With all the excitements of the summer months, it's easy to forgetthat we're already into September and autumn is approaching faster thana blink. The shining flower of September, Aster, symbolising eleganceand afterthought, is the ideal calming influence after those months ofsummer madness!
Myths and Legend
This little star of the flower world (their name literally means starin Latin) is the herb of Venus, as perfume from burning their leaveswere believed to have magical powers of warding off evil serpents inthe ancient times.
Like their starry origin, Asters come in a variety of colours suchas blue, white and purple, just like the glow of starlight. The mostcommon flower used by florists in China, one of the popular myths aboutAster is that one can hear the slightest whisper if you listen to themclosely enough.
According to legends, Asters grew from the tears of the goddessVirgo (also known as Asterea). It is believed that she was saddened byJupiter's decision to flood the entire race during the Iron Age thatshe requested to be turned into a star, and when she sees the muddyaftermath, her tears fell as stardust and became delightful Asters.
Yet another legend on the origins of Asters is that once upon a timethe surviving sisters of a tribal war begged the Herb Woman for help.Seeing that they would be hunted down in the future, the Herb Womanused some magic and gave them leaves using a potion. One of the sistersbecame the golden rod, while the other became the Aster as she waswearing a fancy looking lavender-blue dress.
Other Random Facts
- Asters are also known as the queens of the daisy family.
- In the Hungarian language of colours, Asters represent autumn.
