Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Amaracus () was a young Cypriot boy who transformed into a

marjoram Marjoram (, ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial plant, perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram ...

plant, an aromatic herb that was one of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

's most commonly associated plants.

Etymology

The ancient Greek word for marjoram (''Origanum majorana'') is , ''amarakon''. Due to the possible β/μ variation (if related to Ancient Macedonian , ''abaru'', meaning oregano or marjoram) is probably of

pre-Greek The pre-Greek substrate (or substratum) consists of the unknown pre-Greek language or languages (either Pre-Indo-European or other Indo-European languages) spoken in prehistoric Greece prior to the emergence of the Proto-Greek language in the r ...

origin according to

Robert Beekes Robert Stephen Paul Beekes (; 2 September 1937 – 21 September 2017) was a Dutch linguist who was emeritus professor of Comparative Indo-European Linguistics at Leiden University and an author of many monographs on the Proto-Indo-European lang ...

. He also claims that any connection to Sanskrit ''maruva(ka)'' meaning the same is false.

Mythology

On the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, Amaracus was the royal perfumer in the court of King

Cinyras In Greek mythology, Cinyras (; – ''Kinyras'') was a famous hero and king of Cyprus. Accounts vary significantly as to his genealogy and provide a variety of stories concerning him; in many sources he is associated with the cult of Aphrodit ...

, his father. One day Amaracus fell by chance while carrying the ointments, thus creating a greater odor from the confusion of said ointments. Afterwards, he was turned into the ''amarakon'' herb (the marjoram), which was also said to be sweet, a plant sacred to the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. As the son of Cinyras, this would make Amaracus the brother of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

, another mortal turned into an aromatic plant with connections to Aphrodite.

Culture

The ancient Greeks associated the marjoram with Aphrodite, as they believed she had created it. In antiquity, the island of

, where the myth takes place and also a major cult center for Aphrodite, was noted for its large marjoram production; to this day, Cyprus still produces aromatic and therapeutic oils of marjoram. Marjoram was also utilised as a strong aphrodisiac, while it was also believed to cure snakebites, and both ancient Greeks and Romans adorned bridal wreaths with this herb.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

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Online version at Perseus.tufts project.
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Maurus Servius Honoratus Servius, distinguished as Servius the Grammarian ( or ), was a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian. He earned a contemporary reputation as the most learned man of his generation in Italy; he authored a set of commentaries o ...