The Rose

"Phrygia. Every mythological belief assigned the rose as the symbolic emblem of beauty, youth and love. According to Greek mythological legend, Chloris, the deity of flowers, one cloudy morning walked through the woods and found the body of a beautiful nymph. Saddened to see such a lovely creature dead she decided to give her new life by transforming her into a beautiful flower surpassing all others in charm and beauty.

She called on the other deities to help her with her task: Aphrodite, to give beauty; the three Graces, to bestow brilliance, joy and charm; her husband, Zephyrus, the West-wind, to blow away the clouds so that Apollo, the Sun, could send his blessing through his rays: and Dionysus, the deity of wine, to give nectar and fragrance.

When the new flower was finished, the gods rejoiced over its charming beauty and delicate scent. Chloris collected a diadem of dewdrops and crowned the new flower, the rose, as the queen of all flowers. Aphrodite presented the rose to her son, Eros, the deity of love. The white rose became the symbol of charm and innocence, and the red rose of love and desire.

When Eros in turn gave the rose to Harpocrates, the deity of silence, to induce him to conceal the weakness of the gods, the rose became the emblem of silence and secrecy. In ancient times a rose was attached to the ceiling of council chambers as an indication that everybody present was sworn to secrecy, sub rosa -- under the rose."*1

"In Greek myth, Chloris was said to have created the rose from the dead body of a beautiful nymph that she came upon in the woods. Chloris called on the other gods to help her transform the nymph's body into a flower that would surpass all others in beauty. Aphrodite bestowed upon it beauty; the three Graces -- Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia -- donated their respective qualities of brilliance, joy, and youthful bloom; Dionysus gave it nectar and fragrance. When the flower was finished and its perfection was apparent to all, Chloris crowned it with a diadem of dewdrops, proclaiming it the queen of the flowers."*4

"The rosette sometimes decorating the center of the ceiling of our rooms today is an unconscious use of this ancient symbol of secrecy. Attar, the oil of the damask rose, Rosaceum, an ointment of rose oil and honey, and rose water were the most lavishly used perfumes and cosmetics in ancient Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

According to an old Persian legend, the caliph Jehangir, while walking with his beautiful bride in his palace gardens along the canals and fountains, decked with rose petals in celebration of their wedding, noticed an oily film on the surface of the waters, produced by the action of the sun on the roses. Fascinated by the heavy scent of this oil he ordered it bottled for later use. And this attar of roses -- from Persian atar -- fragrance was considered henceforth the most precious of all Persian perfumes. 

The rose became one of the most prominent heraldic flowers in history since the so-called War of Roses (1455-1485), fought between the House of York, whose emblem was the white rose, and the House of Lancaster, with the red rose as its badge. The war ended with the establishment of the House of Tudor on the English throne. The Rose of Tudor, a white rose charged upon a red one is today the flower emblem of England."*1

"Rose, Full-blown -- "I love you" (Selam)

 Rose, Pink -- "Our love is perfect happiness!" (Selam)

 Rose, Red -- Love and Desire, "May you be pleased and your sorrows mine!" (Selam), Dedicated to Aphrodite and Venus, Flower of Eros and Cupid, Emblem of the Martyrs, Good Luck Gift to a Woman, Badge of the House of Lancaster

Rose, White -- Charm and Innocence, "You are so pure and lovely!" (Selam), Emblem of Harpocrates (Greek), Symbol of Secrecy and Silence, Flower of the Vir5gin Mary, Good Luck Gift to a Woman, Badge of the House of York

Rose, White on Red -- Badge of the House of Tudor, Flower Emblem of England

Rose, Withered -- Reproach and Fleeting Beauty

Rose, Yellow -- Infidelity and Jealousy, Bad Luck Gift to a Woman

Rosebud -- Beauty and Youth, "Your ignorance of love is sweet!" (Selam)

Rose-on-Soleil -- White Rose within a Sunburst, Badge of the House of York

Rose of Jericho -- Symbol of Resurrection"*2

"ROSE (Rosa spp.)

Common Names: There are over 100 species of rose, and to them and their varieties have been given thousands of names. In the face of such abundance, it may be best to say with Shakespeare's Juliet:

    "What's in a name? that which we call a rose
     By any other name would smell as sweet."

Medical Parts: Flowers, hips.

