HYACINTH (youth beloved by Apollo)

Apollo was in love with Hyacinth, who was also fond of the god.^6,7,8 Other suitors included Thamyris, who conceived a passionate love for him, and the wind Zephyr, whose advances Hyacinth rejected.^6,1 During a game on hard ground, Hyacinth was learning to throw the quoit when a fatal accident occurred.^9,1 Apollo unintentionally killed Hyacinth by striking him in the face with a rebounding quoit while he was retrieving it.^1,10,6,7 Another account holds that the wind Zephyr deflected the quoit, which struck his head and caused fatal bleeding.¹

His blood transformed into a flower brighter than Tyrian purple, resembling lilies but with a purple hue.^1,10,4 Apollo inscribed his own lamentations on the leaves of the flower.⁴ The god buried him at Amyclae on the spot where he died.¹ Hyacinth died before his father Amyclas, and a shrine dedicated to him existed in the city of Amyclae.^3,5

Traditional offerings were dedicated to Hyacinth as a hero before sacrifices to Apollo.^11,12 Offerings were placed through a bronze door on the altar's left side.¹² Attendees refrained from wearing crowns or bringing bread due to their mourning, distributing cheesecakes and similar foods instead.¹³

On the middle day of the three-day festival, boys played the harp and sang a hymn in his honor, while great numbers of victims were sacrificed.¹³ In the afterlife, Hyacinth appeared as a bare skull and bones, a fate that poets wrote admiringly about.¹⁴ Despite the tragedy, his memory remained intertwined with the beauty of the flower that bore his name.¹⁵