RELIGION IN THE PLANT WORLD
“_Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth._”
--_Byron_
In a sense, the entire plant world is a beautiful and expressive
worship of a bountiful and beneficent Creator. No creed which does not
deny God will fail to see the silent but reverent adoration exhibited
by His handiwork. Every tree which raises its brave crest toward the
heavens, every flower which greets the warming sunlight with a smile,
is a testimony to the omnipotence of divine law. Fully explain the
wonders of a single blade of Grass, and you have solved the mysteries
which underlie the universe.
Primitive peoples, who are always closely attuned to natural
influences, early discerned the divine thread which runs through all
plantdom. In their incessant search for God, they did not overlook His
manifestations in the plants and flowers. Along with fire, water,
stars, sun, moon, animals, birds and graven images, our wood-roving
ancestors ascribed supernatural attributes to many trees and flowers.
In various places and at various times, many different plants have been
idolized as the material substance of an ethereal or spiritual being.
Certain plant growths have been repeatedly designated as sacred, and
even in the present day, untutored races have many plant superstitions.
Tree worship was common among the Celts and Teutons. The present day
Christmas tree is a relic of primitive tree veneration. Even the
American Indians worshiped trees at times. Man has been groping for God
all through the ages. His tendency has been to deify those elements
and things which he did not understand or which contained mystery. As
soon as he became acquainted with the causes of these mysteries, the
supernatural collapsed into the natural and he went searching after new
wonders to call God.
From the beginning of literature, the bards of every land have sung
to and of the flowers; the prophets have used them as instruments for
their sooth-saying; the believer in resurrection has cited them to
prove a final resurrection for the souls of men; the reincarnationists
have claimed in them a great evidence of the reincarnation of the soul;
the atheist has tried to show through them the validity of his belief;
hero and conqueror have found in them their crowns of glory and the
poet has made them the theme of his pen. Yet the flowers bloom today
much as they did on the hillsides of Greece and Babylon, and man, with
all his century-accumulated wisdom, seems but to have seen the outer
edge of their real lives.
The superstitious veneration of various flowers is an ancient and
peculiarly charming expression of man’s innate appreciation of the
beautiful. He who condemns as idolaters the flower-worshippers of
ancient ages may well look upon himself with critical eyes. Which is
the better: to pay tribute to the Creator through the adoration of his
beautiful floral children or make cold, glittering gold the ultimate
though unacknowledged goal of this earthly life?
It is interesting to notice, in reviewing the annals of flower-worship,
that the most fervent and frequent examples are found in tropical
countries. This is due, no doubt, to the luxuriance of vegetation in
the hot countries, and the fact that, in most cases, flowers are in
bloom there all the year around. Even one trained in a more rigid
faith is tempted to strange reverence when he suddenly comes upon a
great, glowing Orchid, squatting like some beautiful animal on the
shaggy trunk of an aged tree. A Hindu is quite excusable when he
becomes raptly worshipful while paddling through a floating sea of
Lotus-Flowers.
In heathen mythology, “every flower was the emblem of a god; every tree
the abode of a nymph.” Paradise, itself, was a kind of “nemorous temple
or sacred grove” planted by God himself. The patriarchal groves which
are prominent throughout Biblical history were probably planted as
living memorials of the Garden of Eden, the first grove and man’s first
abode.
Sacred flowers were common among the Greeks. The Anemone, Poppy and
Violet were dedicated to Venus. To Diana belonged “all flowers growing
in untrodden dells and shady nooks, uncontaminated by the tread
of man.” The Narcissus and Maiden-Hair Fern were under the special
protection of Proserpina and to Ceres belonged the Willow. The Pink was
Jove’s flower, while Juno claimed the Lily, Crocus and Asphodel.
