Crocus (mythology)

In Greek and Roman mythology, Crocus (Ancient Greek: Κρόκος, romanized: Krókos, lit. 'saffron') is a mortal young man who was changed by the gods into a saffron flower.^[1] Depending on the version, Crocus was the lover of either the nymph Smilax or the god Hermes.

Kingdom of Flora by Nicolas Poussin. Canvas painting, 1631, 181×131 cm

Mythology

Crocus was unhappy with his love affair with the nymph Smilax, and he was turned by the gods into a plant bearing his name, the crocus (saffron). Smilax is believed to have been given a similar fate and transformed into bindweed.^[2][3][4]

In another variation of the myth, Crocus was said to be a companion of Hermes and was accidentally killed by the god in a game of discus when he unexpectedly stood up. As the unfortunate youth's blood dripped on the soil, the saffron flower came to be.^[5][6][7] The myth is similar to that of Apollo and Hyacinthus, and may indeed be a variation or modelled after it thereof.^[7]

In his translation and commentary of Nonnos' Dionysiaca, W.H.D. Rouse describes the tale of Crocus as being from the late Classical period and little-known.^[8]

See also

• mythology portal
• Ancient Greece portal

• Clytie
• Hyacinthus, another youth killed in a discus accident and turned into a flower
• Smilax, Crocus' lover turned into a shrub