COMMON AND SPECTACULAR/

on the history and lore of ROSEMARY :

"Rosemary has long been used in wedding ceremonies as an encouragement toward fidelity and to remind the new couple to remember their wedding vows. 

According to Greek lore Rosemary was wrapped around Aphrodite when she rose from the sea. It is said to be wrought from the bloodied testicles of Uranus (Aphrodite’s creation) when they were thrown into the sea by his son after castrating him. Another version of the story tells us that the sea nymphs shrouded Aphrodite’s naked body in Rosemary and Myrtle when she walked out of the sea and onto the shores of Cypros. Again, however the plant is symbolic of the semen of Aphrodite’s creation. The dew of life, or - the dew of the sea.

A sprig of Rosemary is traditionally placed in a casket as a promise to remember the deceased. Posies are placed at gravesides symbolic of memories with the departed.

Old lore suggested that Rosemary only grew with vigor at the hands of the strong and pure. As a result of this belief if a household’s Rosemary grew particularly well, speculations might arise that the women ruled the home. Many old herbals elude to the practice of men purposefully sabotaging their wives rosemary.  There is an old adage “Where Rosemary thrives, the mistress is master”.
WHAT!

Rosemary was burned for purification, not only was it used to cleanse churches of negativity, but it was often burned in sickrooms to dispel the illness.

The French burned Rosemary in hospitals in the middle ages. It was carried in pouches during the plague of 1665 to ward off the illness.

In Greece, students wove wreathed crowns of Rosemary and wore them to help in their studies.

Rosemary was planted near the home to protect it by dispelling negative energies and preventing them from entering. 

Rosemary was a main ingredient in the formula for “Hungary Water”. This was a scent created for the Queen of Hungary in the 1300’s. Its revitalizing formula is said to be the first alcohol based perfume and a precursor formula to Eau de Cologne."