Why the Weeping Willow Weeps

Once, in a land of magic and myth, gods and goddesses walked among mortals, casually getting involved in their affairs. Among these gods and goddesses, there lived the king of Gods. His name was Zeus, and he presided over the sky and the heavens. He also had one fault. He constantly fell in love. His Queen, Hera, didn't approve of this at all. And being an incredibly jealous wife, she punished all of the women he got involved with.

One day, Zeus fell in love with a dryad. Her name was Xylia, and she was the spirit of the Willow tree. Zeus took on a human form and tried to woo her, but she could not be persuaded. One day, he tried one last time to win her over, and tired of his complaining, she was his. But Hera grew jealous quickly. She sent Hermes, messenger of the gods, to Xylia with a supposed message from Zeus. Xylia received the message, and upon reading it, she became distraught. The message was explaining how Zeus never really loved her, he was only jesting. Zeus went to her, unbeknownst to Hera. At the sight of him, Xylia transformed into a Willow tree. Zeus was troubled. He had no idea why his love disliked him. So he set off to find Hera, somehow knowing it was her fault. After an angry confrontation with his wife, he understood that if he didn't break it off with Xylia, Hera would do something worse to her. In sadness, Zeus set off to do his deed.

Xylia, still a tree, ignored Zeus. He tried in vain to explain that he still loved her, but to no avail. She denied him her love for him. Sadly, Zeus realized there was only one way to prove his love for her. He revealed his true godly glory, and Xylia was transformed into her tree form permanently. Regretfully, Zeus went away in sadness. After his departure, Xylia wept. Her salty tears penetrated the ground, corrupted the soil, and caused her branches to droop. Her leaves stretched towards the ground, falling like her tears to the earth. She became the "Weeping Willow." Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, decided to leave a memory of Xylia behind. She made these "weeping willows" grow all around the world, as a careful reminder that love cannot exist without tears.