Almond-Tree. 
151 
the casting of the blossoms might further represent the shed¬ 
ding of the silver locks from the venerable brows of age.” 
The Hebrew name of this tree is “ shakad" which means to 
make haste , or to awake early. 
The ancient fabulists, who had some beautiful legend to 
account for all the phenomena of nature, ascribed the origin 
of the almond-tree to Phyllis, a young and beautiful Thracian 
queen, who became enamoured of and wedded Demophoon, 
the son of Theseus and Phmdra, and who, on his return from the 
siege of Troy, had been cast by a storm upon the shores of 
Thrace. Recalled to Athens by his father’s death, the royal 
consort promised to return in a month, but failing to do so, 
the afflicted bride gradually lost all hopes of seeing him again, 
and, after several unfruitful visits to the sea-shore, died of grief, 
and was transformed into an almond-tree. After three months’ 
absence the truant husband returned, and, overwhelmed with 
sorrow, offered a sacrifice by the sea-shore to appease the 
manes of his luckless bride. Loving even in death, she ap¬ 
peared to respond to his repentance ; for the almond-tree, into 
which she was metamorphosed, instantly put forth flowers, 
as if to prove by one last effort the unchangeableness of her 
affection. 
In former times an abundance of blossom on the almond- 
tree was regarded as the omen of a fruitful season. 
