Irina Vyacheslavovna Mozzhelina

Silvery lilies of the valley

Oh first lily of the valley! From under the snow

You ask for sunbeams;

What a virgin bliss

In your fragrant purity!

There are many legends about the origin of lily of the valley. Old Russian legend links the appearance lily of the valley with the sea princess Magus. The tears of the princess, saddened by the fact that the young man Sadko gave his heart to the earthly girl Lyubava, fell to the ground, sprouted into a beautiful and delicate flower - a symbol of purity, love and sadness.

There is a belief that on bright moonlit nights, when the whole earth is enveloped in deep sleep, the Blessed Virgin, surrounded by a crown of silver lilies of the valley, sometimes appears to those happy mortals for whom unexpected joy is preparing. When lily of the valley fades, a small round berry grows - combustible, fiery tears, with which lily of the valley mourns spring, a round-the-world traveler, scattering her caresses to everyone and not stopping anywhere. Enamored lily of the valley he also silently endured his grief, just as he bore the joy of love. In connection with this pagan tradition, a Christian legend about the origin of lily of the valley from the burning tears of the Most Holy Theotokos at the cross of her crucified son.

The ancient Romans believed that lily of the valley- these are droplets of fragrant sweat of the goddess of hunting Diana, falling on the grass when she ran away from the Faun in love with her. In England it was said that lilies of the valley grow in the forest in those places where the fabulous hero Leonard defeated the terrible dragon. In others legends say, What lilies of the valley sprouted from the beads of Snow White's crumbling necklace. They serve as flashlights for the gnomes. They live in small forest men - elves. IN lilies of the valley sunbeams hide at night. From another legends learn about, What lilies of the valley- this is Mavka's happy laugh, scattered like pearls through the forest, when she first felt the joy of love.

The Celts believed that this was nothing more, nothing less than the treasures of the elves. According to them legend, young hunters, having ambushed wild animals in the forest thicket, saw an elf flying with a heavy burden in his hands, and tracked down his path. It turned out that he was carrying a pearl to a mountain of pearls that towered under an old sprawling tree. Unable to resist the temptation, one of the hunters decided to take a tiny mother-of-pearl ball for himself, but when touched, the mountain of treasures crumbled. People rushed to collect pearls, forgetting about precautions, and to the noise of their fuss, the elven king flew in, turning all the pearls into fragrant white flowers. And since then, the elves have been taking revenge on greedy people for the loss of their treasure, and lilies of the valley love so much that every time they rub them with napkins woven from moonlight.

Not only legends, legends, poems were dedicated to a charming flower, holidays and festivities were held in his honor. From time immemorial lily of the valley associated with purity, tenderness, fidelity, love and the most elevated feelings. From lilies of the valley made wedding bouquets for young brides, symbolizing youth and purity.

In ancient times in Germany lilies of the valley brought as a gift to the goddess of the rising sun, radiant dawn and spring Ostara. And when holidays were held in honor of this goddess, everyone around was decorated lilies of the valley. Boys and girls gathered in the outskirts, kindled fires and danced until the flowers in their hands withered. Then they threw wilted flowers into the fire, sacrificing them to the goddess.

Since the 17th century, on the eve of May Sunday, a holiday has been celebrated lily of the valley french. lilies of the valley considered a symbol of love. If a girl pins a flower given by a young man to her hair or dress, then this means that she agrees to get married, if she throws it on the ground, then his proposal is not accepted.

After flowering lilies of the valley in place of crumbling petals, a large red berry appears. And there is also about her legend. Spring gave the young man a name Lily of the valley love of life and he always thanked her with warm, affectionate words. Spring fell in love lily of the valley, but not for long. All her life, traveling from south to north, she does not find peace for herself and, scattering caresses to everyone, does not linger with anyone for a long time. In passing she caressed and Lily of the valley. However, she soon left and left the spring flower for the hot summer. young man Lily of the valley he wept so much for his beloved Spring, who had left him, that the tears turned into white flowers, and the blood of the heart stained the berries.

The generic name is given by Linnaeus in Latin - Lilium convallium, which means lily of the valleys. English title - Lily of the Valley (or Lily-of-the-Valley)- repeats the Roman meaning. Other Russians titles: lilies of the valley, shirt, young, juvenile, culprit. In 1967 lily of the valley became the national flower of Finland. Stylized images lily of the valley placed on the fields of the coats of arms of the cities of Weilar (Germany, Lunner (Norway) and Mellerud (Sweden)

O first lily of the valley! From under the snow
You ask for sunbeams;
What a virgin bliss
In your fragrant purity!

There are many legends about the origin of lily of the valley. An old Russian legend connects the appearance of the lily of the valley with the sea princess Magus. The tears of the princess, saddened by the fact that the young man Sadko gave his heart to the earthly girl Lyubava, fell to the ground, sprouted into a beautiful and delicate flower - a symbol of purity, love and sadness.

