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CYPRIANUS: The love story behind the name
in reply to a message by Andy
The island of Cyprus most likely got its name from the plant you refer to, i.e., the henna shrub which is plentiful in the island. The plant is known as "Kypros" or "kypeiros" in classical Greek. Cyprian is related with Cyprus via the name "Kypris" or "Cypris" (meaning "from Cyprus") which was one of Aphrodite's names. When Cronus castrated his dad's (Uranus) doodads and threw them in the sea at his mom's (Gaea) request, the Goddess of Love Aphrodite emerged from the froth by the shores of Paphos, Cyprus. Hence, Cypris. But I digress.
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Thank you, Pavlos! Thank you also for digressing! Very interesting, very usefull!Andy ;—)
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Also, I seem to recall that in the Middle Ages the alchemists connected copper with Venus the planet; this seems bizarre if you don't factor in the Cyprus connection, because Venus the planet appears whitish, and mars is actually more coppery in colour - they explained it as blood shed in war.
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Thanks for this bit! Venus from the copper island - this makes sense.Andy ;—)
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