Hello my sweet fiends and fellow hivers... As you know from time to time I love to share articles about folklore, mythology and legends about flowers and plants, so today we're going to explore some myths about the notorious (and infamous) poppies that are painting the fields in early May.
This article belongs to a collection of articles I write about flowers and their symbology, check at the end of the article to links to previous articles in the series
Above: Poppy fields I stumbled upon during one of my strolls.
It's the time of poppies, you can find them now growing spontaneously in the fields splattering them with their vibrant red paper-like petals.
Poppy seeds are edible and you'll find them used in cooking and on bakery. Don't worry, there are more than one hundred species of poppies (there is a variety of colours in fact, from the vibrant blood red to white and even blue) but the one from which the alkaloid Opium is obtained from the milky sap of the Papaver somniferum seed pods and has been used since Ancient Cultures (even Sumerians and Egypt as pain killer and to treat insomnia, it was associated with the goddess Isis, fertility and motherhood. It is still used in some modern medicines like Codeine and Morphine but we all know of the misuse of this substance (and derivatives) We have seen many movies set in the XIX when it caused a huge health crisis due to people falling into addiction . The poppy seeds on your bread are from other species and though it can have traces it is never enough to have any psychoactive effect, they're in fact good for digestion, asthma and headaches. So don't worry about those poppies growing in your backyard, they're safe. ;-)
Poppies and Sleep
They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly colored birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was carpeted with them. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
The Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum (1910) is one of my favourite fantasy Children's books and one I read countless times as a child. It was also the first book I ever bought with my own money, so always a special one. One of the most haunting passages for me was "The Deadly Poppy Field" chapter in which our fellowship is trapped into a magical yet cursed field of poppies with a variant of giant and heavily hypnotic Opium poppies that would make them fall into a sleep they would not be able to wake up from on their way to the Emerald City. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman carried Dorothy and Toto through the poppy field as they fall fast sleep. The Lion was too heavy so they sadly had to leave him to sleep but the tin man who saves the Queen of Mice from a Cat and is unaffected by the effects makes a cart truck on wheels to carry him out with the help of many harnessed mice.
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Oddly enough this is the path that leads to the poppy field in the opening picture
In Greek mythology, poppies are also symbols of sleep.
Morpheus, Greek god of dreams (Morphine is named after him) was the son of Hypnos (God of Sleep) and Pasithea (Goddess of hallucinations) Mythology said that the family slept in a cave full of poppies. When Hades the god of the Underworld abducted Demeter's daughter Persephone, Demeter, Goddess of agriculture was distressed and was given poppies to help her in her sleep. Afterwards, poppies would spring from her feet. Mythology also says she transformed Mecon, her mortal lover, Mecon, into a poppy.
In both Ancient Green and Rome poppies were also associated to Death and used as offerings for the departed.
But carrying poppy seeds is believed to be a lucky charm. The poppy flower has been used as a symbol of fertility and prosperity in many cultures.
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Poppy flowers are also a symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers in the Commonwealth countries. This tradition started due to John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields" (1915) that mentions the poppy flowers growing on the graves of soldiers in the battlefields of Belgium and France.
Often found mixed with grain fields
It's not uncommon to see poppies scattered among fields of grain.
Even before the Greek Assyrians called the poppies "daughter of the fields" and used it also as a somniferous. It is an ancient tradition of farmers to scattered poppy seeds in the fields to wish for a plentiful crop and wish for their worries to go away.
Other articles in the Blooming series
-Scilla Bifolia (Wood Hyacinths) https://www.palnet.io/@yidneth/early-spring-and-a-tapestry-of-flowers-in-the-forest-mother-nature-never-fails-sublime-and-beautiful-sunday-in-the-woods
- Cherry Blossoms https://hive.blog/hive-148441/@yidneth/sakura-sakura-japanese-folk-song-and-music-video-spring-2021
- Sunflowers https://hive.blog/colorchallenge/@yidneth/a-field-of-of-fallen-suns-sunflowers-photoshoot-symbolism-sneek-peek-of-forthcoming-video-and-more
- Roses https://hive.blog/colorchallenge/@yidneth/colorchallenge-monday-red---the-time-of--2018-05-07-21-09-08
-Dandelions https://www.palnet.io/@yidneth/early-spring-and-a-tapestry-of-flowers-in-the-forest-mother-nature-never-fails-sublime-and-beautiful-sunday-in-the-woods
-Daffodils https://hive.blog/photography/@yidneth/daffodils-early-bloom-a-symbol-of-rebirt-2018-03-31-20-07-48
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All photos in the article are taken by myself. Priscilla Hernandez @yidneth
The illustrations are drawn by W. W. Denslow for the first Edition of The Wizard of Oz (1900) currently in public Domain.
And don't miss to go for a walk this time of the year... the meadows are splattered with colours and it is all lovely. I have not been feeling my best and I feel I'm missing the best of Spring, but slowly determined to go out again and walk, and quietly take snaps with phone while I compose songs in my head.
singer-songwriter & illustrator
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the display of red flower images makes me very interested in seeing it.
Wow this looks very beautiful.
Lovely red poppies - well posted