There is a belief that on bright moonlit nights, when the whole earth is covered in deep sleep, the Blessed Virgin, surrounded by a crown of silver lilies of the valley, sometimes appears to those happy mortals for whom unexpected joy is preparing. When the lily of the valley fades, a small round berry grows - flammable, fiery tears, with which the lily of the valley mourns the spring, the round-the-world traveler, scattering her caresses to everyone and not stopping anywhere. The lily of the valley in love also silently endured his grief, as he carried the joy of love. In connection with this pagan tradition, a Christian legend may have arisen about the origin of the lily of the valley from the burning tears of the Most Holy Theotokos at the cross of her crucified son.

The ancient Romans believed that the lily-of-the-valley was the droplets of the fragrant sweat of the goddess of hunting Diana, who fell on the grass when she ran away from the Faun in love with her. In England, they said that lilies of the valley grow in the forest in those places where the fabulous hero Leonard defeated the terrible dragon. Other legends say that lilies of the valley grew from the beads of Snow White's crumbling necklace. They serve as flashlights for the gnomes. They live in small forest men - elves. Sunbeams hide in lilies of the valley at night. From another legend, we learn that lilies of the valley are Mavka's happy laughter, which scattered like pearls through the forest when she first felt the joy of love.

The Celts believed that this was nothing more, nothing less than the treasures of the elves. According to their legend, young hunters, having ambushed wild animals in the forest, saw an elf flying with a heavy burden in his hands, and tracked down his path. It turned out that he was carrying a pearl to a mountain of pearls that towered under an old sprawling tree. Unable to resist the temptation, one of the hunters decided to take a tiny mother-of-pearl ball for himself, but when touched, the mountain of treasures crumbled. People rushed to collect pearls, forgetting about precautions, and the elven king flew to the noise of their fuss, turning all the pearls into fragrant white flowers. And since then, elves have been taking revenge on greedy people for the loss of their treasure, and lilies of the valley love so much that every time they rub them with napkins woven from moonlight...

Not only legends, tales, poems were dedicated to a charming flower, holidays and festivities were held in his honor. From time immemorial, lily of the valley has been associated with purity, tenderness, fidelity, love and the most sublime feelings. From lilies of the valley were wedding bouquets for young brides, symbolizing youth and purity.

In ancient times in Germany, lilies of the valley were brought as a gift to the goddess of the rising sun, radiant dawn and spring, Ostara. And when holidays were held in honor of this goddess, everything around was decorated with lilies of the valley. Boys and girls gathered in the outskirts, kindled fires and danced until the flowers in their hands withered. Then they threw wilted flowers into the fire, sacrificing them to the goddess.

Since the 17th century, on the eve of May Sunday, the French have celebrated the feast of lilies of the valley. Lilies of the valley were considered a symbol of love. If a girl pins a flower given by a young man to her hair or dress, then this means that she agrees to get married, if she throws it on the ground, then his proposal is not accepted.

After the flowering of lilies of the valley, a large red berry appears in place of the crumbled petals. And there is a legend about her too. Spring endowed a young man named Lily of the Valley with a love for life, and he always thanked her with warm, affectionate words. Spring fell in love with Lily of the Valley, but not for long. All her life, traveling from south to north, she does not find peace for herself and, scattering caresses to everyone, does not linger with anyone for a long time. In passing, she caressed Lily of the Valley. However, she soon left and left the spring flower for the hot summer. The young man Lily-of-the-Valley cried so much about the beloved Spring that had left him, that the tears turned into white flowers, and the blood of the heart stained the berries.

The generic name is given by Linnaeus in Latin - Lilium convallium, which means lily of the valleys. The English name - Lily of the Valley (or Lily-of-the-Valley) - repeats the Roman meaning. Other Russian names: lilies of the valley, shirt, young, rejuvenator, culprit. In 1967, the lily of the valley became the national flower of Finland. Stylized images of the lily of the valley are placed on the fields of the coats of arms of the cities of Weilar (Germany), Lunner (Norway) and Mellerud (Sweden).

The forest turns black, awakened with warmth,
Embraced by spring dampness.
And on the strings of pearls
Everyone trembles from the wind.

Buds round bells
Still closed and tight
But the sun opens the corollas
At the bluebells of spring.

Nature carefully swaddled,
Wrapped up in a wide sheet
A flower grows in the wilderness untouched,
Cool, fragile and fragrant.

The forest languishes in early spring,
And all the happy longing
And all your fragrance
He gave to the bitter flower.

S. Marshak. Lily of the valley.

In early spring, under shady trees in the forest, on forest edges, in ravines, delicate, fragrant, elegant flowers - lilies of the valley - are scattered like pearls.

