GOD & TEXAS: Legends of Texas

Texas has countless legends. A legend is best defined as a traditional story that is regarded as historical but has not been proven or validated. Many writers have done their best to convince readers that legends are true. J. Frank Dobie clarified the truth about legends in his book, Legends of Texas: “Logic has been plainly violated.” But many legends persist.

Enthusiasts are still looking for the lost mines of San Saba, and the buried treasure of Cooke County. Some occasionally report seeing the wild woman of the Navidad, or the ghost of White Rock Lake. And there are other legends surrounding the Alamo, other Missions, and the San Jacinto battlefield.

Surprisingly, there are notable legends regarding the history of the state flower of Texas. One legend has it that the revered Bluebonnet was a prophetic sign to nomadic Indians as they traveled south from the Bering Strait. The Great Spirit spoke to tribal leadership to look for a land covered with blossoms of the sky’s pure color.

Another legend presents a young Aztec maiden who allows herself to be sacrificed so that the Great Spirit will forgive the sins of her people. Miraculously, where her blue headdress lay on the ground, numerous blue flowers sprang up and spread across the countryside. Each bluebonnet was a tribute to her bravery and martyrdom.

Still another legend is about a young Indian girl who cherished her cornhusk doll. Her tribe was experiencing a terrible drought, and many were dying of thirst. The great Spirit spoke to the medicine men that a sacrifice must be made to bring rain. Early the next morning, the girl placed her beloved doll in the fire of oblation. After the ashes cooled, she cast them to the winds. And wherever the ashes fell, bluebonnets sprang up as a sign that the Great Spirit was pleased.

Possibly the most famous Bluebonnet legend starts with a grandmother taking her grandchildren into the fields to pick wildflowers. As they brought back their bouquets, one child discovered a rare picked Bluebonnet. The grandmother told them the story of the Battle of the Alamo, and the many Texans who died for our freedoms. She said that the white Bluebonnets that grew downstream from the old Mission, were stained by the blood of the patriots to remind us of their heroism.

It is interesting to note that most of these legends involved some manner of sacrifice to achieve a better outcome. Historically, most civilizations used sacrifices of animals or humans to appease their deities. But only Christianity teaches that God was born fully human, walked on this earth, suffered, bled and died on the Cross as a sacrifice for all sins of humanity.

This is no unproven legend: “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2 ESV). Bluebonnets will fade, but because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us, we can be forgiven, and live with Him forever.

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