Mystic Plants and Nature Goddesses j 153153 153
named Xeste 3 (Figure 6.11). This stage is clearly the culmination of the entire sequence. We
see a goddess seated in the foreground on a pile of cushions on the upper level of a series of
platforms representing a sanctuary or shrine. The background consists of a field of crocuses,
and the goddess herself has a crocus blossom painted on her cheek. Her divinity is indicated
by two attendants: a mythological winged griffin rearing up behind her and a monkey with
a basket of stigmas at his foot before her. Behind the monkey, a female crocus gatherer emp-
ties her pail of flowers into a large basket. The monkey’s basket contains the precious thread-
like stigmas, the basis of saffron. The omission of the preparation stage (stigma removal)
from the tableau invites us to imagine that the tedious and time- consuming operation
of removing the stigmas is accomplished by the magical monkey. The goddess graciously
accepts the tangled mass of stigmas from the monkey’s cupped hands, but not all at once.
With the fingers of her right hand she delicately selects a few at a time and arranges them
neatly into a bunch in her left hand, similar to the bundle of stigmas shown in Figure 7.10B.
There is a touch of humor here, contrasting the monkey’s naive messiness with the goddess’s
refined neatness, which is also the contrast between the wildness of nature and the decorum
of the religious sanctuary.
The frescoes of Xeste 3 clearly illustrate a flower ritual of the type described by Warren.
According to one interpretation, the Xeste 3 frescoes represent an initiation ceremony for
young girls, coupled with a celebration of the renewal of spring.^31 However, the season
shown in the fresco is unclear. Although some of the flowers shown are spring flowers (lilies,
iris, and wild roses), crocus blossoms can only be gathered in the autumn. As in the gardenFigure 6.11 Detail of painting from north wall of Xeste 3 in Akrotiri illustrating the presentation
phase of the flower ritual.
From Porter, R. (2000), The flora of the Theran wall paintings: Living plants and motifs— sea lily, crocus, iris,
and ivy, in S. Sherrat, ed., The Wall Paintings of Thera: Proceedings of the First International Symposium. Thera
Foundation, pp. 585– 618.