June

Women's Home Companion, June 1916

June is the sixth month of the year. Junius or Iunius is what the Romans called it, and there are a few differing tales as to how it's name came to be. Ovid gives two different ideas: one, that it came from the name of the Goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter, the supreme deity, and two, that it was inspired by the word iuniores which meant "younger ones", as it followed May, which might have been inspired by maiores, "elders". Ovid also claims that mid-May through mid-June is not an ideal time for marriages, as instructed by the high Priestess of Jupiter, but Plutarch thinks that the entirety of June is better than any of May for a wedding. There were multiple festivals held during June, one being the festival of the Goddess Bellona. Similar to Athena, Bellona, originally called Duellona, was the Goddess of the destructive and belligerent parts of war and consort to the God Mars. Often depicted holding a sword or spear, along with a torch or whip, she was said to ride into battle on a chariot pulled by four horses.

The birthstones of June are the pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone. The birth flowers are rose and honeysuckle, and the Zodiac signs are the twins Gemini, and the crab Cancer, inspired by the giant crab the karkinos which harassed Heracles during his battle with the hydra.

June in other languages: Juni (Swedish), Junio (Spanish), Joon (Hindi)
June as a name: Ekain ("June"), June
Flowers: Rose/Rosa/Rosalba/Rosalie/etc, Gallica (a type of rose), Noisette (another type of rose), Polyantha (a type of rose; means "many flowers"), Cécile (a type of rose, also known as "Mignon"), Honeysuckle, Albiflora (a type of honeysuckle, means "white flower"), Chrysantha (a type of honeysuckle).
Gems: Pearl/Perla, Helmi ("pearl"), Margaret/Margarita/Margalit ("pearl"), Sadaf ("sea-shell" or "mother-of-pearl"), Momi ("pearl"), Jumana ("pearl"), Morvarid ("pearl"), Alexandrite, Moonstone.
Zodiac: Gemini, Castor, Pollux, Thomas ("twin"); Llyr ("the sea"), River and Brook/e (both places that the sign Cancer is associated with)
Sixth: Sixtus/Sextus ("sixth"), Nsia ("sixth born child")
Other: Junius/Iunius, Juna/Djuna, Juno, Bellona