Flower Motifs: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''Picked the rose one early morn
''Pricked my finger on a thorn
''They'd grown so close, their winding wove
''The Briar and the Rose.''|"The Briar and the Rose", '''Tom Waits'''}}
Flowers are one of the most popular [[
In the West, the popularity of flowers as motifs is probably rooted (no pun intended) in floriography - a Victorian practice where particular types of flowers meant different things. A woman rejecting a suitor might send him yellow roses; a man leaving for overseas might give his girlfriend forget-me-nots. Most people remember that red roses mean "I love you," but floriography itself has been largely forgotten. It occasionally turns up in literature, but since it takes time to explain the meanings of flowers, requiring someone to be [[Mr. Exposition]] if the flower is obscure, it's largely omitted from television and film. Additionally, gardening as a hobby has declined in modern times: many see the garden not as a place for flowers, but as an additional "room", more likely to feature a swimming pool or a swing set than a flower bed.
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Can be expressed in [[Floral Theme Naming]].
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]],'' the characters couldn't go anywhere without coming across a rose. The rings that signified the duelists sported a rose crest, Ohtori's gate had a huge rose design on top of it, each duelist had a rose of their signature color as a target when they fought, and a group of antagonists were called the Black Rose duelists, to name but a few. In the movie, they up the ante, and the famous "dance in the rose garden" shows an Ohtori ''drowning'' in roses. Just to drive the point home, the [[Meaningful Name
** The [[
***
* ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' had a field day with this. Looking at the characters' [[Theme Naming|flower names]], their favorite flowers, and the flowers that show up around them give big clues to their characters. For example, Sonomi's favorite flower is nadeshiko; she adored Sakura's mother, whose name was Nadeshiko.
** ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'''s creator, the manga group CLAMP, is also largely associated with falling cherry blossoms (sakura), so much that it's a [[Signature Style]].
* The first chapter of the ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' manga introduces most of the characters with specific flower backgrounds that give clues to their personalities.
* ''[[Bleach]]'':
** Each of the Gotei 13 divisions has a flower insignia assigned to them which can also been seen on the vice-captain badges. The flower will symbolise aspects of the division's character and even the captains will have personality traits that tie into the divisional flower and symbolism.
*** Squad 1: The chrysanthemum, which represents Truth/Righteousness. This division is the role-model division and sets the standard for the rest of the Gotei 13.
*** Squad 2: The pasque, which symbolises 'Seek Nothing'. This is the division that polices Soul Society and acts as an advance scout unit for enemy territory. The truth of a situation is much more important to them than obfuscating matters with idealism.
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*** Squad 8: The strelitza, which symbolises 'Everything is Obtained'. Led by the [[Brilliant but Lazy]] Captain [[The Dandy|Kyouraku]] who tends to wait for trouble to come to him rather than seeking it out.
*** Squad 9: The White Poppy, which symbolises 'oblivion'. This division takes a [[Martial Pacifist]] approach to fighting.
*** Squad 10: The narcissus, which symbolises occultism/egoism.
*** Squad 11: The yarrow, which symbolises combat. This division is the strongest direct combat division of the entire Gotei 13 and tends to take the front line in battle. It also has a reputation for producing the strongest fighters. Two of its members left to become vice-captains elsewhere (the 6th and 7th divisions) and the 11th division's current third and fifth seats (there is [[Four Is Death|no fourth seat]]) are themselves [[Almighty Janitor|vice-captain class]].
*** Squad 12: The thistle = Vengeance, Austerity, Independence. This division is a loose cannon. The [[For Science!|scientific]] division and their captain plays by [[Mad Scientist|his own rules]].
*** Squad 13: The snowdrop, which symbolises Hope. This division is known for being led by the gentlest, most peaceful captain.
** Individual [[Empathic Weapon|zanpakutou]] can also have flower themes that tie into their owner's personality and abilities in some way. This applies to both shinigami and arrancar.
*** Byakuya's is [[Petal Power|cherry blossom]] themed, symbolism associated with aristocracy, samurai and the transience of life (Byakuya is an aristocrat, military captain and widower).
*** Hitsugaya's [[An Ice Person|zanpakutou]] can produce Glory-of-the-Snow (''Scilla forbesii'') in keeping with his ice/snow powers and theme.
*** Yumichika's produces lilies, which are symbols of [[Vampiric Draining|rejuvenation]], [[Energy Absorption|death]] and [[The Fighting Narcissist|beauty]].
*** Rose's zanpakutou is themed on the Golden Sal tree which is said to be able to detect witches in legend. Rose himself hates having his zanpakutou's kidou abilities associated with magic in any form, but his shikai abilities are both music and flower themed.
