the.com/crown of thorns

A crown of thorns placed on Jesus before his crucifixion, now a symbol for suffering endured within a position of honor.

means A twisted ring of thorny branches placed on Jesus's head by Roman soldiers to mock his claim to kingship, now used generally for any honor or responsibility that comes bundled with suffering.

from Straight from the Gospel accounts of the Passion — Matthew, Mark, and John each describe soldiers weaving thorns into a crown and pressing it onto Jesus's head as a cruel parody of royal regalia, part of the mockery before the crucifixion. The phrase stayed embedded in Christian art and language for two thousand years, and eventually loosened from its strictly religious frame to describe any burden that arrives dressed up as a prize — the job title that costs you your health, the inheritance that comes with obligations attached.

likely plant
Syrian Christ thorn, spiny enough for the job
mockery, not torture
soldiers meant it as a cruel joke on kingship
relic status
claimed fragments venerated in Notre-Dame for centuries
starfish namesake
a coral-eating sea star is named after it too
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