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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
260
An
old
Alsatian
belief
tells
us
that
bats
possessed
the
power
of
rendering
the
eggs
of
storks
unfruitful.
Accordingly,
when
once
a
stork's
egg
was
touched
by
a
bat
it
became
sterile;
and
in
order
to
preserve
it
from
the
injurious
influence,
the
stork
placed
in
its
nest
some
branches
of
the
maple,
which
frightened
away
every
intruding
bat.
[2]
There
is
an
amusing
legend
of
the
origin
of
the
bramble:--The
cormorant
was
once
a
wool
merchant.
He
entered
into
partnership
with
the
bramble
and
the
bat,
and
they
freighted
a
large
ship
with
wool.
She
was
wrecked,
and
the
firm
became
bankrupt.
Since
that
disaster
the
bat
skulks
about
till
midnight
to
avoid
his
creditors,
the
cormorant
is
for
ever
diving
into
the
deep
to
discover
its
foundered
vessel,
while
the
bramble
seizes
hold
of
every
passing
sheep
to
make
up
his
loss
by
stealing
the
wool.
Returning
to
the
rose,
we
may
quote
one
or
two
legendary
stories
relating
to
its
origin.
Thus
Sir
John
Mandeville
tells
us
how
when
a
holy
maiden
of
Bethlehem,
"blamed
with
wrong
and
slandered,"
was
doomed
to
death
by
fire,
"she
made
her
prayers
to
our
Lord
that
He
would
help
her,
as
she
was
not
guilty
of
that
sin;"
whereupon
the
fire
was
suddenly
quenched,
and
the
burning
brands
became
red
"roseres,"
and
the
brands
that
were
not
kindled
became
white
"roseres"
full
of
roses.
"And
these
were
the
first
roseres
and
roses,
both
white
and
red,
that
ever
any
man
soughte."
Henceforth,
says
Mr.
King,[3]
the
rose
became
the
flower
of
martyrs.
"It
was
a
basket
full
of
roses
that
the
martyr
Saint
Dorothea
sent
to
the
notary
of
Theophilus
from
the
garden
of
Paradise;
and
roses,
says
the
romance,
sprang
up
all
over
the
field
of
Ronce-vaux,
where
Roland
and
the
douze
pairs
had
stained
the
soil
with
their
blood."
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