Flora and fauna have numerous interpretations and implications in myths and legends of ancient Greece. In the Hermès carré Eleftheria, the Greek artist Elias Kafouros drew over 60 flora and fauna in his creation, such as the laurel tree, olive tree, cypress tree, four-leaf clover, hyacinth, sunflower, iris, narcissus, daffodils, delphinium, rose, violet, aster, orchids, pear, pomegranate, butterfly, goat, donkey, horse and cat etc. With the wide variety of flora and fauna, the aptly depicts the tale of Greek Gods’ love, hatred, passion and desire in Greek mythology in his art piece.
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In faraway northern Greece, horses gallop freely over the alpine tundra. The rising sun cast a red hue across the blue morning sky over Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. Another day has dawned, bringing with it new hopes and a new beginning.
Mount Olympus
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Mount Olympus, also known as Modern Greek Ólympos, is the home to the famous ancient Greek Gods - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus. In ancient Greek mythology, 12 Olympian Gods ruled after Zeus had overthrown the unruly Titans. When the Olympian gods won the battle, they established their new majestic home – Mount Olympus.
A portion of Apollo and the Python (1636–1638) by Cornelis de Vos.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
No one’s perfect in Greek mythology, so everyone is flawed somehow, even heroes and Gods. The Gods are very emotional, behave inconsistently and sometimes immorally.
Apollo is best known as the God of sun, archery, truth, healing and diseases, music and dance, poetry, prophecy, and knowledge. Eros, also known as Cupid, is the God of love, passion and physical desire.
One day Apollo contemptuously teased Eros while he challenged Apollo to an archery contest. That upset Eros, and he came up with a plan to punish Apollo for his arrogance. Eros prepared two arrows: one of gold and one of lead. He shot Apollo with the gold arrow, instilling in him a passionate love with the beautiful nymph Daphne. Then he shot Daphne with the lead arrow, instilling in her a hideous hatred for Apollo.
Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The beautiful Daphne was the first love of Apollo. She had a brilliant free-spirited mind and did not feel any spark with any man. She rejected every lover who pursued her, including Apollo. When Apollo followed her lustfully, Daphne prayed to the Earth or her father Ladon, the river god, to rescue her. While escaping Apollo’s chase, she lost her life and was transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo was heartbroken. He took some of the leaves to make a laurel wreath so that Daphne would always stay close to him. To commemorate his love for Daphne, Apollo made the laurel his sacred tree.
One of Apollo’s most important duties was to bring up the sun every day. Apollo lives in an eastern palace and rides a gold and ivory chariot pulled by fiery horses across the sky daily to bring dawn-light to the world. The ancient Greeks believed that sunflowers turned towards the sun because the nymph Clytie adored Apollo. But Apollo never returned her love. Clytie sat on a rock for nine days without drinking or eating anything. She was staring at the sun and eventually transformed into a sunflower on the ninth day. Clytie’s adoration and love towards Apollo didn’t change, and she still gazed at him moving across the sky every day with unblinking eyes - just as sunflowers follow the sun nowadays.
The Death of Hyacinth, by Alexander Kiselev, from 1850 until 1900
Image Credit to Wiki Common
The beautiful Spartan young man Hyacinthus was beloved by the God Apollo and the God of west wind Zephyrus. Zephyrus was jealous of his affair with Apollo. While Apollo was teaching Hyacinthus how to throw the discus, Zephyrus deflected the discus, and it hit Hyacinthus on the head and accidentally killed him. Hyacinthus’ death is a murderous crime of passion. Apollo was holding the dying youth, desperately trying to use his medicinal skill to resuscitate him. But even the mighty God of healing could not save the one he loved. In honour of his lover, Apollo makes a flower springing up from Hyacinthus’ blood.
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The unique geological formations and the various climate of Greece create a fertile ground where abundant wild plants could grow and a home for many wild and domestic animals such as the Kri Kri goat, mule and donkey.
The infancy of Zeus, by Jacob Jordaens, early 1630s.
Image Credit to Wiki Common.
The kri-kri goat is also known as the Cretan wild goat. In Greek mythology, the thunder god Zeus was nurtured by a goat named Amalthea. As Zeus’s father, Cronus learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overthrown by his son as he had previously overthrown his father. To avoid this fate, he swallowed five children as they were born.
When Zeus was born, Rhea decided to keep her infant safe and gave birth to Zeus in Crete. She gave him to Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia) who became his foster mother. Amaltheia fed him with her milk and took care of him in a cave on Mount Ida (Crete).
Cats were sacred animals, and the goddess Bastet was often depicted in cat form in Greece. When visitors walk through the cobblestone street in Greece, they can see the cats roaming nearby, walking on a rooftop, sleeping under the sun, trotting on a balcony or stopping by outside restaurants. Most of the cats in Greece are usually stays. They can survive under the mild winter in certain parts of Greece. The kind local people and tourists often take care of them with shelter, food and water.
Laurel tree, sunflower, hyacinth, pear, pomegranate, goat, and other flora and fauna of Greece depicting Greek Gods’ love, hatred, passion and desire in Greek mythology are elegantly painted in the Hermès carré Eleftheria.
(In this article, mythological descriptions are according to the usual version of Greek mythology. The examples may or may not be included in the Hermès’ catalogue description. The models may or may not be identical to the material objects or depiction in the carré.)
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