A laurel wreath or a branch of the laurel - since antiquity - a symbol of glory, victory or peace.
The triumphs wore a laurel wreath ; ships of the winners were decorated with laurels. In solemn occasions, all the people were crowned with laurel wreaths; priests donated laurel wreaths at the sacrifices . The laurel was dedicated to Apollo , in explanation of which the myth of Daphne was created ; in the Pythian games, the laurel wreath was a reward to the winner, and he was awarded the "Apollo's favorites" - poets. This relationship between Apollo and the laurel explains the attribution of a prophetic gift to the laurel: the priests ate it to find out the future (laurel eaters). There was also the belief that the laurel saves from lightning.
The word " laureate " ( lat. Laureatus ) means "crowned with laurel" [1] [2] .
Images
National emblem of Greece
Rafael Santi Laurel Wreath
Laurel wreath on a postage stamp in the International Year of Human Rights - 1968
Notes
- ↑ Laurel (Dictionary of Antiquity) .
- ↑ Laureate // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.