A Legend of the Rose
In the days of the ancient gods, there lived a maiden whose name was Rhodanthe. Rhodanthe was very beautiful and her house was besieged by kings and lords who were very eager to win her love.
In order to escape from the throng of her would-be lovers, Rhodanthe fled for refuge into the temple of the lovely goddess of purity, Artemis. But Rhodanthe’s lovers would not be put off. They followed her. The people of Corinth helped them to break open the gates of the sacred temple.
Artemis was angered mightily by the outrage. She changed poor Rhodanthe into the red rose. Even today the rose is still deeply colored with the blush which spead on poor Rhodanthe’s cheeks when her beautiful face was exposed to the gaze of her would-be lovers.
On the other hand, those who broke into the temple were changed into the thorns which now guard the loveliness of Rhodanthe.