Description: The genus Rosa consists of prickly shrubs found wild and widely cultivated in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Their trailing, climbing, or erect stems bear alternate, odd-pinnate leaves; the familiar white to deep-red flowers are usually single and five-petalled in the wild species, hairy achenes that are borne like seeds by the fruit-like, fleshy hip, which is technically a ripened hypanthium.

Properties and Uses: Aperient, astringent, stomachic. The common red garden rose has long been a favorite medicinal plant in the practice of European folk medicine. An infusion of dried rose petals is taken for headache and dizziness and, with honey added, as a heart and nerve tonic and a "blood purifier." A decoction of the petals serves to treat mouth sores; and a decoction made with wine invigorates the tired body and is also useful to ease uterine cramps. As a mouthwash, the wine decoction helps allay toothache; as a cold compress for the forehead, it relieves headache; and as a warm trickle into the ear, it helps earache. Cloths soaked with rose vinegar can also be used as a compress for headache; and rose honey is an ancient remedy for sore throat.

Red roses are considered best for medicinal use. Of the horticultural types, those classified as Hybrid Perpetuals are the most suitable. The following are the species most commonly used medicinally: ROSA CALIFORNIA, ROSA CENTIFOLIA, ROSE DAMASCENA, ROSA EGLANTERIA, ROSE GALLICA, ROSA LAEVIGATA, ROSA ROXBURGHII."*3

"ROSE

The rose, cultivated for well over 3,000 years and known from time immemorial as the queen of the flowers, is thought to have originated in Asia Minor. The genus name Rosa is derived from Greek word rodon, meaning "red." The ancient Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used the rose not only as a garden ornament but also as the main ingredient in various perfumes and cosmetics.

In Greece and Rome, the rose was the favorite flower of the goddess of the flowers, the Greek Chloris and her Roman counterpart Flora. In festivals for these goddesses, people bedecked themselves and their animals with flowers, using mostly roses. At Roman banquets roses were used lavishly for decoration and were even strewn on the floor. At these same banquets, the diners often wore rose garlands as a preventative against drunkenness.

[...]

Probably the most frequent used flower in all literature, the beautiful rose with its forbidding thorns has been an arresting symbol for writers through the ages. The rose's perfect blossom is associated with love, beauty, youth, perfection, and even immortality; its thorns with the pain of love and guilt; its withering blossom with the ephemeral nature of beauty and youth. According to Christian legend, the rose grew in the Garden of Eden without thorns; but after the fall, thorns sprouted to remain man of his sinful and imperfect nature.

Roses of different colors often have special connotations: the pink rose represents simplicity or happy love; the white rose stands for purity and innocence, often being associated with the Virgin Mary; the yellow rose means perfect achievement, and sometimes jealousy; and the red rose signified passion and sensual desire, shame, and occasionally blood and sacrifice.

Many legends purport to explain how the red rose acquired its color. Assuming that the rose was originally white, the Greeks held that it became red from the blood of Aphrodite, who had pricked her foot on a thorn while trying to aid her beloved, dying Adonis. The Turks claim the white rose was stained red by the blood of Mohammed. Christian legend has the red rose resulting from the blood of martyrs.

From the time of the ancient Egyptians, the rose has been a token of silence. The Greek gave it this meaning in a legend in which Cupid bribes Harpocrates, the god of silence, with a rose to induce him to conceal the amorous affairs of his mother, Aphrodite. For Teutonic peoples, the rose was the flower of the northern goddess of love, Freyja, who was known for her ability to keep secrets. The expression sub rosa, literally "under the rose," means that a matter is to be kept in strict confidence. It stems from an old custom of attaching a rose to the ceiling (or having one sculptured there) to remind revelers that anything said under the influence of wine was not to be repeated to others afterwards.

The rose has also been a popular heraldic flower for soldiers' shilds since Roman times. The most famous example is that of the English rose which came out of the War of Roses (1455-1485), in which the House of York with the white rose as its heraldic emblem fought the House of Lancaster, whose symbol was the red rose. At the war's end, the two houses were joined by the marriage of Henry VII of Lancaster to Elizabeth of York. Henry became the first Tudor king, his symbol being a red and white Tudor rose, which is now the national flower of England."*4

*1 - "Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees" -- Flowers Lore and Legends, p. 79 by Ernst and Johanna Lehner.

*2 - "Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees" -- The Language of Flowers, p. 124, 125 by Ernst and Johanna Lehner.

*3 - "The Herb Book" p. 335/337 byJohn Lust

*4 - "The Herb Book" p. 614/616 byJohn Lust

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