Taxonomy of Aerides
A sidestory about the taxonomy of the Aerides Species
This text is inspired and written thanks to information and research by Pr. Marpha Telepova.
There are interesting variations from Greek (used earlier) to Latin. Latin is often used to determine species of orchids. Not only because Latin was used by the earlier intellectual elite but also and today dominantly because the latin language offers a very precise way of formulating descriptions. But it can also lead to more poetic interpretations:
For example, the Genera ‘Aerides’ in latin is translated as ‘daughter of the air’ and daughter of the IDA goddess or also as the nymphs of the air. Zeus was raised by the nymph Ida - Legend says that before Ida bruised herself on the Raspeberry tree - Rubus Idaeus (in Mount Ida), its fruits were immaculately white.
A special category of Nymphs: the Hamadryades, are close to the Aerides. This kind of Nymph grabs onto a tree and lives with it. They are considered, (very much like the Cambodian Apsaras) to make links between the gods and the men.
The Hamadryades have this reputation because they die with their tree. They have a very long life, equal to ‘the lives of ten palm trees’ – or about 9700 years. Some of them are also said to use cruel treatment: as the story of Erysichton who cut the tree of a nymph. The Nymph then asked the gods to avenge her and Erysichton was condemned to live eternally with unbearable hunger.
It is interesting to see the similarities with the Cambodian Apsaras but also with the 'Bray' or spirits that are said to inhabit some trees in Cambodia.
Often, the Brays are described as women with long and sparsed hair falling down from trees. Similarly, a number of medicinal plants used by traditional healers are called the Pradals (plants with bulbs or rhyzomes). Among them, we notice the 'Violet Pradal with long hair' used to make love charms. The long violet hair are a reference to one of the Bray spirits. (Reference: Ang Choulean - Supernatural Beings in Khmer Popular Religion - Cedorek 1986, p141)
This text is inspired and written thanks to information and research by Pr. Marpha Telepova.
There are interesting variations from Greek (used earlier) to Latin. Latin is often used to determine species of orchids. Not only because Latin was used by the earlier intellectual elite but also and today dominantly because the latin language offers a very precise way of formulating descriptions. But it can also lead to more poetic interpretations:
For example, the Genera ‘Aerides’ in latin is translated as ‘daughter of the air’ and daughter of the IDA goddess or also as the nymphs of the air. Zeus was raised by the nymph Ida - Legend says that before Ida bruised herself on the Raspeberry tree - Rubus Idaeus (in Mount Ida), its fruits were immaculately white.
A special category of Nymphs: the Hamadryades, are close to the Aerides. This kind of Nymph grabs onto a tree and lives with it. They are considered, (very much like the Cambodian Apsaras) to make links between the gods and the men.
The Hamadryades have this reputation because they die with their tree. They have a very long life, equal to ‘the lives of ten palm trees’ – or about 9700 years. Some of them are also said to use cruel treatment: as the story of Erysichton who cut the tree of a nymph. The Nymph then asked the gods to avenge her and Erysichton was condemned to live eternally with unbearable hunger.
It is interesting to see the similarities with the Cambodian Apsaras but also with the 'Bray' or spirits that are said to inhabit some trees in Cambodia.
Often, the Brays are described as women with long and sparsed hair falling down from trees. Similarly, a number of medicinal plants used by traditional healers are called the Pradals (plants with bulbs or rhyzomes). Among them, we notice the 'Violet Pradal with long hair' used to make love charms. The long violet hair are a reference to one of the Bray spirits. (Reference: Ang Choulean - Supernatural Beings in Khmer Popular Religion - Cedorek 1986, p141)