The life of Christ flings a bright and illuminating ray of light over
the whole vegetable world. Trees and flowers which have heretofore been
associated with various heathen rites now become connected with holier
names and are frequently made a part of the crucifixion itself. Hosts
of flowers are dedicated to the Virgin Mary, particularly white ones,
which are taken to be emblematic of her purity. Christian worshippers
even went to the classic Juno and Diana, to the Scandinavian Freyja
and Bertha, to obtain flowers to dedicate to her. The Passion Flower
was often taken to represent various incidents connected with the
crucifixion.
Though the Rose and the Lily are the blossoms which are most frequently
associated with the Virgin, particularly in paintings, there is an
endless list of other flowers of low and high degree which are either
named after her or thought to be under her influence.
Orchids are called “Our Lady’s Slipper.” Maiden-Hair is “Virgin’s
Hair.” The Thyme, Woodroof and Groundsel plants are reputed to have
formed the Virgin’s bed. Among fruits the Strawberry and the Molluka
Bean have been set aside for her worship.
The “Rose of Jericho” is made famous by the Bible. Popular tradition
states that it first blossomed at Christ’s birth, closed at His
crucifixion and reopened at His resurrection. The legend of the
rose-coloured Sainfoin is especially interesting. One of the flowers
happened to be among the grasses and herbs lodged in the manger of the
Christ child. At the presence of that holy form, it suddenly opened its
blossoms to form a wreath for His head.
A more gruesome tale relates that the Wood-Sorrel, Spotted Persicaria,
Arum, Purple Orchid and Red Anemone owe their dark-stained blossoms to
the blood which trickled from the Cross.
Among the many theories regarding the identity of the wood of the
Cross, the one about the Mistletoe is especially fanciful. The
Mistletoe is alleged to have been originally a full-sized tree but
because of its ignoble part in the great Christian tragedy, it was
reduced to its present parasitical form.
Every saint in the Catholic calendar has his own particular flower,
either because of some incident in his life with which it was connected
or because of arbitrary dedication. Care has been taken to pick flowers
which are in bloom at the time of the festival of the saint which
they represent. In this way, the flowers of the field make a living,
religious time-piece.
Among the individual sacred flowers, Orchids and Lotus-Blossoms have
probably been known and reverenced as much as any. There is small
wonder that sentiment approaching veneration should exist toward
the Orchids. Their singular beauty and fragrance have compelled the
admiration of all historic peoples. The primitive Mexicans hold them in
very great esteem. The Lotus-Flower, portrayed through all the ages,
on papyrus, paper, silk, stone, and wood, has a world-wide sanctity.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped the Lotus in connection with the
mysteries of Isis and Osiris. The sculptural remains of the Nile abound
with the sacred plant in every stage of its development, the flowers
and fruit being represented with utmost accuracy. The Brahmans regarded
it as divine and the Hindus used it to decorate their temples and lay
on their religious altars. The Chinese also called it sacred. Brahma,
at his birth, is said to have come forth from the Lotus. Buddha and
other eastern deities, including the Chinese god Pazza, are reported to
have first appeared floating on its leaves.
Sir William Jones was one time dining on the banks of the Ganges.
Desiring to examine the sacred Lotus-Flower, he despatched some of
his people to procure a specimen. When it was brought, his Indian
attendants immediately fell on their faces in adoration.
The Yellow Narcissus is a famous fabled flower which originally came
from Palestine. Mahomet once said: “Whoever possesses two loaves of
bread, let him trade one for a blossom of Narcissus, for bread is
nourishment for the body, but the Narcissus for the soul.” The birth
of the Narcissus is narrated thus: In Sussexshire, England, the good
St. Leonhard once battled with a dragon for three whole days. Before
he was able to slay the monster, the doughty warrior was wounded with
consequent loss of blood. God could not bear to see the life fluid of
this holy man spilled heedlessly, so transformed each drop, as it fell,
into a Narcissus.
“Consider the Lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” This is a great
tribute to the Lily and it has been similarly praised throughout all
literature. About this lovely flower hang myriads of sacred legends and
such titles as the “symbol of purity,” the “soul of beauty” and “the
symbol of peace.” In the lore of the Greeks and the Orientals, this
matchless flower was hailed with the Rose as the “Queen of Heaven.”
