"Fold your arms round me close and strain me so that our hearts may break and our souls go free at last. Take me to that happy place of which you told me long ago. The fields whence none return, but where great singers sing their song forever."
Joseph Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
Joseph Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
A hawthorn bush grows from the tomb of Tristan. Its green and flowery branches always reach the tomb of Isolde, as the magic potion the tragic lovers had drunk together made it impossible for them to be apart, even after death. The beautifully shiny flowers of golden buttercup remind us of Isolda's hair. Its colour triggered all the dramatic events, whose numerous accounts have been around for centuries. Just like the flowers of buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis). The creamy white flowers of hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), dotted with pink anthers appear in elegant inflorescences growing on thorny protective stems. Exactly the way Tristan was towards his lover. Both plants bloom every spring at the same time, it could not be otherwise, could it.
Of course, without the magic potion prepared by the mother of Isolde, the evergreen love affair would probably not have happened at all. That is why a lot of us might doubt the sincerity of the the mutual feeling that captured Tristan and Isolde had they been deprived the magic of the potent liqueur.
However, hawthorn and buttercup may not only visually symbolise the eternal love. Hawthorn has been known for its medicinal properties affecting weak hearts. Buttercup is...poisonous, no wonder, it is commonly called devil-on-all-sides. Maybe Isolde's mother combined the two and created the mixture that was responsible for the love affair of all time? Nobody knows. I only hope no one is going to try to prepare their own potion using hawthorn and buttercup flowers. I am sure it will not work. What will work though, is a long walk along a forest line where hawthorn bushes do grow and then down the meadows covered with the yellow blanket of buttercup blossoms. If you crave for more, you can always listen to the beautiful ballad about Tristan and Isolde sung by Leszek Długosz or the famous piece form the opera by Richard Wagner. After such a walk nobody needs any magic potions, that is for sure!
Of course, without the magic potion prepared by the mother of Isolde, the evergreen love affair would probably not have happened at all. That is why a lot of us might doubt the sincerity of the the mutual feeling that captured Tristan and Isolde had they been deprived the magic of the potent liqueur.
However, hawthorn and buttercup may not only visually symbolise the eternal love. Hawthorn has been known for its medicinal properties affecting weak hearts. Buttercup is...poisonous, no wonder, it is commonly called devil-on-all-sides. Maybe Isolde's mother combined the two and created the mixture that was responsible for the love affair of all time? Nobody knows. I only hope no one is going to try to prepare their own potion using hawthorn and buttercup flowers. I am sure it will not work. What will work though, is a long walk along a forest line where hawthorn bushes do grow and then down the meadows covered with the yellow blanket of buttercup blossoms. If you crave for more, you can always listen to the beautiful ballad about Tristan and Isolde sung by Leszek Długosz or the famous piece form the opera by Richard Wagner. After such a walk nobody needs any magic potions, that is for sure!
Jarek
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