When Daffodils Were Blue

Posted on by under fantasy, fiction, flash fiction

“Love makes the sun rise, and darkens the blackest night.” –Layoran proverb

Daffodils on St. David's day

Photo credit: James Petts

 

Long ago there lived a powerful jayanta named Hamij.  In his whole jayan, Hamij’s greatest treasure was his wife, Azidima.  He filled the land with daffodils, her favorite, the same perfect blue as her eyes.

When Azidima died, those daffodils tormented Hamij.

Enraged with grief, Hamij prayed to Akatala.  If he must take Azidima, take her daffodils too.

Every daffodil withered.

In time, Hamij repented, longing for reminders of his beloved.  He beseeched Akatala to return her flowers, lamenting his lapse.

On Azidima’s gravemound, they grew.  Daffodils, but never again blue.  Yellow, for Akatala’s love, and white, for death.  Bowed down, in sorrow, evermore.

 

Submitted for this week’s Friday Fictioneers writing challenge.  Thanks to Rochelle for hosting!  See the original photo prompt below.  To read the other stories or submit your own, click here.

FF.trg1

Photo © The Reclining Gentleman

 

43 thoughts on “When Daffodils Were Blue”

    • Thanks Maremma! I was trying to get my “fantastic” hat on. Although it’s hard to make the distinction in this world between a legend (based on fact) and a myth, since in our world we call anything with gods in it a myth and assume it didn’t really happen. (This one didn’t “really” happen, by the way.).

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    • Thank you! My book is approximately “forever” away from being finished right now, or at least it feels that way. 😦 I’m starting to get worried about expectations though — this book doesn’t have *nearly* as much world building as I can do in the blog. The novel all takes place in one tiny village, in about one year’s time, whereas my blog allows me to cover a whole continent and thousands of years… Eep!

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    • Thank you Björn! Glad to hear the tone worked. I love these kinds of tales too. With this one I snuck in both the color of the flower and why it’s used in mourning and on graves in this culture. If I keep getting enough nature photo prompts, I’ll eventually get the whole “why is the world this way / why do we do these things” spectrum covered — preferably with contradictory explanations from different cultures!

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    • You would think so — it’s the yellow of Akatala’s love, after all. (Which makes more sense if you know that Akatala is a sun god.) But no, he only wants the blue of his beloved’s eyes. I suppose I can’t blame him. Thanks for reading!

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    • Thanks Rochelle! I am trying to mix up the color associations a bit. But in this culture, yellow isn’t sad — it’s the color of Akatala’s love, since he’s a sun god. So the yellow of their god’s love is associated with things both sad and happy, but mostly with strength.

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