i just googled it to see how it looks like..i mean the thistle plant..i didnt have a idea about it..as you said it is a beautiful one..but prickly :) however it is very interesting to know these stories from the past..though we do not know that what had happened exactly we still can build up the story based on the logic and evidences..and once we have felt for it,we do not want to stop it in the middle until we know the whole story :) great story to know :)