not white and fiery red. On the red lilies that are also composed of a great legend. It is said that she was red in the night before the cross suffering Savior. Legend says that when the Savior, tormented by heavy sorrow, was held in the garden of Gethsemane, the flowers bowed their heads before him. One lily have not bowed the head, wishing that he thoroughly enjoyed its taste and beauty. And the Saviour really stopped for a moment - perhaps even to admire the beauty of this flower - but when his long-suffering gaze fell on her, the lily, comparing their pride in his humility, ashamed, and blush of shame spread over all of its petals, to stay with her forever ... That's why, adds the legend, the red lilies never stand with raised head and the night is always close its petals.

In the XII century, the same shall elect a lily as their emblem, and Louis VII, when it first appears white banner with three gold lilies, which subsequently became not only an emblem of royal power, but the Holy See and devotion. Lily is also found in the arms of St. Louis IX, but only together with the daisy, which he joined in memory of his beloved wife Margaret. The shape of lilies also put to the end of a scepter, and France itself was called the kingdom of lilies, while the French king - the king of lilies. The expression "etre assis sur des lys", that is "sitting on the lilies," meant to have a high position, as the lily flowers were decorated not only the walls of councils, but all the seats of chairs. Lily generally considered a very honorable badge on the arms and even met on the coins. Louis XIV was released into circulation coins bore the name even of gold and silver lilies. On one side of this coin was an image of a king or decorated with lilies and topped with a crown on both ends of the cross, and on the other - the emblem of France, supported by two angels. Lily enjoyed a lot of love in general in France. In aristocratic families, was taken to the groom until the wedding, the bride sent every morning, a bouquet of flowers, which would inevitably be at least a couple of white lilies.
The same love Lily enjoys the Spaniards and Italians. In these nations, it is mainly the flower of the Blessed Virgin. In wreaths of lilies are young girls for the first time to the Holy Communion. In the Pyrenees it is customary to 24th June, Midsummer Day, to bring in huge bouquets of lilies of the church for blessing. Later, these lilies crosswise nailed over the door of each house, which from that moment is considered to be under the protection of St. John the Baptist. These flowers remain until the next midsummer.
Germany is also a lot of fond of lily. Beautiful lilies planted here in the monastery gardens, and incredible beauty gave rise to many legends associated with the life of monks.
In Germany, with a lily connected many legends associated with the afterlife. It serves as the Germans, like funeral roses, as evidenced by a commitment to, the posthumous revenge the dead. According to popular belief, it has never been put on the graves, and she grows on the grave of a suicide or a person who died a violent or even a horrible death. If it grows on the grave of the murdered, it serves as a harbinger of vengeance, but to the grave sinner - a sign of atonement. On the petals of lilies growing on the grave sinners are believed to always appear in any written word gold.

Some Caucasian lilies are under the influence of rain to turn yellow or blush, and consequently the Caucasian girls use them for divination. Having chosen the bud lilies after the rain they bring it, and if it is yellow inside, they loved them wrong, and if the red - it means he still loves.
It is impossible not to recall the Siberian lily - Sarankov. If a white lily in mind strict, cold, indifferent, it is a Sarankov its opposite. The petals of its flowers just turned inside out. It seems Sarankov just about ready to start dancing.
The most rare and valuable lily lily is considered the king, which is home to a narrow valley among the mountains of Southwest China. The bulbs of this lily in the early XX century were brought to England, where she began its triumphal procession through the gardens and parks in the world.

was prepared by Ekaterina Ziborova