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Flora

 
(flôr'ə, flōr'ə) pronunciation
n. Roman Mythology
The goddess of flowers.

[Latin Flōra, from flōs, flōr-, flower.]


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Roman goddess of flowering plants. Her cult was supposedly introduced into Rome during its earliest years by the Sabine king Titus Tatius. Her temple stood near Rome's Circus Maximus, and her festival, the Floralia, was instituted in 238 BC.

For more information on Flora, visit Britannica.com.

Flōra, an Italian goddess of flowers and spring whose antiquity is proved by the assignment to her of a flamen floralis, but who was not given a temple until 238 BC. At this temple, near the Circus Maximus, cheerful and ribald celebrations in her honour were held every April, reaching their climax on the first of May. Ovid tells the story of Chlōris who, when pursued by Zephyrus, changed into Flora and breathed out flowers which spread over the countryside; this myth is depicted in Botticelli's Primavera.

Flora, in Roman religion, goddess of flowers and fertility. Her festival, the Floralia, Apr. 28-May 1, was celebrated with great gaiety and licentiousness.


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Flora (mythology)

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Topics in Roman mythology
Important Gods:
Roman Kingdom
Religion in ancient Rome
Flamens
Roman, Greek, and Etruscan mythologies compared
Other Rustic Gods:

In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime. Her festival, the Floralia, was held between April 28 and May 3 and symbolized the renewal of the cycle of life, drinking, and flowers. The festival was first instituted in 240 B.C.E but on the advice of the Sibylline books she was given another temple in 238 B.C.E. Her Greek equivalent was Chloris, who was a nymph and not a goddess at all. Flora was married to Favonius, the wind god, and her companion was Hercules. Her name is derived from the Latin word "flos" which means "flower." In modern English, "Flora" also means the plants of a particular region or period.[1]

Flora achieved more prominence in the neo-pagan revival of Antiquity among Renaissance humanists than she had ever enjoyed in ancient Rome.

She is the main character of the ballet The Awakening of Flora.

References

  • Ovid, Fasti V.193-212
  • Macrobius, Saturnalia I.10.11-14
  • Lactantius, Divinae institutions I.20.6-10

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American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
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