Greek Myths XS: Rosemary, Sprung from Gaia's Tears

In ancient times, people lived close to nature, and that was certainly the case for the parents of little Libanos. Even before he was born, he was destined to dedicate his life to the worship of the earth-goddess Gaia.  His parents had built her a temple, from where they spread her message of respect and thankfullness for the offerings of nature. In return, Gaia rewarded them with the richest harvests. Their garden bloomed excessively, and they never had to water. This of course lead to envy and gossip. People started to speculate: If their garden looked as spectacular as this, what treasures could be hidden inside?... And one night, they took their candles and their forks, invaded the house, and when it was clear there were no treasures to be found, they burned it down, with the baby in it. Together with the parents, Gaia cried, and where her tears surfaced, a rosemary bush sprung up. The delicious scent reminds us of the destructive force of jealousy, but also of baby Libanos and the beauty of nature. (The grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.)

Gaia Bust, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

Temple of Tellus, Dougga, Tunisia

Did you know...

• The Romans identified Gaia with their ancient deity of Terra/Tellus (cfr. temple of Tellus in Dougga, Tunisia).