The name Delphinium comes from the Greek word “Delphis”, which means dolphin. The Greek thought the unopened buds of the flower resembled the nose of the aquatic mammal.
It was said the flower sprung from the blood of the Greek god Ajax, who was killed during the Trojan war. Flowers that blossomed from his blood and their petals apparently were inscribed with the letters “Ai”, which means “alas” in Greek.