MOMENTS IN POT CULTURE: THE CROCUS

Words by Jessica Peace

Well, Greek Myth makers have two versions about what happened to young ‘Crocus’ back in the day. One has Crocus as a young bloke with the misfortune of shacking up with the nymph ‘Smilax’. Crocus got bored of Smilax (it happens, the flame dies - even with nymphs...), the gods felt for the lad and as a way out of that dead end relationship, turned him into a lovely crocus. The other yarn has Crocus accidentally flattened by his mate ‘Hermes’ during a knock about with a discus. In a peculiar way of saying ‘sorry mate’, Hermes picks him up and turns him into the same spring bloom.

Jerkin’ Crocus is the female ‘nad puller’ in Mott the Hoople’s, ‘Jerkin Crocus’ (1972). Strange song, bulging with innuendo if that’s your bag.