I went looking for the Moon and found a thousand fallen Suns: Sunflowers. Apollo and Clytie. Ligo Sneak peak.

I went to see the Moon but I found a thousand fallen suns

Posting today as part of colorchallenge WEDNESDAY YELLOW challenge

All this pictures were taken last Saturday (late July 2018). Me and my partner Héctor Corcín  went on a stroll trying to see the Moon Eclipse that took place last 27th of July. Sadly clouds didn't allow to appreciate the eclipse in its full red moon glory and we only caught it as the Moon grew back to full brightness again, but we found this location and we went the day after to take these pictures featured in this article.

So even if weather boycotted a little bit our sighting of the Blood Moon, at least it worked to find this lovely location. Above, not the best eclipse picture but what we glimpsed :)

Location and filming for forthcoming video

Location is close to an abandoned village called Guendulain (Navarre, Spain). To see the sunflowers spreading and just the ruins emerging from them was rather magical. As we had just found it the day before and I am finishing editing a videoclip of Latvian folk song Līgo (encouraged by fellow steemian friend Linda from Latvia, who encouraged me to learn a song of her country). It is a overall a worship of Summer hymn and I had still a few gaps in the video so location was perfect to shoot some final scenes). I will share that here shortly but meanwhile here. Almost done, I will share it soon.

Enchanted sunflower, thou
Who gazest ever true and tender On the sun’s revolving splendour
Pedro Calderon de la Barca (Poet)

A symbol of strength, endurance and loyalty

They look like thousands of fallen suns blooming in Summer... so yellow and vibrant, a representation of our life giving star. The petals of a sun flower are also known as "rays" for that reason. Unmistakable with their brilliant and vibrant appearance and amazingly large size. There are different varieties of different sizes but some are as large and tall as I am, glorious giant flowers.

As to give a sunflower to your beloved it represents warmth, long life and endurance. Sun flowers remain in full bloom for a long time enduring the hottest days of Summer and tolerating lack of rain and droughts. The upright and strong stem also represent the strength of bonds and loyalty. It is usually given as a gift on the 3rd anniversary of a wedding.

I love a sunflower and I believe in love power
(Tears for Fears, quote from the lyrics of "Sowing the Seeds of Love")

Vitality, hope, renewal... LIGHT

It was worshiped by Incan Empire priestesses who used to wear replicas made of gold in their garments.

In China, Royalty used to eat sunflower seeds in order to have a long life and are related with vitality and luck. In China in fact they are a symbol of *lasting happiness" The symbolism of "yellow" colour that I covered in previous article also apply for this "light bringer". It is easy to think why these flowers are usually associated with "happy" feelings.

They are not only strikingly beautiful but also useful providing and numerous edible sunflower seeds (at least the most common Helianthus annus which we grow for that purpose) and oil for cooking and beauty treatments. Crops and fields of these beauties, also a symbol of "abundance".

Sunflowers also known for their symmetry based on Fibonacci numbers

Above: the disk of a sunflower are made of made up of many little flowers that will become seeds.

Moving into the Light and the Legend of Clytie and Apollo

Sunflowers belong to the family Asteraceae and genus Helianthus (helios=Sun, Anthos=flower) and they move and stretch moving towards the light by phototropism. or heliotropism. Sunflowers are one of several plant species that make optimum use of light by turning to face the sun. It is like a "solar tracking" triggered in fact by phyto-hormones (Auxins) presents in the stems. This happens until the flower is "mature" and the seeds begin to ripen. Then they usually stop growing and droop downwards and stop their movement.

But let's explain it in a more romantic way

Clytie in Green mythology was a water nymph (daughter of Oceanus, the Water god and Tethys) that turned into a flower grieving over here unrequited love for the God of the Sun, Apollo (son of Zeus), and thus she is always facing the sun looking for her love return for her in his Chariot. She fell in love with him but was ignored by Apollo who fell for another Water Nymph (Daphne). Clytie sat on a rock and spent nine days without food or water until she transformed into a flower, and even to this day, she keeps looking at her beloved sun from dawn to sunset. Thus sometimes Sunflowers are used as symbols of "platonic love". At the beginning the Greek legend transformed her into a turnsole (Heliotropium) as in fact all sunflowers (Helianthus) are native from America, but modern retelling and famous Victorian and Prerraphaelite painting used "Sunflowers" to represent the grieving nymph.

Although Clytie's love was not corresponded as Apollo fell in love with Daphne due to an Eros (God of love) arrow, the irony of it is that he was despised by Daphne who wished herself to be transformed into a laurel tree not to be bothered by Apollo unsolicited love. Apollo had an argument with Eros and he was struck by an arrow who made him fall in love with the water nymph but Daphne was hit by a lead arrow who made her despise Apollo as strongly as he loved her. Finally she prayed for help to her father and was transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo was heartbroken and remained faithful and it made laurel leaves "evergreen" because of his love.

Poor Clytie, if it had not been for the interference of love arrows...

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