Milk Dripping from the Mouth of Hercules: Sea Daffodil

The Magical Fragrance Of ''Sea Daffodil'', One Of The Most Beautiful Symbols Of Mediterrenan, Spreads Everywhere Particularly By The Wind From The Sea In The Evenings. This Delicate White Flower Of Turquoise Coasts Is Waiting For You With Its Unique Glory In The Beach Sands, Where It Surprisingly Springs To Life.

When Zeus, the Chief God, was bored one night, he went down to the seashore from Mount Olympus. While walking around the city of Thebai, he was amazed by the wife of King Amphitryon, Alcmene. He somehow had to steal her heart. He even had to create a hero from her to rush to help people. When King Amphitryon set sail one day, he achieved his goal. He managed to unite with Alcmene. They had a son. His name was Heracles, i.e., Hercules.
 

Milk Of Hera, The Mother Goddess

Zeus returned to Olympus with his son. When Mother Goddess Hera saw the boy, she felt abased, and showed great reaction. On the other hand, Zeus wanted Hercules to become a god, in other words, immortal. Therefore, he had to drink Hera’s milk. One night, while Hera was sleeping, he secretly left Hercules on her arms. Starving for days, the child stuck to Hera’s breasts in such a way that the milk poured down out of his mouth. Every drop of milk poured on the earth turned into a flower in the sand. That flower was called sea daffodil, which is a very delicate and rare plant.

''Sharon Rose'' In Bible

It is believed that the “Sharon Rose” mentioned in the Old Testament of Bible is a sea daffodil. According to linguists, “havasselethakof”, which is the name of sea daffodil in Hebrew, is very similar to the name of this mysterious plant, i.e. “havasselethasaron”, that is said to grow on Sharon plains. Therefore, the linguists believe that the flower mentioned in the “Solomon’s Song of Songs” in the Old Testament is also a sea daffodil.
 

Sea Daffodil (Lily) Of Saint Nicholas

The sea daffodil, which is “Pancratium maritimum” in Latin, belongs to Amaryllidaceae family, and is a perennial bulbous plant that grows in the Mediterranean, Aegean and partially in coastal dunes of Black Sea. “Pancratium” means “chicory” in Latin, and “maritimum” means “maritime”. In other words, the Latin name means a “sea chicory”. However, it is also called as sea daffodil (lily) of St. Nicholas.
 

It Smells Much More Better At Nights

Belonging to Amaryllidaceae family, the sea daffodil is a kind of bulbous plant ... Its leaves can grow up to 45 centimeters. Its flowers are white and about 15 centimeters. The bulbs are 5 centimeters in diameter and 15-20 centimeters deep in the sand. Its green leaves appear in winter and dry before blossoming. It surprisingly blossoms in the sand towards the end of August. Its fragrance spreads intensely at nights. The sea daffodils blowing around add beauty to the beach and sand dunes. They turn into seeds towards the end of October. The seed falling in the sand becomes able to blossom three to four years later at the earliest.
 

Sea Daffodil Is In Danger

Adding beauty in particular to Lara, Belek and Kundu band of Antalya, the sea daffodil is threatened with extinction due to coastal roads, as well as the facts that sand dunes, their natural habitat, turn into beaches; they are trampled by people; its flowers are picked to be smelled or taken home, and its bulbs are collected. There is also another threat that is by the nature of sea daffodil. The sea daffodil cannot be fertilized by its own pollen or by artificial means. This has to be done by luna moth. Excessive pesticides against mosquitoes and pests threaten the extinction of luna moth and thus the sea daffodils. In spite of the destructive effects of humanbeing, the sea daffodil, having a very delicate and terrifyingly fragile appearance, has been taken under preservation by International Union For Conservation Of Nature in 2016. The persons, who pick sea daffodil or damage the area they spread, are sentenced to judicial fine due to destroying biological diversity.