The lily has been given many folkloric interpretations. According to Greek legend, Zeus brought Hercules, his son from another woman, to Hera, his wife, while she was asleep to suckle from her breast. Waking, she pushed the child away and drops of milk flew across the sky to create the Milky Way. The drops that fell to the ground grew into beautiful lilies. Then when Venus, goddess of love, beauty, and desire, saw the lilies she was jealous of their beauty. She cursed the lilies by making a large yellow pistil grow in the middle of the flowers. Because of this story, some associate the calla lily with Venus and thus with lust and sexuality. However, the most common associations for Calla lilies are purity, holiness, and faithfulness for their associations with Eastertide.