Lily of the valley flowers are always associated with purity, tenderness, fidelity, love, with the most sublime feelings. How many luxurious flowers there are, but it was the lily of the valley that the ancient Germans and Scandinavians considered the flower of the goddess of the rising sun. And how many legends and fairy tales are associated with it!

Since childhood, many people remember the tale of Snow White. When Snow White was escaping from her evil stepmother, she accidentally scattered her necklace, which turned into fragrant flowers. They serve as flashlights for the gnomes. They are inhabited by small forest men - elves. Sunbeams hide in lilies of the valley at night.

In Roman mythology, there are references to How once the goddess of hunting Diana got into an unfamiliar forest where fauns lived. Seeing the proud beauty, they began to pursue her. The agile, slender goddess ran away from them. But she had to run for too long and quickly, her tanned beautiful body was covered with droplets of fragrant sweat that fell to the ground and turned into magical flowers.

An old Russian legend tells of the water princess Volkhov. Who passionately loved the beautiful Sadko. Having learned about his ardent love for Lyubava, in despair she went ashore to hear the songs of her beloved for the last time. But he was not on the beach. For a long time she wandered, listening, through the meadows, through the forest, along the edges. And among the slender birches I noticed two silhouettes in the moonlight. He!!! And next to him, gently clinging to him, is Lyubava.
With difficulty, the proud beauty Volkhova restrained the cry of despair bursting from her chest. She turned away. Exhausted by grief, she left to forever plunge into the cold water kingdom, to hide her unbearable longing from the whole world. And only the moon in the sky was a witness to her tears, which rolled like a hail of blue, like the sea, eyes, and pearls fell between silk grasses. Tears turned into fragrant lilies of the valley - evidence of the love and pain of a tender, hot girl's heart.

From another legend, we learn that lilies of the valley are Mavka's happy laughter, scattered like pearls through the forest. When she first felt the joy of love.

And here is another legend about the lily of the valley. Once, a long time ago, Lily of the Valley fell in love with the beautiful Spring, scattering her caresses to everyone. And when the lily of the valley fades, a small round berry grows - combustible, fiery tears, with which the lily of the valley mourns the spring that threw him. The lily of the valley in love silently endured his grief, as he carried the joy of love.

Many beautiful legends and legends are associated with lily of the valley. According to one of them, the lily of the valley appeared from the tears of the Virgin, shed by her at the cross on which her Son was crucified.

Good afternoon friends!

Summer is a time of lush flowering of a great variety of beautiful flowers. Many of them attract us with their beauty and splendor, variety of wonderful aromas. Some are successfully used in cooking, pharmacology, cosmetology and traditional medicine.

And almost all of them are heroes of fascinating legends and fairy tales!

Lily of the valley is just such a flower, about which amazing fairy tales and myths were not only composed, but also glorified in art.

How many talented fans have been inspired by this fragile and delicate flower! A sea of ​​songs and poems, images and metaphors, paintings of painters has been collected by this wonderful bell! Remember also the famous "Lilies of the Valley" by Faberge!

But today we will talk about beliefs, myths and legends that exist in many countries. I will try to introduce you to the most interesting of them.

Slavic beliefs

One of the legends says that the Lily-of-the-Valley flower is nothing more than the earthly embodiment of the tears of the sea goddess Volkhva. Young Sadko, traveling through the sea, won the heart of an unearthly beauty with his prowess, kindness and strength, and she fell in love with him with all her heart.

But her love was not destined to become mutual - on the shore, in a distant homeland, the young man was waiting for his beloved girl Lyubava, to whom he had long given his heart.

Upon learning that they were not destined to be together, Volkhva sighed sadly and shed bitter tears, the size of a pea, on the ground. Where the fertile soil was watered with the tears of the goddess, flowers of wonderful beauty grew - snow-white lilies of the valley. With their quiet ringing, they still remind people of the bitterness and sadness that even the brightest and purest feeling can bring.

Christians believed that the Lily of the Valley Flower is the constant companion of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In a magnificent wreath of these flowers, she appears in a dream to those who will soon be illuminated by the gift of her grace. Like Lilies of the valley are a symbol of the fulfillment of dreams and sweet dreams.

Small berries - the fruits of the Lily of the Valley - symbolize the bitter tears of the Virgin, which she dropped at the place of the crucifixion of her son Jesus.

Another legend is the tale of Spring.

Beautiful Spring, traveling around the world, gave its warmth, radiance and affection to people. And then one day on her way she met a handsome man named Lily of the Valley - and he also fell in love with a young charmer.

They were inseparable while Spring was visiting these parts. But the windy beauty never lingered in one place for a long time, and now the hour has come when she had to leave her lover.