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*** Sometimes, fanart gives roses to England as well (roses are England's national flowers)
** Hungary and Taiwan use [[Hair Decorations|flower-shaped hair jewels]] as head gear. Hungary's pink flower symbolizes [[wikipedia:Lake Balaton|Lake Balaton aka the Hungarian sea]].
** Japan's human first name, Kiku, literally means "chrysanthemum", a flower that has great significance and a connection with the Emperor in Japan. Naturally, a lot of fanart depicts him with chrysanthemums. [[Cherry Blossoms]] are also popular in them, especially since one anime episode actually introduced Japan in a flurry of them; Japanese fans have even adopted "[[Cherry Blossom Girl|Sakura]]" as a [[Fan Nickname]] for Japan's [[Gender Flip
** Netherlands and Turkey are sometimes associated with tulips; Netherlands gives Japan a bouquet of them in one webcomic strip, and Turkey is depicted with them in his newest official profile.
* In ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'', every member of the host club has a different colored rose that represents them. They show up in both the [[Anime Theme Song]] and [[Ending Theme]], as well as several other scenes. (This is ''particularly'' significant with Tamaki and Haruhi.)
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* ''[[Inuyasha]]'': Kikyou is named after the chinese bellflower. [[Word of God]] states the association was a deliberate choice made when she realised that the chinese bellflower symbolised a love that could never be forgotten - in the manga, even death can't erase the love Inuyasha and Kikyou have for each other.
** The anime's first ending uses red spider lilies liberally through the credits while focusing on Kagome. The red spider lily symbolises reincarnation and resurrection themes, and Kagome's soul is Kikyou's reincarnated soul.
* ''[[
* [[Honoo no Alpen Rose]], as the title says. The Alpine Rose is both [http://www.rogersroses.com/gallery/displayBlock.asp?bid=217&suppid=14 the flower]{{Dead link}} and a song that {{spoiler|is among the lead female's few memories of her past.}} The [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/alpine_rose/v01/c001/8.html first page of the manga] nicely explains the symbolism.
{{quote|
* ''[[Wedding Peach]]'' gives the Love Angels' flowers meanings, but other than Momoko<ref>= Peach = "Long-life, generosity, and bridal hope" (jp)</ref> they don't match well with either European or Japanese languages:
** Angel Lily / Yuri <ref>= spider lily = "sweet" (jp) & "purity" (en)</ref> "In the language of flowers the name of the pure lily is special. It means 'It will bloom and grant love'"
** Angel Daisy / Hinagiku <ref>= daisy = "faith" (jp) & "Innocence, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer, simplicity" (en)</ref> "The daisy is the emblem of the innocent heart. It will blow away the evil wind!"
** Angel Salvia / Scarlet <ref>
* In ''[[Saiunkoku Monogatari]]'', the symbolic gift of a flower from the Emperor (usually as a motif on a weapon or piece of jewelry, although Ryuuki sends actual fresh irises to Shuuei and Kouyuu since he's in a hurry, and later replaces them with more appropriate equivalents) is both a gesture of trust and an indication of what the Emperor respects from that particular subject's service; accepting such a gift is, in return, a gesture of loyalty to the Emperor who presented it.
* ''[[Hana no Mizo Shiru]]'' translates to "Only the Flower Knows", so naturally this trope applies. Arikawa's birth flower is apparently the rose-gold pussy willow, which characterizes him as honest, open and free. Misaki's is the sweet pea, which represents a delicate/sensitive beauty. Both are accurate character descriptions, needless to say. Then there is imagery of/references to other flowers throughout the manga, since both characters deal with flowers in their agricultural work, and Misaki's [[It Was a Gift|treasured flower necklace]].
* There are plenty in ''[[Black Butler]]''.
** Ciel the main character has connections to many flowers:
*** White roses may represent how Sebastian sees Ciel or Ciel's innocence.
*** Baby blue eyes in the anime may be meant to represent Ciel's true self.
*** On various covers Ciel can be seen wearing black roses. Those may represent the darkness in his heart.
*** There is also the connection to his house flower the blue gentian, a flower that is an omen of death if picked.
*** In the second anime we see Sebastian and Ciel on a dreamlike field of white and midnight blue roses.
** Both Ciel and Vincent compare Madam Red to the "lycoris that blazes the earth".
** The pairing of Irene Diaz and the lily-of-the-valley contains much symbolism.
** In addition to the obvious Easter connection, the yellow narcissus can also be seen to represent Elizabeth and/or the relationship between her and Ciel.
** Ciel and Snake share a significant event in a hothouse full of pretty flowers that are both medicinal and poisonous.
** The straw hats after the cricket game with the assorted colorful flowers can be seen to represent triumph and happiness.