The Venerable Bede called it the most worthy symbol of the Virgin. He
said that its pure white petals represent her undefiled body and the
golden stamens her radiant soul shining with god-like light. Many old
paintings of the Virgin show her with a vase of Lilies by her side.
The Rose is the universal symbol of royalty. In Greek mythology, it
was the favourite flower of Aphrodite and was represented as springing
from the blood of Adonis. Through all Norse and German mythology is
repeated reference to the “regal beauty” and “queenly mien” of the
Rose. In northern lands, the Rose was under the special protection of
the fairies, dwarves, and elves.
The “Balm of Gilead” is a well-known sacred plant (_Balsamum Judaicum_)
written of by Pliny, Strabo and Justin and grown in many parts of the
East. It is said to have been first brought from Arabia by the Queen of
Sheba as a gift to Solomon.
St. John’s Wort (_Hypericum Perforatum_) was dedicated to St. John
because its phosphorescent glow was remindful of the Biblical reference
to him as a “bright and shining light.” Some European peasants still
believe that, if gathered and worn on St. John’s Eve, it has the power
of bringing good luck and success.
The Greeks and Romans used Verbena extensively in their religious
ceremonies, principally because of its wonderful perfume. The Romans
called it “the sacred herb” and regarded it as an aid in divinations
and omens. On New Year’s Day, it was sent to friends as a token of
greeting. The Roman generals wore a sprig in their pockets as a
protection against bodily injury.
The Soma or Moon-Plant of India (_Asclepias Acida_) is a climbing vine
with milky juice which is said to confer immortality upon its admirers.
Pomegranate was long reverenced by the Persians and Jews as the
forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden.
The Indian plant Basil for many centuries has been held in good repute
by the Hindus, having been made sacred to Vishnu.
Mahomet pronounced Henna, the Egyptian Privet, “chief of the flowers of
this world and the next.” Wormwood was dedicated to the goddess Iris.
If there are many plants which man’s adoration has made religious,
there are almost an equal number which his suspicion and perversity
have branded irreligious. A famous plant of this kind is the
Enchanter’s Nightshade which has long been celebrated in the mysteries
of witchcraft. Perhaps its usual place of growth in old graveyards
among decaying bones and mouldering coffins has much to do with the
sinister superstitions and legends connected with it.
The Belladonna is another plant whose name is often associated with
black magic.
To this day many Danes believe that the Elder is eternally cursed.
Children who sleep in beds containing Elder wood continually complain
of having their feet tickled and their legs pulled. To carry a cane of
Elder is to invite attacks of slander. Women who have Elder wood in
their houses will never be married. It is the elves who dwell in the
Elder who are supposed to work all this mischief.
Plants often rise superior to the curse which men place upon them.
Probably every well-known plant, sometime in its history, has had
attributed to it both good and evil. The deity of one nation may become
the demon of another.
Plant worship holds a more prominent place in the world today than one
would at first thought imagine, and it is not altogether confined to
uncultured peoples. Dr. George Birdwood tells of remarkable instances
of modern flower worship he saw in Bombay. In describing the Victoria
Gardens, he says: “Presently, a true Persian, in flowing robes of
blue, and on his head his sheep-skin hat, ‘black, glossy, curl’d, the
fleece of Kar-kal’, would saunter in, and stand and meditate over every
flower he saw, and always, as if half in vision. And when the vision
was fulfilled, and the flower he was seeking found, he would spread his
mat and sit before it until the setting of the sun, then fold up his
mat again and night after night, until that particular flower faded
away, he would return to it, and bring his friends in ever-increasing
troupes to it, and sit and play the guitar or lute before it, and they
would altogether pray there, and after praying still sit before it,
sipping sherbet, and talking the most hilarious and shocking scandal
late into the moonlight; and so again and again every evening until the
flower died. Sometimes, by way of grand finalé the whole company would
suddenly rise before the flower and serenade it together, with an ode
from Hafiz, and then depart.”