While Galanthus nivalis is native to Europe, there are both subspecies of G. nivalis and other distinct but closely-related species of snowdrop that are native both to Turkey and to the Caspian provinces of Iran. I haven’t found a Persian name for snowdrop, but the Illustrated Polyglottic Dictionary of Plant Names (A.K. Bedevian, 1936) lists SUT ÇIÇ as a Turkish common name. Galanthus elwesii, a large-flowered form still popular as a garden flower in the U.K. and the U.S., was discovered in Turkey by John Henry Elwes in 1874 and introduced into cultivation.

As to the snowdrop lore you uncovered: although many modern sources repeat the claim that snowdrops were brought to England by monks and that the blossoms were scattered in the place of the Virgin’s image on Candlemas, I haven’t been able to trace that usage back to a medieval source. We avoid relying on undocumented legends or lore in tracing the history of medieval species. However, the snowdrops’s association with misfortune and death has been recorded as an extant belief by contemporary oral historians of British plant lore such as Roy Vickery.

I came across some information about snowdrops a while ago while researching my name. My name apparently means “snowflower” in Persian (I’m actually Turkish and Yugoslavian-the name must have come into Ottoman Turkish during the Ottoman Empire and finally into modern Turkish). I’m surprised that the name is Persian-are snowdrops and snowflakes even found in Iran and the rest of the Middle East?

Here’s the info I found:

According to legend, Snowdrops became the symbol of hope when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. When Eve was about to give up hope that the cold winters would never end an angel appeared. This angel transformed some of the snowflakes into Snowdrop flowers to prove that winters do eventually give way to spring.

However, according to German legend, when God made all things he asked the snow to go to the flowers and get a little colour from them. All the flowers refused until he finally asked a Snowdrop to give a little of its colour. The Snowdrop agreed and as a regard the snow lets it bloom before all other flowers in spring.

In English folklore, Snowdrops are thought unlucky if brought into the house, representing death or parting from a loved one. A single Snowdrop blooming in the garden warns of impending disaster. Wearing a Snowdrop is said to bless you with pure thoughts. Bringing a Snowdrop indoors will lead to a death in the house. This led to the plant also being known as Death’s Flower.

Monks brought Snowdrop bulbs to England from Rome and planted them around their monasteries. Traditionally on Candlemas (2 February) the image of the Virgin Mary was taken down and a handful of Snowdrop blooms scattered in its place. Snowdrops were known to botanists of old as Bulbous Violets. Gerard’s “Herbal” refers to early-flowering Violets also being known as Snowdrops. In 1465 the Snowdrop was classed as an emmenagogue and as having digestive properties although it is not really used today as a herb.