Viola in Symbolism and Mythology

Good day dear Hive friends, first of all I would like to wish you all a wonderful day and you have a great start to the new weekend! Today I would like to talk about the mythology and symbolism of a plant and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.

The snow has melted a bit and some flowers have taken off their snow mantle and I used this opportunity to take some pictures of heartsease which are also known under the scientific name Viola. From a symbolic point of view there are different interpretations and already in the Middle Ages it was seen as a sign of positive and free thoughts and it was often chosen at that time as a symbol of societies that lived free of dogmas or expectations and this flower exists in different colors with different meanings. In Japan it has a particularly high priority and was also chosen as the national flower of the city of Osaka and it is also associated with France and historically in connection with Napoleon and was considered his favorite flower and when Napoleon had to go into exile to Elba in 1814, the Bonapartists chose Viola as the solution word and when he returned to France a few years later, leaflets with the face of Napoleon and this flower were distributed and in France it was also called pensée. In Greek mythology there is also a legend that revolves around Zeus and his equivalent Jupiter from the Roman mythology and according to a legend Zeus fell in love with the nymph Io and his wife hera became very jealous and turned Io into a cow and Zeus dedicated a meadow full of these flowers to her out of affection and according to another tradition Zeus transformed Io into a cow so that she can better protect herself of Hera's revenge. Due to this legend, it is also often associated symbolically with sorrow and in the Middle Ages it was also mentioned by some old alchemists and appreciated due to the healing properties, but however, it is important to mention here that in case of illness you always have to ask your doctor for the right medicine!

Thank you very much for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about nature! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!