die Blobottel: Blue Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus). The significance of this flower has wide interpretations across the German-speaking lands. The meanings of many symbols, particularly those that relate to Prussia, are based in historical events that occur after the Migration. However, certain aspects of the flower, particularly those that preserve the color and overall essence of the flower when dried, make it a symbol of life. Likewise, the tenderness of the flower and its susceptibility to frost make it a symbol of the preciousness and fragility of life. The presence of Cornflower Queens or cornflowers at events such as the Steuben Parade is an echo and a reflection of the flower's symbol of life.
There is some speculation that the Blobottel may be the blue flower in the dreams of Yorinde in the folk tale of Yorinde un Goringel (a version of which appears in Mac E. Barrick's "German-American Folklore," page 109). The possessor of the flower is able to destroy enemies and to overcome obstacles.
Blobottel is common in Urglaawe funerary and memorial rites.
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