Flower Symbolism

I

Introduction

Flower Symbolism, use of flowers (and, by extension, leaves and berries) as national and religious symbols and as metaphors for human sentiments. Frequently, this use is related to a belief in their efficacy as charms or medicines.

II

Religious and Folk Symbolism

Floral symbols were used extensively in the writings and inscriptions of antiquity. The Old Testament, for example, contains many allusions to flowers, notably in the Song of Solomon. In ancient Egypt, the lotus, or sacred water lily, was frequently represented: It was associated with the life-giving power of the Nile River and with Osiris, lord of the dead. The Indian lotus was sacred to the Hindus, who believed that the god Brahma had been born in it. In the art of both Hinduism and Buddhism, the deities are frequently represented seated on a lotus throne.

In ancient Greece the laurel was sacred to the god Apollo, and laurel wreaths were awarded to poets; the olive, sacred to the goddess Athena, was given to victorious athletes, notably in the Olympic Games. In Rome, crowns of oak leaves were bestowed upon victorious generals. Great symbolism has been attached to the rose. In Rome, it signified secrecy; conversations carried on at a council or banqueting table sub rosa (Latin for “under the rose”) were supposed to be in confidence. In Islamic tradition, white roses fell from the sweat of Muhammad on his way to heaven.

III

Heraldic or National Symbolism

Flowers have been adopted by noble families—and emblazoned on their coats of arms—and by countries, cities, and, in the United States, by individual states as official emblems. The golden chrysanthemum, native to eastern Asia, is the symbol of Japan's imperial crest. In France the fleur-de-lis (a conventionalized representation of an iris) was adopted as the royal emblem by King Louis VI in 1108. In England, the house of Lancaster, whose symbolic emblem was a red rose, and the house of York, symbolized by a white rose, battled for the crown in the Wars of the Roses (1455-1458).

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IV

Flower Language

The Greeks were the first to develop a language of flowers, known as florigraphy. Over the centuries, in western civilization, flower language became extensive. Many different species—according to their properties—were associated with a wide range of human emotions, conditions, events, or ideas. The plays of English playwright William Shakespeare are a great source of traditional flower language. In Hamlet, for example, Ophelia describes the significance of the flowers she carries: Pansies stand for thought (see Violet), rosemary for remembrance, and rue, or herb of grace, alludes to the flower's use in the sprinkling of holy water. Flower language was particularly popular in the 19th century in Europe and the United States as part of the then-fashionable cult of sentimentality.

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