E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Hy’acinth,
according to Grecian fable, was the son of Am&ymacr;clas, a Spartan king. The lad was beloved by Apollo and Zephyr, and as he preferred the sun-god, Zephyr drove Apollo’s quoit at his head, and killed him. The blood became a flower, and the petals are inscribed with the boy’s name. (Virgil Eclogues, iii. 106.)
