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Chrysanthemum - History
History: The Chinese
legend tells the story of an elderly emperor who had heard about a magic herb
that would give him eternal youth. This herb was said to grow on Dragonfly Island
and could only be picked by young people. The elderly emperor therefore sent twenty-four
children on what proved to be a long and hazardous journey. Much to their dismay,
when they finally arrived at the island they found it totally deserted. There
was no sign of the magic herb. All they found was a flower - the golden chrysanthemum,
which today still symbolises the Chinese people's ties with their country. Later
Mao Tse Tung replaced the imperial golden yellow with the red of the people's
republic.
The Japanese legend revolves around the god Izanagi and the
goddess Iznami, who were sent to earth across a bridge of clouds because there
were too many gods in heaven. When she arrived on earth, the goddess created the
gods of the wind, the mountains and the sea, but perished miserably in the flames
that sprang up while she was creating the god of fire. Izanagi, who missed her,
followed her into a dismal place known as the 'Black Night'. When he finally caught
a glimpse of the goddess, he was immediately pursued by an old witch. He fled
back to earth, where he decided to cleanse himself in the river. The items of
clothing he dropped onto the ground turned into twelve gods. His jewels turned
into flowers, his bracelet into an iris, a second bracelet into a lotus flower
and his necklace became a golden chrysanthemum.
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