THIS CONTEST IS ABOUT THE FLOWER IRIS
Below is the wonderful research done by Adsaige into the contest and flower.
Michael thomas and I are hosting a collaboration contest on the Iris. For those unfamiliar with the legend of the iris:
The Greek word ~Iris~ means ~rainbow.~ The flower got its name from the Greek goddess Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, who was a messenger on Mount Olympus. Iris would take messages from ~the eye of Heaven~ to earth by the arc of the rainbow. The word iris also means ~eye of heaven.~ It was the name given to the goddess, this flower, and the center of your eye. This means that each of us carries a piece of heaven with us. The iris is the symbol of Idea and Message. Greek men would often plant an iris on the graves of their beloved women as a tribute to the goddess Iris, whose duty was to take the souls of women to the Elysian fields.
The three leaves of the iris represent faith, wisdom, and valor. Iris flowers have three petals often called the ~standards~ and three outer petal-like sepals called the ~falls~. It has been a symbol of royalty and divine protection for centuries throughout the world. During the 5th Century, the iris was used for various purposes, including art, where Clovis, King of pagan Franks, created banners to illustrate royal standards for his subjects. Also, Indian and Egyptian cultures used the flower in art to depict life and resurrection.
The Fleur-de-Lis, ~a stylized Iris motif~ has symbolized France since the 13th century. It was also used by the monarchs of France to decorate their royal robes, furnishings and walls. Traditionally, it has been used to represent French royalty and is said to signify perfection, light, and life. Legend has it that an angel presented Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks, with a golden lily as a symbol of his purification upon his conversion to Christianity. Others claim that Clovis adopted the symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and succeed in battle. In the 12th century, King Louis VI became the first French monarch to use the fleur-de-lis on his shield. The iris found its way onto England's coat of arms ~British Royal Arms,~ after King Edward III laid claim to the French crown. English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to emphasize their claims to the throne of France. In the 14th century, the fleur-de-lis was often incorporated into the family insignia that was sewn on the knight's surcoat, which was worn over their coat of mail, thus the term, ~coat of arms.~ Joan of Arc carried a white banner that showed God blessing the French royal emblem, the fleur-de-lis, when she led French troops to victory over the English in support of the Dauphin, Charles VII, in his quest for the French throne.
The Roman Catholic Church ascribed the lily as the special emblem of the Virgin Mary. Due to its three petals, the fleur-de-lis has also been used to represent the Holy Trinity.
Military units, including divisions of the United States Army, have used the symbol's resemblance to a spearhead to identify martial power and strength.
The ~Fleur-de-lys~ was originally named the ~fleur-de-Louis,~ after Louis VII, in 1147 A.D. Through time, it changed to ~fleur-de-luce~ which means ~flower of light,~ to finally be known as today's version, the ~fleur-de-lys~ which means, ~flower of the lily.~
Irises are also known as ~flags~ or ~sword flags,~ relating them to symbols of heraldry and royalty. In Japan it expresses heroism and the blue colour refers to blue blood, so irises play a key role in the Japanese spring festival for boys.
Irises are depicted in the still life paintings of the Dutch masters and Vincent van Gogh.
Originating in the Mediterranean region and southern Europe, the Iris was considered a symbol of power by the ancient Egyptians. They placed the iris on the brow of the Sphinx and on the scepters of their kings as a symbol of power. In the year 1479 B.C. in Egypt, to commemorate his victory in Syria, King Thutmose III had pictures of irises drawn on the walls of his temple.
As a sacred flower, the Iris was credited with healing powers and was used in ancient medicine. In the first century AD, the Greek physician Dioscorides recommended iris root drunk with honey, vinegar or wine for coughs, colds, indigestion and sciatica. The root of the iris is used to make fragrances, and potpourri.
Iris is the National flower of France and has been used for the insignia and emblem of France. It has a vase life of 4 to 5 days.
Information found here: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/i.html
For this contest, we wish for you and a partner to write on the beauty of the iris based on its legend. We hold no rules other than we prefer it to be in a prose format. Points will divided evenly between you to. So we expect the winner of the 1400 points to send 700 to their collaborator.
The following picture is also your prompt:
http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/goddesses/iris.jpg
Below is the wonderful research done by Adsaige into the contest and flower.
Michael thomas and I are hosting a collaboration contest on the Iris. For those unfamiliar with the legend of the iris:
The Greek word ~Iris~ means ~rainbow.~ The flower got its name from the Greek goddess Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, who was a messenger on Mount Olympus. Iris would take messages from ~the eye of Heaven~ to earth by the arc of the rainbow. The word iris also means ~eye of heaven.~ It was the name given to the goddess, this flower, and the center of your eye. This means that each of us carries a piece of heaven with us. The iris is the symbol of Idea and Message. Greek men would often plant an iris on the graves of their beloved women as a tribute to the goddess Iris, whose duty was to take the souls of women to the Elysian fields.
The three leaves of the iris represent faith, wisdom, and valor. Iris flowers have three petals often called the ~standards~ and three outer petal-like sepals called the ~falls~. It has been a symbol of royalty and divine protection for centuries throughout the world. During the 5th Century, the iris was used for various purposes, including art, where Clovis, King of pagan Franks, created banners to illustrate royal standards for his subjects. Also, Indian and Egyptian cultures used the flower in art to depict life and resurrection.
