Asphodel

as'fo-del, a plant of the lily kind. It is known also as king's-spear. There is some confusion in the use of the name. The common asphodel of the ancients, the asphodel of Greek mythology, is a handsome plant growing from a cluster of fleshy roots to a height of from two to four feet. The leaves are long, rough edged, and pointed. They cling closely to the stalk. The blossom is of a pallid yellow color. Among the Greeks the asphodel was the peculiar flower of the dead. Homer speaks of the shades of heroes congregated in the asphodel meadows of Hades.

The banks of asphodel that border the river of life.--Holmes, Autocrat.

Two angels, one of Life and one of Death, Passed o'er our village as the morning broke; But one was crowned with amaranth, as with flame, And one with asphodels, like flakes of light.--Longfellow, The Two Angels.