The famous historian Herodotus stated that the people of the island of Crete believed that a creature named Impala—a half human, half deer goddess— lived in the island’s mountains and near the rivers. One day, she fell in an indescribable love with a young Cretan man, but was terrified of declaring this love since she was half human; People did not have relationships with half humans. While in this unspeakable love, she dreamed she made love with him, but he had no interest in her. When she woke up, she knew she was pregnant. She even felt her baby move inside of her. She was overjoyed because she thought this was a sign of her true love.
Herodotus continued the story by saying she longed to overcome the obstacles between humans and gods. She visited him in the harvest fields and followed him home, but he had no interest in her whatsoever. In her sadness, she aimlessly wandered until she was exhausted and unintentionally ate a poisonous fruit that made her lose her baby. She went into a deep sadness mixed with loss and longing after her love broke her into pieces. Because of her grief, she cried very heavy tears. These tears turned into an immortal plant, the so-called Tordylium, a plant with white flowers that sways with the wind when it blows. It’s a plant that very easily spreads and can be found in the wilderness. It became a cure for many diseases and a healthy food for deer after they give birth.
“Tordylium” whose flowers are white, spread from the island of Crete to Egypt, the Eastern Mediterranean coasts, and to the rest of the world. Over time, this plant developed into more than one type and was named after the places it grew in as in: Tordylium palaestinum, Tordylium aegyptiacum, Tordylium syriacum, Tordylium persicum, Tordylium americanum, and Tordylium insulare.)
People from ancient times have known that this plant is useful when its fruits are eaten or drunk, along with its leaves and seeds. But there is another kind of “Tordylium” which belongs to the same family, named “Tordylium peregrinum/ Capnophyllum peregrinum.” Many people do not know of this kind since it has a much more specific and epic story. This story will be told in the second part of the project.