** There is some very interesting symbolism at a funeral involving wind-carried red rose petals overshadowing the more ordinary white lilies. Is that a wedding or a funeral?
== [[Comic Books]] ==
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* White lilies, a symbol of death and mourning, appear consistently throughout ''[[White Noise]]''.
* In ''[[Kate and Leopold]]'' the Duke of Albany teaches Kate's brother how to send a message to the woman he's interested in.
{{quote|
'''Charlie:''' Wha... Why? What is wrong with this one?
'''Leopold:''' The orange lily implies extreme hatred. The begonia and lavender danger and suspicion, respectively. Every flower has a meaning, Charles. Might I suggest the amaryllis, which declares the recipient a most splendid beauty. Or the cabbage rose. }}
* This [[Motif]] is used several times in ''[[Don Juan Demarco]]''. When psychiatrist Dr. Mickler is talking the title character out of a suicide attempt, he introduces himself as "Don Octavio de ''Florez''." Coming to work after a night of romancing his wife Marilyn, Dr. Mickler cheerfully plucks tulips from the front of the mental institution and hands them out to the staff. When Mickler first proposes they go to "the Island of Eros", rather than their planned trip to the (antique) Pyramids, Marilyn is reluctant to take such a step: "I like it here, I like my garden." But the Island proves to have a far greater abundance of blooms: "It was like the Garden (of Eden) before the fall." A probable clue to the symbolism is this VO reverie near the movie's beginning:
{{quote|
* In the hysterical Mona Freeman film ''Darling, How Could You!'', a teenage girl attends a melodramatic play in which the villain tries to charm the virtuous heroine with dark red roses. When her mother receives
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* Many British murder mysteries make reference to flowers - Belladonna (deadly nightshade) is a favorite as a poison. ''Rosemary and Thyme'' takes this to the next level though. Not only are they named after herbs, but the contents of their garden often provide a clue to the murder...or at least serve as inspiration for the [[An Aesop|aesop]] at the end.
** [[Agatha Christie]] explicitly used floriography as major clues in some of her [[Miss Marple]] mysteries.
* ''[[Little Women]]'': While Laurie and Amy are taking a walk through a rose garden, Laurie gets pricked by a red rose he tried to pick while thinking of Jo, whom he last saw when she turned down his marriage proposal. Amy then gives him a thorn-free white rose. Laurie instantly thinks of the [[
* Parodied in the ''[[Discworld]]'' book ''Nanny Ogg's Cookbook'', where after discussing how a man was once sued for having an obscene garden, Nanny Ogg gives a list of "pretty flowers and their meanings". The list itself is not present, however, because Nanny Ogg being who she is, the publisher inserts a note declaring they've yanked the list for being overly suggestive. (Though [[Fridge Logic|considering]] ALL flowers are plant reproductive organs, Nanny may have had a point...)
** Note that the above is actually [[Truth in Television]]: the founder of the Hellfire Club, Sir Francis Dashwood, landscaped his garden in such a way that, from the church on the hill, it would look like a naked woman.
*** That'd be a ''literal'' obscene garden, whereas the one Nanny cites merely translated as obscene (or so the complaining party claimed) when interpreted via floriography.
* A huge number of characters in the [[Harry Potter]] series have the name of a flower in their names. Including his mother, Lily Evans, named after the flower of death and mourning, and her sister ''Petunia''. Petunias are popular garden flowers which nevertheless fall into the same family as deadly nightshade. They represent resentment and anger, as well as (somewhat ironically given her [[All of the Other Reindeer|attitude]] to her sister and nephew) demonic powers.
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* [[Purple Hibiscus]] is an experimental strain of the (normally red) plant, which stands for change, hope and freedom; everything the main characters are struggling for.
* A Victoriana-obsessed decker from the first [[Shadowrun]] anthology named his cat Tansy, then set her beside his deck each time he began a hacking mission, because the wild tansy is a declaration of war in floriography.
* A short story in ''[[A Simple Survey]]'' is about assigning a meaning to a new kind of flower... except that the "flower" in question is an alien [[Man-Eating Plant]]. Said [[Man-Eating Plant]] is sentient, capable of understanding human language, and reacts to any meanings it doesn't like by attempting to eat the offender. After several attempts, they settle on {{spoiler|"view me as I am"}}.
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* In ''[[The Addams Family]]'', Morticia sometimes prepares bouquets of roses minus the flowers, leaving only a display of thorny stems. (Not botanical but worth mentioning: Morticia has a sister named Ophelia. This is probably a [[Meaningful Name]]; see theatre, below.)
* The ITV series ''Rosemary and Thyme'' features two gardeners/detectives who use "the language of flowers" to solve murders.
