Chariot Volume 4

According to ancient Greek myth, Hyacinthus was the mortal prince of Sparta.

He was beautiful, and many gods and men tried to suit him, including Zephyrus, god of the west wind.

But Hyacinthus chose Apollo, god of the sun, music and healing, over them all. They travelled together, and Apollo taught Hyacinthus everything he knew of music, prophecy and sport. One day, they decided to have a friendly discus competition.

Apollo threw the discus as far as he could, so high it split the clouds in two. Zephyrus, jealous that Hyacinthus had chosen Apollo over him, blew the discus offcourse. As Hyacinthus ran to catch it, it struck him in the head, and he collapsed. Apollo tried everything he could to save him, but it was too late.

Distraught, Apollo vowed to always remember Hyacinthus in his music, and created the hyacinth flower in honour of his lover. Hyacinthus was eventually resurrected by Apollo and became immortal, worshipped as a god in Sparta.