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Edelweiss, Edelweiss-
Contrary to popular belief, the hauntingly simple and beautiful song is not the national song of Austria. It was actually written for the character of Captain Georg von Trapp who, in The Sound of Music, sings it with his family as a goodbye to his beloved homeland amid
“Edelweiss” is his strong statement of Austrian patriotism in the face of the pressure put upon him to join the navy of Nazi Germany following the Nazi annexation of Austria. It is also Captain von Trapp’s subliminal goodbye to his beloved
In German, edel means noble and weiss means white, and many historians have said that the symbolic meanings of the edelweiss flower are daring and courage. It is a national symbol, especially of Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.
In the 19th century, the edelweiss became a symbol of the rugged purity of the Alpine region and of its native inhabitants. Passion for edelweiss began in the middle of the 19th century.
Legends spread about brave men who went into the Alps and died while picking. Edelweiss flowers came to symbolize true and eternal love – a love that men and women would DIE for. And mountain climbers furthered this belief with their tales of collecting flowers from sheer steep rocks and cliffs made entirely of ice. According to folk tradition, giving an edelweiss flower to a loved one is a promise of dedication.
Edelweiss is a mountain flower that belongs to the daisy or sunflower family. The plant grows best in rocky limestone places at an altitude of about 5,900–9,800 feet. It is non-toxic and has actually been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for abdominal and respiratory diseases.
The leaves and flowers of edelweiss are covered with dense hairs which seem to protect the plant from cold, dry air, and the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It is a scarce flower with a short life and is found in remote mountain areas.
The plant became widely known as a symbol of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth. Her 1856 portrait by painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter shows Empress Elisabeth with nine artificial edelweiss stars braided into her hair.
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