Lily of the valley bitterly experienced separation, and even the cheerful and warm Summer, which replaced Spring, could not console him. The tears that the young man shed in his suffering gave birth to beautiful flowers - snow-white Lilies of the Valley, and over time, instead of white flowers, the scarlet berries of his broken heart appeared on the stems.

Probably, it is precisely because of these legends that the meaning of the Lily of the Valley flower is completely ambiguous:

• On the one hand, it is a symbol of pure love, a strong family, youth and kindness.
• On the other hand, it is a symbol of sadness, coldness, lack of love or other warm feelings for a person. In some countries, the lily of the valley, thrown to the ground, meant disagreement with the marriage bond.

Legends from Western Europe

In Ireland, they believe that the little Lily-of-the-Valley flowers are nothing more than steps for little fairies and cute elves. On these steps, these magical creatures rise from the ground to the reed, collect its finest fibers and weave soft cradles for themselves.

Celtic belief also connects this flower with unusual magical creatures - elves and fairies. According to legend, several young hunters hid in the thickets while waiting for their prey. Hiding, they noticed a small elf flying in the bushes and carrying something shiny and shining in his hands.

The young men completely forgot about hunting - they followed the elf's entire path and found out that he was carrying his burden to the mountain of treasures. Greedy hunters wanted to get rich and one of them grabbed the pearl from the elf.

But then the power of magic was shaken, and the mountain of treasures crumbled, turning into a scattering of pearls. Forgetting about caution, the hunters rushed to collect precious balls, but the elven king noticed them and enchanted the treasures - as soon as a person touched them, the pearls turned into snow-white Lilies of the Valley.

There are beliefs associated with the lily-of-the-valley flower in other cultures. For example, in ancient Germany, it was brought as a gift to the goddess of spring, Eostre. In honor of this, they even organized noisy folk festivals for young people. In France, Lily of the Valley Day is celebrated on May 1 to this day.

On the state symbols of many countries and cities there is an image of this cute flower - in Holland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and in Finland, Lily of the valley even became a national flower!

Finally, I suggest you admire the photo of Lily of the valley in nature. I think you will agree with me - this is truly a magical flower!

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See you later!

Some types of lily of the valley are listed in the Red Book. Take care of these fragile plants, and they will delight for many years with their delicate flowering in early May. You can discover a lot of new information about the first symbols of spring by reading interesting facts about lilies of the valley.

1. Small droplets of sweat dripped from her exhausted body, fell to the ground and instantly turned into ringing lily of the valley bells.


2. In Ukraine, there is a belief that this delicate, fragile plant grows where the bitter tears of girls who are waiting for their husbands from the war fall. An English legend tells that snow-white bells are nothing more than small beads of a crumbling Snow White necklace. And the Celts believed that lilies of the valley are the real jewels of fabulous elves.


3. A few centuries ago, girls, for a healthy blush, rubbed their cheeks with lily of the valley flowers.. It was believed that if you put a modest bouquet of snow-white bells at the head of the marital bed, then the man will become more attentive and gentle, and his companion - liberated and passionate.


4. Year-round breeding of lilies of the valley was carried out by the ancient Egyptians in the 1st century BC. BC. In the middle of the XV century. in Western Europe, flower growers received spectacular forms of pink and red lilies of the valley.


5. In French villages, there was a custom: inviting his chosen one to dance, the guy handed her a bouquet of fragile plants. Accepting the bouquet meant agreeing to a romantic relationship. If the lady threw flowers at the feet of her gentleman, in this way she expressed an extreme degree of contempt and indignation.


6. Earlier on the first Sunday of the last spring month, and now on May 1, the French celebrate the feast of lilies of the valley.. People on this day exchange with each other embroidered bouquets of lilies of the valley, postcards, souvenirs with the symbols of bells. Flowers adorn the courtyards and interiors of houses.


7. In Rus', lily of the valley has long been valued for its healing properties.. However, it was officially recognized as a medicinal plant only at the end of the 19th century. Due to its cardiotonic properties, lily of the valley is still used in pharmacology. In particular, it is a constituent component of Zelenin drops, intended for the treatment of tachycardia and acute heart failure.


8. Lily of the valley has different names in different countries. The Danes call it "lilikonval", the British - the valley of lilies, the Czechs - a bun, the Bulgarians - a girl's tear, the Germans - a May bell.


9. Lily of the valley keiske grows in the Far East. The height of individual plants can reach 30 cm.


10. Lily of the valley is P.I.'s favorite spring flower. Tchaikovsky and D. Mendeleev. Silver bells were dedicated to poems by S. Marshak, A. Fet, V. Sosiura.


11. The image of a lily of the valley is also used in the heraldry of Russian settlements.. Delicate bells are present on the flags of Zhedyaevsky, Veselovsky and Besleneyevsky rural settlements.