The Fleur-de-Lis, ~a stylized Iris motif~ has symbolized France since the 13th century. It was also used by the monarchs of France to decorate their royal robes, furnishings and walls. Traditionally, it has been used to represent French royalty and is said to signify perfection, light, and life. Legend has it that an angel presented Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks, with a golden lily as a symbol of his purification upon his conversion to Christianity. Others claim that Clovis adopted the symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and succeed in battle. In the 12th century, King Louis VI became the first French monarch to use the fleur-de-lis on his shield. The iris found its way onto England's coat of arms ~British Royal Arms,~ after King Edward III laid claim to the French crown. English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to emphasize their claims to the throne of France. In the 14th century, the fleur-de-lis was often incorporated into the family insignia that was sewn on the knight's surcoat, which was worn over their coat of mail, thus the term, ~coat of arms.~ Joan of Arc carried a white banner that showed God blessing the French royal emblem, the fleur-de-lis, when she led French troops to victory over the English in support of the Dauphin, Charles VII, in his quest for the French throne.
The Roman Catholic Church ascribed the lily as the special emblem of the Virgin Mary. Due to its three petals, the fleur-de-lis has also been used to represent the Holy Trinity.
Military units, including divisions of the United States Army, have used the symbol's resemblance to a spearhead to identify martial power and strength.
The ~Fleur-de-lys~ was originally named the ~fleur-de-Louis,~ after Louis VII, in 1147 A.D. Through time, it changed to ~fleur-de-luce~ which means ~flower of light,~ to finally be known as today's version, the ~fleur-de-lys~ which means, ~flower of the lily.~
Irises are also known as ~flags~ or ~sword flags,~ relating them to symbols of heraldry and royalty. In Japan it expresses heroism and the blue colour refers to blue blood, so irises play a key role in the Japanese spring festival for boys.
Irises are depicted in the still life paintings of the Dutch masters and Vincent van Gogh.
Originating in the Mediterranean region and southern Europe, the Iris was considered a symbol of power by the ancient Egyptians. They placed the iris on the brow of the Sphinx and on the scepters of their kings as a symbol of power. In the year 1479 B.C. in Egypt, to commemorate his victory in Syria, King Thutmose III had pictures of irises drawn on the walls of his temple.
As a sacred flower, the Iris was credited with healing powers and was used in ancient medicine. In the first century AD, the Greek physician Dioscorides recommended iris root drunk with honey, vinegar or wine for coughs, colds, indigestion and sciatica. The root of the iris is used to make fragrances, and potpourri.
Iris is the National flower of France and has been used for the insignia and emblem of France. It has a vase life of 4 to 5 days.
Information found here: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/i.html
For this contest, we wish for you and a partner to write on the beauty of the iris based on its legend. We hold no rules other than we prefer it to be in a prose format. Points will divided evenly between you to. So we expect the winner of the 1400 points to send 700 to their collaborator.
The following picture is also your prompt:
http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/goddesses/iris.jpg
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on November 25
- Rewards: Gold: 1400, Silver: 300, Bronze: 200, Honorable mention: 4 people
- Final notes: We thank you for those who have entered. I honestly must thank Michael for his kindness and for him doing most of the work. I admit, he is a guilty pleasure to know.
With deepest regards,
Adrieline & Michael
Contest Winners
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Where rainbows climb the skies on fervent wings,
the eye of heaven high above the seas,
by Room without doors 65 lines, 14 comments, on Nov 4 11:39 AM. In Sonnet, Rainbows, Hope
Silver trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove]
Gold trophy winner
Bronze trophy winner
Honorable mention
Entries [4]
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Comments
1 - 18 of 18
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Bookmarked...now to find some poor sod to collab with!
hmm...question:
the person i collaborate with, do they have to be alive?
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Not particularly, but please credit them.
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Thank you for the information, it's very interesting. I will be back to read what everyone writes.
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Oh sure.
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So the collaberator doesn't have to be a member of AP then, if living isn't a requirement? Might they not be human as well?
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The preference is the fellow poet is human and that if it is not a living poet, it may be someone in which we could easily go and read. The point is, we would prefer the member to be someone here; we'd like to promote the interaction in the community, the challenge, the natural meshing of two voices, and in the person feels more comfortable writing with such poets as Sylvia Plath or Neruda, then so be it. I hope this clarifies things.
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I can't believe you entered your own contest, that's lame dude...
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yes, thank you
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It is a common occurrence here on AP to show the contestants the kind of quality expected.
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I smell a control freak
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If you have nothing of substance to say, please refrain from commenting.
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maybe one ought to remove their right nostril from their armpit then eh?
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Ah great.
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They are only entering so that the other people who entered can see their take on the prompt. It doesn't mean they are going to win - that would be absurd. lol
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i haven't killed anyone yet and thus, still have no collaborator...but i'm working on it
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Why not try to hunt down Tyler or Cricketjeff? Griswold?
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& kill them??
if only!
hmm...i'm still pondering my options...
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