FAQs
Lesson Summary. Hyacinthus, or Hyacinth, is a character in Greek mythology. He is a human prince of Sparta who is known for being very beautiful. According to myth, Apollo, god of the sun and music, fell in love with Hyacinth upon seeing him, and he taught the prince to play music and to hunt.
Who fell in love with Hyacinthus? ›
Turns out that not only was Apollo in love with Hyacinthus, but so was Zephyrus, the west wind. Seeing how attached Apollo and Hyacinthus were, he grew jealous, and in an old-fashioned twist on “If I can't have him no one can” he deliberately blows the discus into Hyacinthus' path, killing him.
How was hyacinth accidentally killed? ›
According to the usual version, his great beauty attracted the love of Apollo, who killed him accidentally while teaching him to throw the discus; others related that Zephyrus (or Boreas) out of jealousy deflected the discus so that it hit Hyacinthus on the head and killed him.
What is the meaning of the hyacinth myth? ›
It is suggested that Hyacinthus would have spent the winter months in the underworld, or more suitably Hyperborea and returning to earth in the spring when the hyacinth flower blooms. According to classical interpretations, his myth is a metaphor of the death and rebirth of nature.
Who is Apollo's crush? ›
As many romances do, this story begins with an obsessive crush. Having fallen head over heels for the mortal man Hyacinthus, the god Apollo gives up his shrine at Delphi, his famous lyre, and his bow and arrow, to spend all his time with his new love.
Who did Apollo truly love? ›
The sharp, gold-tipped arrow pierced the heart of Apollo inflaming his love for Daphne, a beautiful nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, while the blunt, lead-tipped arrow struck the nymph creating an intense aversion for love in the her heart.
Who was the boy accidentally killed by Apollo? ›
HYAKINTHOS (Hyacinthus) was a handsome young Spartan prince loved by the gods Apollon and Zephyros. The West-Wind, however, grew jealous of his rival in love and one day, as the pair were playing discus, blew the discus off course causing it to strike Hyakinthos in the head killing him.
What flower did Apollo turn Hyacinthus into? ›
Zephyrus was repelled by Hyacinthus, so one day while he was playing frisbee, the wind elemental caused the disk to rebound on him. He took a mortal blow in the neck. Apollo transformed him into the Hyacinth flower, which was to forever be a part of the god's imagery.
Who rejected Apollo's love? ›
Daphne, in her effort to escape him, was changed into a laurel, his sacred tree; Coronis was shot by Apollo's twin, Artemis, when she proved unfaithful; and Cassandra rejected his advances and was punished by being made to utter true prophecies that no one believed.
Who was Apollo's favorite lover? ›
Apollo's other female lovers were Cyrene, Ion, Ourea, Ivadne, Cassandra, Thyrie, Rhoeo, Coronis, and Dryope. His two greatest loves were the nymph Daphne and Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus). Those were the two well known ones. Daphne was turned into a laurel plant and Hyacinthus was turned into a Hyacinth plant.
Hyacinthus was worshipped as a god (deified mortal in particular) in Sparta, and he seems to have originally been a pre-Greek god there. He was associated with fertility and vegetation.
Who is the sister of Hyacinthus? ›
Polyboea, a sister of Hyacinthus who died a virgin and was believed to have been taken to Elysium by Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis, together with her brother. As the sister of Hyacinthus, she was probably a Spartan princess as the daughter of King Amyclas and Diomede, daughter of Lapithes.
Is Hyacinthus alive? ›
Hyacinthus was the son of Pierus of Magnesia and Clio, the Muse of History. Due to his extreme handsomeness, two gods fell in love with him: Apollo and Zephyros. However, Hyacinthus chose Apollo over Zephyros. While playing a game of quoits with Apollo, Hyacinthus was killed by a jealous Zephyros.
Is hyacinth in the Bible? ›
In Revelation 21:20, one of the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem is hyacinth (Greek: hyakinthos). However, Strong's Concordance and Thayer's Greek Lexicon describe this as a stone of the colour of the hyacinth plant, i.e. dark blue. The stone intended may be the sapphire.
What is the disease in Hyacinthus? ›
Botrytis blight, Botrytis spp. This is one of the most widespread and common diseases of all bulbs. Symptoms are variable and can appear as oval or circular spots which are initially reddish-brown and develop pale centers and purplish margins. These spots may run together and rot the entire leaf.
Who was Apollo's most famous lover? ›
Apollo's most famous love was Daphne, a nymph who was vowed to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and chastity, that she would remain eternally innocent. But Apollo fell for her and stalked her until Daphne could take it no more.
Who was Apollo's first love? ›
Apollo's first love was Daphne, daughter of the river Peneus. It was not blind chance that caused this, but the wicked anger of Cupid. One day the Delian god, Apollo, flushed with pride at his recent killing of the serpent Python, saw Cupid bending his bow, its string drawn tight. 'Saucy lad!'
Did Apollo ever have a lover? ›
In Greek mythology, Coronis (/kɒˈrəʊnɪs/; Greek: Κορωνίς, translit. Korōnís) is a Thessalian princess and a lover of the god Apollo. She was the daughter of Phlegyas, king of the Lapiths, and Cleophema.
