In
Greek mythology,
Baucis and Philemon were an old couple who welcomed the disguised gods,
Zeus and
Hermes. Though they were poor, they were more polite than their rich neighbors. As punishment, Zeus turned their neighbors' land into swamp but turned Baucis and Philemon's shack into an ornate
temple. The couple was also granted a wish; they chose to stay together forever. Upon their death, they were changed into an intertwining pair of trees, one
oak and one
lime.
Ovid VIII, 611.
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