What does peony have to do with poetry?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

May 2, 2003

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During the Middle Ages, peonies (genus: Paeonia) were magical plants, feared as much as they were loved for their medicinal uses. John Gerard believed most peony legends were nonsense, but he also felt the plants were valuable treatments. He mentioned, "...these herbs tooke the name of Peionie, or Paean...who first found out and taught the knowledge of this herbe unto posteritie."

Peony was especially a "remedie for those that are troubled in the night with the disease called Ephialtes or night Mare, which is as though a heavy burthen were laid upon them, and they oppressed therewith, as if they were overcome by their enemies, or overprest with some great weight...." (The Herbal or General Historie of Plants, 1633 edition)

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In the earliest Greek legends, Paeëon was a deity and physician to the Olympian gods. In later myths, Paean or Paian was a role or responsibility as a healer or deliverer. Paean became a surname; when people called upon the goddess Athena for healing, they made offerings to her as Athena Paeonia.

The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1902) states, "The name was...used also in the more general sense of deliverer from any evil or calamity and was thus applied to Apollo (Sun god) and Thanatos (Death), who are conceived as delivering men from the pain and sorrows of life.

"From Apollo...the name Paean was transferred to the song dedicated to him, that is, to hymns chanted...for the purpose of averting evil, and to warlike songs...sung before and during battle." By the 1600s, the hymn of Apollo lent its name to a style of poetry. The paeon was a verse with a metrical foot of four syllables, the first of which was emphasized.

The Heartland Peony Society has a great website with a gallery, descriptions, and general information about peonies. To learn more about these plants or to join the society, click on the link:

http://www.peonies.org/

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killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading:

Miss Willmott's ghost What's in a Name? - March 7, 2003
How do alligators benefit prairie iris? Renfield's Garden - March 31, 2004
How does this iris walk? Weird Plants - August 23, 2001
How did a flower cause an economic disaster? Plants that Changed History - April 2, 2002
Why were peonies considered dangerous? Herbal Folklore - April 21, 2003
What is the Apothecary's rose? Herbal Folklore - September 24, 2001

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Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.

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