Dharshini Karthikeyan - Week 16 - Forget-Me-Nots
According to medieval legend, a German knight who was walking with his lover bent down to pick a little blue flower near a river, and the weight of his armor caused him to fall into the river, and his last words were “forget me not.” (Honestly not the weirdest legend I’ve heard).
While the legend was created as a simple way to remind children to be careful, the story is why the forget-me-not flower is named what it is today.
Forget-me-nots have many different names in different cultures. In Greece, they were called “Myositis,” which means mouse ear since the furry texture of the flower’s petals reminded people of mouse ears.
The flower was abundant in French and German gardens for years, which is particularly interesting because many farmers didn’t waste plots of land on plants that couldn’t be eaten or sold, like flowers, without a good reason. One of the reasons Forget-me-nots were planted in abundance was for healing and aromatherapy practices. People believed that the scent of Forget-me-not flowers was a good omen, and could heal small wounds such as cuts.
The flower only gained widespread popularity after it was discovered by the British in the 1800s. It was described as a “sentimental plant” for its light color and “cloudlike texture.” The flower soon began to signify royalty after King Henry IV started to embed them into royal fabrics.
Although the flower began to rapidly decline in popularity after the 1800s, the flower is still popular in order to symbolize remembrance. They made a comeback during World War I in order to represent fallen soldiers.
The history of this once popular flower shows how intertwined plants are with human history.
article: https://harvesting-history.com/forget-me-not/#:~:text=The%20common%20name%2C%20Forget%20Me,leaves%20resemble%20a%20mouse's%20ear.
Hi Dharshini! It was interesting to learn about the legend behind the forget-me-not flower. I agree with your statement that plants are intertwined with human history, and one example I can think of that relates to flowers is the Victorian flower language. Flowers were used to pass messages to lovers, friends, and enemies, sometimes called floriography. By the 1810s, French publishers began printing flower dictionaries that detailed the many meanings behind different flowers. These hidden meanings were established over many years, and arose from multiple avenues: some came from mythology, some from the flowers themselves, and some had no rhyme or reason. Examples of these three different ways in which people attached meaning to flowers include narcissus meaning egotistic due to the myth, cabbage meaning wealth because it looked like cash, and hydrangea meaning heartless. This language of flowers can also be observed in literature of the time. For example, in Jane Eyre, Bronte references flowers to describe a character's mood.
ReplyDeleteHello Dharshini! I thought that the original tale that brought up the name of the forget-me-not was pretty cathartic. I wonder what the original lesson was for the children of the era. Don’t bend down to pick up something next to a river while wearing armor? Something that I find interesting from this story is how influential these fairy tales and stories are to the creation of common language. That brings about a lot of questions. What were they named before they were called forget-me-nots? Was the story made up to explain what they were called, or is it vice versa? That aside, I do remember brushing up on some forget-me-nots during various hiking trips in the spring up north, a little closer to the forests of the pacific northwest. They’re really pretty ranging from a baby to a deep blue, with yellow centers. The atmosphere of the bees buzzing around, a patch of forget me nots in a clearing, and the sun shining down with pretty cumulus clouds that day in Mount Rainier national park was nothing short of breathtaking. In my humble opinion, I think alpine flora are severely underrated and I really want to again sometime soon this summer. I think it’d be easy to convince my dad because his online work is convenient, but extremely dull. Thank you for giving a little more cool information about this historically significant flower, and I hope to see you making more blogs like these after the school year ends!
ReplyDeleteHey Dharshini! Writing about a flower was such a creative idea. When I read your first sentence about the origin of the phrase "forget me not," I had a sense of instant realization, as I now knew where I had heard this phrase from. I think the soldier's gesture, although devastating, was also incredibly heartwarming, and I love how you chose to commemorate it, along with how cleverly it fits into our "memory" theme for this quarter. The fact that the farmers continued to plant forget-me-nots even though they cannot be consumed, truly depicts the extent the power behind these superstitions was. However, in this case, the superstitious tendencies at play were not necessarily detrimental, as the farmers profited, and the French and German landscapes were decorated by these beautiful flowers, which I think shows an interesting perspective into how superstitions are not always devastatingly horrible for a society
ReplyDeleteHi Dharshini, I never knew forget me nots came from such a strange legend. I always seen those flowers as romantic since I remember reading about them in books. Although they have declined in popularity through the years, they vaguely resemble the very popular baby breathe. Such gentle and small flowers can mean so much, the knight was enchanted by them and wanted to pick some for his lady. I think this legend tells something beyond the superficial and that people should remember to do appreciate the little things but also be cautious to not be to into it that you slip up and harm yourself.
ReplyDeleteHi Dharshini! I think the story behind these flowers is so cute. I never knew that there was a legend behind their name. I also did not know that they had declined in popularity because I actually think that the are so pretty. The color and texture both are beautiful. The legend can serve as a cautionary tale for children, but it can also hold more importance. Maybe, the legend is supposed to urge people to stop and smell the roses, or maybe that one should express their love before it is too late. Either way, I love the cute little story and the even cuter flowers.
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