The Myth of Hyacinthus

The Myth of Hyacinthus

Hyacinthus, the son of the king of Sparta, was so beautiful that Apollo, the god of the arts, fell in love with him. One day, while they were playing discus, Zephyrus, the god of the west wind became jealous because Hyacinthus had chosen Apollo, he changed the direction of the wind, causing the discus, thrown with the strength of a god, to hit the prince on the head.

After Hyacinthus´s tragic death, Apollo turned his blood into a flower to make him immortal and created a symbol of mourning in his memory.

A different ending could be one in which Apollo, as the god of the arts and healing, manages to save Hyacinthus, this allows the couple to spend much more time together until Hyacinthus eventually dies of old age. Even then Apollo turn his body into a flower to make him immortal and keeps his memory alive.

The myth of Hyacinthus teaches we should value the people we love and enjoy the time we spend with them; it also reminds us that life can change unexpectedly and that we must learn to cope with the loss of our loved ones. On the other hand, the myth reminds us that jealously and envy can make people act selfishly and cause suffering.