The flower known as The Morning Star has been extinct for many centuries. Most researchers are torn as to the validity of the plant's existence. Some believe the stories, others dismiss them as folklore.
The flower was said to grow in clusters and bear a similarity to the common rose except for two distinct features. It was almost twice the size of a mature rose and its petals were dark blue in color.
The Morning Star was thought to be discovered and worshiped by the Maya empire on or about 900 AD, if their hieroglyphics were any indication. The Maya culture believed the flower had mystical powers while in full bloom.
In later writings, legend has it that the flower could only be found by those with the purest of hearts.
Perhaps the most interesting story is that of Richard the Lionhearted at the end of the third crusade. It is said that upon his return to England, he told of finding a field of flowers the darkest of blue in color. He claimed to come across this place while wandering outside the city of Jerusalem in the year of 1191.
Seeking solitude after the battle of Arsuf, he came upon a split in the earth, a seemingly bottomless gorge. On the far side of the gorge was a magnificent land carpeted with blue roses. From his mount the garden seemed endless.
Richard told of being so mesmerized by the sight he decided to rest there at the schism's edge. He slept through the night, waking at the break of dawn to the sound of his steed neighing. A mist rose from the gorge, beyond which the sky was a charcoal gray. He saw a bright star in the distance. A star so bright it lit the field of flowers in a brilliant glow.
Richard knelt in prayer and when he again opened his eyes the star had vanished. In its place, directly opposite him, a horse had appeared. It raised itself on its hind legs to announce its presence, and as it did so all the flowers around the beast blossomed instantaneously. Richard prostrated himself upon the earth, his arms around his head, muttering in prayer. When next he looked up, the horse had vanished and the flower buds had once again closed.
Certain he had witnessed a miracle, he mounted his steed and returned to his encampment. It is unknown if he told his fellow knights about his discovery. Most believe he kept this secret to himself until his return to England, and when he related his story at that time he named the flower The Morning Star.
Thus the legend grew, from the Maya culture to the 1500s. There were several reports of sightings over the centuries, and it was said that miracles sometimes occurred afterwards.
The last recorded observation of the flower took place in the year of 1581 by Galileo in a field outside of the university of Pisa where he studied medicine. In his writings he spoke of seeing many roses of a striking blue color. Much like Richard the Lionhearted before him, he remembered seeing the flowers bloom in unison on an early morning; a spectacle never to be forgotten, he wrote. He also wrote of witnessing a horse wandering through the field, a horse of an extraordinary deep blue complexion.
There are no recorded sightings in the years that followed, and The Morning Star has now been relegated to the status of mythology.
1
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The afternoon sun settled like dust on the empty Arizona plain. A Gila Monster emerged from the dry sagebrush and looked to the south. The lizard had not eaten for many days as the heat had driven his once abundant food supply of insects, and the larva they provided, north past the great barrier of water where the earth softened and life flourished.
The lizard was old, its scales rough and faded from the sun. It would not make the journey to the barrier. This home would be his last.
The hard ground vibrated beneath the worn pads of its feet. Normally this would have been a good thing, a sign of food nearby, but the old lizard knew different.
It turned its head to the south. Something was coming from that
The flower was said to grow in clusters and bear a similarity to the common rose except for two distinct features. It was almost twice the size of a mature rose and its petals were dark blue in color.
The Morning Star was thought to be discovered and worshiped by the Maya empire on or about 900 AD, if their hieroglyphics were any indication. The Maya culture believed the flower had mystical powers while in full bloom.
In later writings, legend has it that the flower could only be found by those with the purest of hearts.
Perhaps the most interesting story is that of Richard the Lionhearted at the end of the third crusade. It is said that upon his return to England, he told of finding a field of flowers the darkest of blue in color. He claimed to come across this place while wandering outside the city of Jerusalem in the year of 1191.
Seeking solitude after the battle of Arsuf, he came upon a split in the earth, a seemingly bottomless gorge. On the far side of the gorge was a magnificent land carpeted with blue roses. From his mount the garden seemed endless.
Richard told of being so mesmerized by the sight he decided to rest there at the schism's edge. He slept through the night, waking at the break of dawn to the sound of his steed neighing. A mist rose from the gorge, beyond which the sky was a charcoal gray. He saw a bright star in the distance. A star so bright it lit the field of flowers in a brilliant glow.
Richard knelt in prayer and when he again opened his eyes the star had vanished. In its place, directly opposite him, a horse had appeared. It raised itself on its hind legs to announce its presence, and as it did so all the flowers around the beast blossomed instantaneously. Richard prostrated himself upon the earth, his arms around his head, muttering in prayer. When next he looked up, the horse had vanished and the flower buds had once again closed.
Certain he had witnessed a miracle, he mounted his steed and returned to his encampment. It is unknown if he told his fellow knights about his discovery. Most believe he kept this secret to himself until his return to England, and when he related his story at that time he named the flower The Morning Star.
Thus the legend grew, from the Maya culture to the 1500s. There were several reports of sightings over the centuries, and it was said that miracles sometimes occurred afterwards.
The last recorded observation of the flower took place in the year of 1581 by Galileo in a field outside of the university of Pisa where he studied medicine. In his writings he spoke of seeing many roses of a striking blue color. Much like Richard the Lionhearted before him, he remembered seeing the flowers bloom in unison on an early morning; a spectacle never to be forgotten, he wrote. He also wrote of witnessing a horse wandering through the field, a horse of an extraordinary deep blue complexion.
There are no recorded sightings in the years that followed, and The Morning Star has now been relegated to the status of mythology.
1
----
The afternoon sun settled like dust on the empty Arizona plain. A Gila Monster emerged from the dry sagebrush and looked to the south. The lizard had not eaten for many days as the heat had driven his once abundant food supply of insects, and the larva they provided, north past the great barrier of water where the earth softened and life flourished.
The lizard was old, its scales rough and faded from the sun. It would not make the journey to the barrier. This home would be his last.
The hard ground vibrated beneath the worn pads of its feet. Normally this would have been a good thing, a sign of food nearby, but the old lizard knew different.
It turned its head to the south. Something was coming from that
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