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Trivia Forget-me-not: a Love Story

Reen-Oath

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Forget-me-not: a Love Story​

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The forget-me-not (Myosotis) symbolizes undying love.
For this Valentine’s Day, why not a charming medieval legend that unites love and a popular plant, the forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.)?
Here’s how it goes.
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A French knight was walking along a river with his lady. He bent down to pick her a pretty little blue flower, but his heavy armor caused him to lose his balance and he fell into the current. Before sinking forever, he tossed the flower to his lady, shouting “ne m’oubliez pas” (forget me not)! And that was how the forget-me-not got its name.
Curiously, even if the legend is French, the name has been essentially lost in France, where they simply call the plant myosotis after its Latin name. But the name forget-me-not lives on not only in English but in other languages: Vergissmeinnicht in German, no-me-olvides in Spanish, nontiscordardimé in Italian, gleym mér ei in Icelandic, etc.

The Other Legend
There is also another legend that explains how the forget-me-not received its name… but it’s not nearly so romantic.
It is said that God had assembled all the flowers in order to give each one a name until there was only one tiny plant that remained. Then God turned as if to leave, causing the little plant to cry out: “Forget me not, O Lord!” “That shall be your name”, he decided.

A Symbol of Love and Remembrance
The forget-me-not remains a powerful symbol even to this day.
In the language of flowers, for example, it symbolizes true and undying love.

-Laidback Gardener-
 

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