Wind Flower

I'm very fond of these little flowers, underplanted by some kind soul, in amongst our shrubs. Every year they are a hidden world of brilliant colour, along with a kind of wild hyacinth, while the shrubs are still dark and woody.

Mythology has much to say about the Wind Flower. It sprang from drops of the blood of Adonis when he was gored by a wild boar. Or from the tears of Aphrodite when she learned of her lover's death.

Or Anemone, a beautiful nymph, was beloved by Zephyr, god of the west wind. Zephyr's wife Flora didn't think much of this, and in a fit of jealousy turned Anemone into a small flower. Boreas, god of the north wind, came then to pursue Anemone and blew in spring to encourage her to bloom.

Myself I prefer folklore, the old country idea that the petals close at night to enfold faerie folk and keep them safe during their hours of rest. Comforting, somehow.