The Roman Goddess Flora

Flora

by Ktenaphora d'sos

The Roman goddess Flora represents flowers, springtime, blossoming, and fertility. She is responsible for not only the blooming, but the health and upkeep of the garden to ensure their beauty and plentiful fall harvest. Flora can also guide you in growth, change, childbirth, and a childlike sense of adventure. Her Greek counterpart is known to be Chloris, although Chloris is simply a nymph, not a goddess. The Naiads (water nymphs) and Dryads (tree or wood nymphs) are both sacred to Flora. She is often pictured wearing springtime clothes, with flowers either in her hair or making a crown, and holding a bouquet of flowers.

The Sabine people, near what would now be central Italy, were believed to be the first people who worshipped Flora, although some say it was the Oscans of southern Italy who knew her as Flusia. When Flora is combined with Ceres (corn goddess) and Tellus (fertility goddess) an overall picture of the generalized ancient earth mother appears. Flora is commonly worshipped with other nature or fertility goddesses and this may have played a part as to where her temple would be. In ancient Rome she had two temples, one of these was near the temples of Ceres and Liber and Libera (deities of the vine). With Flora's temple, near the Circus Maximus, this triad of temples created a powerful place of worship for fertility and bountiful harvest. Her second temple was near Quirinal Hill, where many of the festival races were held.

Floralia was a festival held in her honor between April 28 and May 3 of each year. This festival, which is thought to have originated in 240 BCE, honors flowers, beauty plentiful blooms, and the renewal of life and is marked with drinking and uninhibited joy and pleasure. Originally, the festival date moved from year to year to coincide with the actual blossoming of flowers. Eventually the date became fixed to April 27 and later moved to the 28th when Caesar changed the calendar. Around 173 BCE, the festival was reformed into Ludi Florales that held games and theatrical productions and extended to the original multiday festival that it once was.

Flora was wed to a wind god named Favonius (Greek counterpart Zephyrus) who controlled the favorable or west winds. It is sometimes said that he gave Flora his power over flowers. Flora can be seen as a pseudo mother to Mars. It is said that she gave Juno a flower that when touched by a woman created a virgin pregnancy and this is how Mars was conceived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_%28mythology%29

http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/1080_Flora.html

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http://thaliatook.com/OGOD/flora.html

http://www.josephinemaisonet.com/html_pages/MythicalGoddesses/Flora.html