* Guinevere from ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' is closely associated with flowers, to the point where cast members make gags that Gwen is usually seen "arranging flowers". She takes bouquets to people, she wears them in her hair, and on one occasion, Arthur brings her a red rose.
** Perhaps mixed with color motives. She wears white flowers (for innocence) inside her hair when she decides to take care of it, and becomes an innocent victim later on the same episode. The flowers she carries to Morgana are purple, perhaps also symbolizing Morgana's royal origins (coincidentally, she ends up wearing purple much more often after discovering that she is a princess).
== Music ==
* The folk song "The Seeds of Love" contains a series of flower motifs:
{{quote|
I asked him to choose for me,
He chose me the violet, the lily and the pink,
And it's them I refused all three. }}
** The violet symbolises modesty, the lily chastity, the pink (pink rockrose) courtesy. The protagonist eventually chooses a red rose (romantic love), but unfortunately "gains the willow tree" (sorrow or death) instead.
* Many [[Child Ballad
** Parsley: Provokes lust. Associated with witchcraft and fertility.
** Sage: Wisdom, longevity.
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* In ''[[The Glass Menagerie]],'' the phrase "blue roses" becomes an important motif. Jim calls Laura "blue roses" because he mispronounces ''pleurosis'', the name of her illness. A blue rose is a pretty and fascinating idea that can't exist in reality. So is Laura.
** Also, Amanda spends a good monologue raving about the summer when she went mad for jonquils, [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|symbolizing the high days of her youth]], which she's constantly trying to relive. Jonquil is a name found in the American Southeast for the ''narcissus.''
* The image of the briar and the rose is all over Tom Waits' rock opera ''The Black Rider''. "The Briar and the Rose", quoted at the top of this page symbolizes Wilhelm's realization that he can't marry Käthchen (the rose) without [[Deal with the Devil|help]] from [[Louis Cypher|Pegleg]] (the briar). Then, in one of Pegleg's many [[Villain Song
* [[William Shakespeare|Ophelia]] gives the court of Denmark a botany lesson in ''[[Hamlet]]'' IV.v.
{{quote|
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* Beatrix from ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' is associated with roses throughout the game (even her [[Leitmotif]] is called "Rose of May"), probably in association with her status as a [[Lady of War]].
* In the [[Visual Novel]] ''[[Narcissu]]'', the eponymous Narcissus (or daffodil) flower and its underlying [[Greek Mythology|myth]] serve as a tragic metaphor for the heroine, a [[Ill Girl|terminally ill young woman]].
* Don Flamenco of ''[[Punch
* Concept art of the characters in ''[[Unlimited Saga]]'' depict them standing next to reliefs of various species of flowers, which ostensibly is some form of clue to their basic personality.
* The symbol of Allebahst in ''[[Ace Attorney|Ace Attorney Investigations]] is the flower, a symbol of the country's natural beauty. {{spoiler|And a flower is also on the hilt of the knife used to murder Manny Coachen. Alba smuggles it into the Theatrum Neutralis by hiding it in a bouquet of flowers.}}
* The ''[[Hitman]]'' series and its protagonist, 47, have a stylized lily as their symbol.
* ''[[Rule of Rose]]''. [[Shaped Like Itself|Three guesses what flower makes the motif.]] Though perhaps surprisingly, the motif is used quite sparingly, and it's a quite shock when it turns up in the big twist of the final chapter.
* ''[[Ib]]'' uses roses as [[Life Meter
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In ''The Phoenix Reqiuem'', [http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/viewcomic.php?page=359 Anya receives a purple hyacinth], which means [https://web.archive.org/web/20131103090706/http://marriage.about.com/od/flowers/a/flowermean_2.htm "I am sorry"].
* In ''[[Lackadaisy]]'', the protagonists work at the Lackadaisy speakeasy (using the Little Daisy café as a front); their rivals are the Marigold gang (fronted by Hotel Maribel), who wear marigolds in their lapels. Daisy and marigold motifs often show up in standalone artwork of the two gangs.
* [[Wooden Rose]] [http://www.woodenrosecomic.com/comic/chapter2/37.html Gathering bluebells in the forest]
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* The [[Wars of the Roses]].
* ''Tulipomania'', famous as one of the world's first financial speculation roller-coasters (which ended in the inevitable crash). To this day, Holland is still associated with tulips.
* Japanese culture places a high value on the beauty of [[Cherry Blossoms]]. So much so that when one Japanese immigrant arrived in America she found eating cherry pie an odd experience, because (at least in her time) in Japan, cherries are only bred for blossoms.
** Anyone who lives in Portland, Oregon can see the point. There are streets that are so well planted with cherries that when the blossoms fall they look like snow.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Motifs]]
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