Let's Tell Tales...: Violets are Blue…

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Violets are Blue…

I am writing this post after witnessing my stats shoot up in the last 12 hours. I got more than 100 views today! Yaaaaaaay!! I resolve to be more productive and write consistently. I have plenty of things to write about anyway and I actually had trouble choosing what I wanted to write about because of that. Go figure.

Well, I decided to write about my discovery today as I was hanging out with my friend in my room, brainstorming for another blog (yes, I am working on another site even if I have two active ones already and I don’t know if I can manage them all). Predictably, we got stuck on the name of the blog. How could we find a name that was cool, simple, memorable, and most importantly NOT TAKEN?

Some of the alternatives for the name of the blog were names of flowers. Since it was going to be a girl’s blog, we thought that we might consider this feminine object. We stumbled upon the violet and found some pretty interesting information about it. Now it is a likely candidate for our blog.

After my friend went away, I still browsed for more information about violets while the pre-school nursery rhyme replayed in my head:

“roses are red, violets are blue, honey is sweet, and so are you”

I still can’t get it out of my head (laughs). The point of mentioning this rhyme here is that I had thought that violets were supposed to be blue and I was never really sure how they looked like until I did this research.

Here are some interesting facts about this flower:

Violets have five fan-shaped petals and scalloped heart-shaped leaves. They are usually purple with a hint of blue, but some are yellow, white, or cream.
The Greek word for violets is “Io” which is also the name of Zeus’ sweetheart. It is said that he had turned Io into a heifer to keep her a secret from Hera. He created the flowers for her culinary needs.
Da Vinci is said to have depicted violets in his painting entitled “Madonna Benois”, investing the flower with a meaning of humility. Giovanni Paolo did just about the same thing in his painting entitled “Madonna of Humility”.
Frederic Chopin inspired himself in his works from the land of flowers and of course he did not ignore violets in his artistic endeavors
Napoleon Bonaparte used to send Josephine, his wife, a bouquet of violets on every wedding anniversary.
The petals and leaves are edible. They are frequently used in salads, desserts, and other light dishes.

They are frequently used in perfumes, and their scent is sometimes made use of in aromatherapy to treat eczema and calm the nerves.
The sweet violet is the only flower in its family to have medicinal properties. It can be placed into syrups, creams or teas to help treat coughs, colds and lung disorders; it can help to treat insomnia, skin conditions and digestive upsets.

The ancient Greeks used violets as a main ingredient in some love potions, as it was the symbol of love and fertility.
Violets have a dual meaning. They are thought to be a symbol of peace, spirituality and imagination; at the same time it is a symbol for mourning and sadness. They can be given to encourage the recipient’s creative endeavors, or to show respect for the dead. Other sources say that violets also speak of faithfulness, commitment, candor, and modesty.

I also found the French word for “violet” in my Encarta Dictionary. Interestingly, the color “violet” is a masculine object and the flower “violette” is a feminine object. What this means is that “violet” needs the article “un” and “violette” needs the article “une”…

I’m getting ahead of myself, I’m sorry. The mid-semester exams are nearing and I have all these facts about different subjects in my head and one of them is French Language and it sure is challenging to learn.

Anyway, I fell in love with this flower because of its history and usefulness. Its color is also a combination of my favorite colors: purple and blue (and people know I am crazy about green too which is, you know… the leaves, LOL). Sigh. It’s so beautiful.

I know what I want for my birthday: a potted plant! And the plant has to be the violet!

Disclaimer: The statement directly above is a complementary addition for this blog post. This is not a hidden request for readers who happen to be family or close friends who are reading this. I withdraw myself from the responsibility of causing any consequential events that may take place subsequently.

:cheekygrin: