Ancient Roman mythology of the rose

It is said the Flora, the deity of flowers, was walking through the woods when she happened upon the dead body of a lovely nymph. Filled with sorrow, Flora gave the nymph new life as a flower whose beauty surpassed all others. The goddess of love Venus offered the bloom splendor, radiance, rapture and lure. The sun gave her warmth. The god of wine, Bacchus scented her with nectar. When complete she was crowned with dewdrops and was hailed the "Rose, Queen of Flowers". She was given to Venus's young son, Cupid, the deity of love and desire. Roman myth tells that Cupid spilled a vase of sweet nectar, and on that spot, roses grew. Cupid and Venus are also involved in the Roman lore of how the rose got its thorns. The tale follows that Cupid bent to sniff an open rose and was stung by a bee hiding inside. This displeased Venus, and she had Cupid shoot a line of bees with his arrow. Venus took the bees and bound them to the rose plant as thorns. Still, the rose is noted as the favored flower of Venus. Another Roman legend, involving mischievous little Cupid, is that Cupid bribed Harpocrates, the god of silence, with a rose so that he would not tell of his mother's (Aphrodite's), lured affairs. Thus, the rose has come to be a token of silence. In history, rather than mythology, the Romans truly had a passion for roses. Roses decorated ceremonial feasts and Romans often gorged on rose pudding. Rosewater and rose oil flowed through the emperor's fountains. They also perfumed the baths at many of the public bath houses. In public arenas, sun awnings were often saturated with rosewater, so crowds could revel in the scent. People adorned themselves with roses, and used them to decorate their homes; some used rose petals to stuff pillows. Most, if not all, Roman love potions and aphrodisiacs contained roses. Roses were extremely prominent at, the "Bacchanalia," Rome's official orgy. It is said that Rome's Emperor Nero sprayed dinner guests with rose perfume between courses.