Greece In
Greek, the plant is called , after the mythic mountain nymph
of the same name. In the myth of
Apollo and Daphne, the god
Apollo fell in love with Daphne, a priestess of
Gaia (Mother Earth), and when he tried to seduce her she pleaded for help to Gaia, who transported her to
Crete. In Daphne's place Gaia left a laurel tree, from which Apollo fashioned
wreaths to console himself. Other versions of the myth, including that of the Roman poet
Ovid, state that Daphne was transformed directly into a laurel tree. Bay laurel was used to fashion the
laurel wreath of
ancient Greece, a symbol of highest status. A wreath of bay laurels was given as the prize at the
Pythian Games because the games were in honor of Apollo, and the laurel was one of his symbols. According to the poet
Lucian, the priestess of Apollo known as the
Pythia reputedly chewed laurel leaves from a sacred tree growing inside the temple to induce the (trance) from which she uttered the oracular prophecies for which she was famous. Some accounts starting in the fourth century BC describe her as shaking a
laurel branch while delivering her prophecies. Those who received promising omens from the Pythia were crowned with laurel wreaths as a symbol of Apollo's favor.
Rome , laurated poet, father of
humanism The symbolism carried over to
Roman culture, which held the laurel as a symbol of victory. It was also associated with immortality, with ritual purification, prosperity and health. It is also the source of the words
baccalaureate and
poet laureate, as well as the expressions "assume the laurel" and "resting on one's laurels".
Pliny the Elder stated that the laurel was not permitted for "profane" uses – lighting it on fire at altars "for the propitiation of divinities" was strictly forbidden, because "it is very evident that the laurel protests against such usage by crackling as it does in the fire, thus, in a manner, giving expression to its abhorrence of such treatment". Laurel was closely associated with the Roman Emperors, beginning with
Augustus. Two Laurel trees flanked the entrance to Augustus' house on the
Palatine Hill in Rome, which itself was connected to the
Temple of Apollo Palatinus, which Augustus had built. Thus, the laurels had the dual purpose of advertising Augustus' victory in the Civil Wars and his close association with Apollo. The sprig grew into a full-size tree which fostered an entire grove of laurel trees, which were in turn added to by subsequent Emperors when they celebrated a
triumph. The emperors in the
Julio-Claudian dynasty all sourced their
Laurel wreaths from the original tree planted by Livia. It was taken as an omen of the impending end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty that in the reign of
Nero the entire grove died, shortly before he was assassinated.
East Asia An early Chinese
etiological myth for the
phases of the moon involved a great forest or tree which quickly grew and lost its leaves and flowers every month. After the
Sui and
Tang dynasties, this was sometimes connected to a woodsman named
Wu Gang, sentenced to cut at a self-repairing tree as a punishment for varying offenses. The tree was originally identified as a (
guì) and described in the terms of the
osmanthus (
Osmanthus fragrans, now known in Chinese as the or "
gui flower"), whose blossoms are still used to flavor
wine and confections for the
Mid-Autumn Festival. However, in English, it is often associated with the more well-known
cassia (
Cinnamomum cassia, now known in Chinese as the or "meat
gui") while, in modern Chinese, it has instead become associated with the Mediterranean laurel. By the
Qing dynasty, the
chengyu "pluck osmanthus in the
Toad Palace" (,
Chángōng zhé guì) meant passing the
imperial examinations, which were held around the time of the lunar festival. The similar association in Europe of laurels with victory and success led to its translation into Chinese as the or "Moon
gui".
Finland The laurel leaves in the coat of arms of
Kaskinen,
Finland () may have been meant to refer to local flowering, but its origin may also be in the name of the family Bladh (; 'leaf'); two members of the family – a father and a son – acquired both
town rights and the status of staple town for the village at the time. ==Chemical constituents==