Legends about the origin of flowers
Hello friends, in previous articles about flowers we have told some of their legends and myths. But today I have decided to look for the legends about the origin of flowers.
Here we bring together two popular retellings of the legend of Kospi. These are traditional stories, not scientific accounts of how flowers originated or independently verified historical events.
The legend of Kospi: the creation of flowers
1st legend about the origin of flowers
In a popular tale attributed to Tehuelche tradition, a long time ago the plants did not give flowers in the spring, they only gave the green that covered Patagonia and, in addition, the Tehuelches lived with the gods in nature. In that period, there lived a beautiful young woman named Kospi, who was admired by all for her great beauty and simplicity; She had big sweet eyes, long black hair worthy of admiration and a shy but cheerful smile.
Kospi wove and decorated blankets, as the women in her community did. One day a storm swept over the camp. As she stood at the entrance to her parents’ kau (tent), Karut, the thunder deity, saw her and was captivated by her beauty. He fell in love at once but feared that she would not return his feelings. Rather than accept her wishes, he decided to abduct her.
Karut seized Kospi and carried her through the thunderous sky to the snow-covered mountains. There he hid her in a glacier and left. She wept for days, until the cold and her grief turned her to ice. When Karut returned, he could not find her and, believing she had escaped, cried out in anger and despair.
The clouds trembled at his cries, and rain fell over the glacier for days. As the ice melted, Kospi’s spirit flowed down the mountains into the valleys, soaking the earth. When the sun returned, she rose through the stems of the plants, and the first flowers bloomed in Patagonia. In this telling, their petals are called kospi; this is part of the legend, not a verified linguistic etymology.
2nd legend about the origin of flowers
Another version tells of a beautiful young woman who lived in Patagonia. Young men traveled long distances just to catch a glimpse of her; if she recognized them, her warm smile was their reward.
Like other women in her community, Kospi wove and decorated blankets.
The young lady loved sitting on the shores of the lake, while the sun warmed up the afternoon, looking at herself mirrored in the crystalline waters, unbraiding her long, black hair and combing it with her little bone comb.
This is how Karut, the thunder, surprised her that autumn day.
Karut had been chasing her for many moons, of course she didn’t pay attention to him, which made Karut very angry.
However, this time the thunder was determined to achieve its goal, and without her having time to react and defend herself, Karut imprisoned her in his powerful claws, kidnapped her and took her with him. He climbed the high peaks and locked her in a cave far from everything and everyone.
As much as the beautiful Kospi cried, kicked and begged, Karut, the thunder was not moved. She was imprisoned in the most absolute loneliness. Her grief was great and the sepulchral cold of the mountain froze the young woman’s soul and body.
Up there on the gloomy peak, the icy air first made her feet numb, then it climbed up her legs and up her body until it was frozen and merged with the ice of the peaks.
Perhaps that was why Karut lost her in the vast mountains. He shouted so loudly that the earth shook, but his cries only awakened the Rain, which began to fall and continued for a very long time…
Kospi, now just a mass of ice, was swept away and as it slid down the side of the mountain, the fearful sun melted the ice and the water sought the valley until it flooded.
And spring came.
Kospi, now a drop of water, climbed a plant’s stem and reached a branch. From there she could finally see her beloved village again, and to her surprise she burst into a brightly colored flower.
The story links the word kospi to flower petals, but this should not be taken as a linguistically verified translation.
These are two versions of the same legend about the origin of flowers. We hope you enjoyed them. Share your thoughts in the comments and help others discover these stories while respecting their cultural context.
Taken from
Share this content:
