Amaranth – Amaranthus ssp.

Sacred to: Artemis

Myth 1: In Greek mythology, Amaranthus was a hunter of the island of Euboea, a son of King Abas. He was loved by the goddess Artemis and joined her in the hunt. But he insulted Poseidon as worthless, claiming the bounty of the hunt was superior to that of the sea. For this the god sent a giant wave, which washed him into the sea and drowned him. Artemis then turned him into an amaranth-flower, her sacred plant.

Myth 2: According to the Greek mythology, amarantos was a flower hidden by gods. The person who will find it, will become immortal

Other Notes: The flower, sometimes called “amaranth” and sometimes called “amarantine,” is sacred and is a symbol of eternity.

Aesop’s Fables (6th century BC) compares the Rose to the Amaranth to illustrate the difference in fleeting and everlasting beauty.

 

A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden,

and the Amaranth said to her neighbour,

“How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent!

No wonder you are such a universal favourite.”

But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice,

“Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time:

my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die.

But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut;

for they are everlasting.”

Milton’s Paradise Lost, iii. 353:

“Immortal amarant, a flower which once In paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to bloom; but soon for man’s offence To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows, And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life, And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven Rolls o’er elysian flowers her amber stream: With these that never fade the spirits elect Bind their resplendent locks.”

 

 

 

Amaranth – Amaranthus_retroflexus

Illustration Credit: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz1885, Gera, Germany [Image in Public Domain]

 

Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth – Amaranthus caudatus

Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth

Yet well I ken the banks where Amaranths blow,

Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.

Bloom, O ye Amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,

For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1825)

In Work Without Hope

This native of The Andes region of South America can now be found in India and Africa, as well as being cultivated in modern gardens worldwide. It is an annual plant that was intercropped for many years with cotton, maize, sorghum and beans. The plants that I have personally seen were at the National Herb Garden in Washington, DC. These plants were taller than my husband who is slightly over 6 feet tall. The beautiful, velvety, tassel-like flowering heads drooped all the way to the ground when fully open.

In ancient Egypt the amaranth was sacred to Artemis; it was supposed to have sacred healing properties and was used as a symbol of immortality. It was so sacred that it was used to decorate the tombs and images of the gods themselves. It was also used in the funerary rituals due to its association with immortality.

Back in the 70’s the Rodale Institute (who put out Organic Gardening) ran a study about growing amaranth. I don’t remember if I enrolled in a program ran by them or by the Mother Earth News magazine, but one of them asked their readers to participate in a summer challenge to grow this grain in back yard gardens. I enrolled, but due to unforeseen circumstances (pregnancy and divorce) I never actually grew the seed sent me! My lack of participation didn’t slow the process though, many people participated!

The plant was also evaluated by John Robinson, University of Michigan, and by the National Academy of Sciences (in separate studies) here in the USA. It was concluded that this plant of the American tropics may hold a key to increasing the world’s nutrition. Amaranth is high in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, zinc, Vitamins E and B.

In South and Central American it was a staple of the diet, reaching its peak usage with the Aztecs around the time of the Spanish invasion.

It has also been used in the treatment of various ailments by the Aztec, Incan, and Mayan healers. They used both the seeds and the leaves for healing purposes.

This plant was also held sacred by many of these cultures. It was so sacred that dough made of the amaranth flour was formed and fashioned into figurines that were offered to the various Gods; these then were eaten to remember their Gods. This practice infuriated the Catholic priests that tried to convert them!

Newborn babies were ritually bathed and named on their fourth day, and then they were given amaranth dough figures to eat. The figures the newborns were offered reflected what they were expected to become; bows and arrows, or kitchen utensils.

Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth – Amaranthus caudatus

Love-Lies-Bleeding Amaranth

When I first saw the Hopi Red Dye Plant growing at the National Herb Garden in Washington, D.C., I got very excited. I had only read about this plant, and those descriptions had not done it justice! The pendant flowers are absolutely beautiful! The name Amaranthus comes from the Greek word for unfading, and when you see these flower panicles you understand why the name is so fitting.

The plant is astringent, anthelmintic, and diuretic. A decoction of the flowers has been used in the treatment of spitting blood and other hemorrhages. The leaves and seeds are used for food. The leaves much like spinach are boiled and consumed as a vegetable. The seeds can make a drink.

The Hopi have used this plant for yellow and green dyes, which is how it was given one of its common names. The flower panicles are used in flower arrangements and are often dried for winter use.