Editing Myrrha (section)

==Origin and etymology==

[[File:Trace route for myth of Myrrha.jpg|240px|thumb|A possible route for the Myrrha myth's spread: the red is certain, the orange uncertain.]]

The myth of Myrrha is closely linked to that of her son, Adonis, which has been easier to trace. ''Adonis'' is the [[Greece|Hellenized]] form of the [[Phoenicia]]n word "''adoni''", meaning "''my lord''".<ref name="Grimal94-95" /> It is believed that the cult of [[Adonis]] was known to the Greeks from around the sixth century B.C., but it is unquestionable that they became aware of it through contact with Cyprus.<ref name="Grimal94-95">{{Harvnb|Grimal|1974|pp=94–95}}</ref> Around this time, the cult of Adonis is noted in the [[Book of Ezekiel]] in [[Jerusalem]], though under the [[Babylon]]ian name [[Tammuz (deity)|Tammuz]].<ref name="Grimal94-95" /><ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezk.%208:14;&version=ESV; Ezekiel 8:14]</ref>

Adonis originally was a Phoenician god of fertility representing the spirit of vegetation. It is further speculated that he was an avatar of the version of [[Ba'al]], worshipped in [[Ugarit]]. It is likely that lack of clarity concerning whether Myrrha was called Smyrna, and who her father was, originated in Cyprus before the Greeks first encountered the myth. However, it is clear that the Greeks added much to the Adonis-Myrrha story, before it was first recorded by classical scholars.<ref name="Grimal94-95" />

[[File:MyrrhEssentialOil.png|thumb|left|180px|Myrrh, the precious embalming resin of antiquity.]]

Over the centuries Myrrha, the girl, and myrrh, the fragrance, have been linked etymologically. Myrrh was precious in the ancient world, and was used for embalming, medicine, perfume, and incense. The [[Modern English]] word ''[[myrrh]]'' ([[Old English]]: ''myrra'') derives from the [[Latin]] ''Myrrha'' (or ''murrha'' or ''murra'', all are synonymous Latin words for the tree substance).<ref name="Watson736">{{Harvnb|Watson|1976|p=736}}</ref> The Latin ''Myrrha'' originated from the [[Ancient Greek]] ''múrrā'', but, ultimately, the word is of Semitic origin, with roots in the [[Arabic]] ''murr'', the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''mōr'', and the [[Aramaic]] ''mūrā'', all meaning "[[bitter (taste)|bitter]]"<ref name="Britannica vol 8">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropædia | title = myrrh | edition = 15th | year = 2003 | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. | volume = 8 | location = U.S.A. | pages = 467}}</ref> as well as referring to the plant.<ref name="Oxford1888">{{Harvnb|Oxford|1971|p=1888}}</ref><ref name="Onions600">{{Harvnb|Onions|Friedrichsen|Burchfield|1966|p=600}}</ref> Regarding ''smyrna'', the word is a Greek dialectic form of ''myrrha''.<ref name="Park212">{{Harvnb|Park|Taylor|1858|p=212}}</ref>

In the Bible, myrrh is referenced as one of the most desirable fragrances, and though mentioned alongside [[frankincense]], it is usually more expensive.<ref name="Musselman194" />{{efn|The word "frankincense" means "fine incense".<ref name='Smithsonian 1986'>{{cite journal | title = Points of origin | journal = Smithsonian | date = December 1986 | first = Lionel | last = Casson | volume = 17 | issue = 9 | pages = 148–152}}</ref>}} Several [[Old Testament]] passages refer to myrrh. In the [[Song of Solomon]], which according to scholars dates to either the tenth century B.C. as a Hebrew oral tradition<ref>{{Harvnb|Noegel|Rendsburg|2009|p=184}}</ref> or to the [[Babylonian captivity]] in the 6th century B.C.,<ref>{{Harvnb|Coogan|2009|p=394}}</ref> myrrh is referenced seven times, making the Song of Solomon the passage in the Old Testament referring to myrrh the most, often with erotic overtones.<ref name="Musselman194">{{Harvnb|Musselman|2007|pp=194–197}}</ref><ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=song%20of%20solomon%205:5&version=ESV Song of Solomon 5:5]</ref><ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=song%20of%20solomon%205:13&version=ESV Song of Solomon 5:13]</ref> In the [[New Testament]] the substance is famously associated with the birth of Christ when the magi presented their gifts of "gold, frankincense, and myrrh".<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%202:10-11&version=ESV Matthew 2:10-11]</ref>{{efn|Myrrh is not mentioned in the [[Qur'an]].<ref name="Musselman194" />}}
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