Symbolism in Literature: The Rose

Roses are 'the queen of flowers', so it is not surprising that  they feature widely and richly in literature. Each colour of the rose means something special, and this is often highlighted in the pages of romantic fiction;

 Red - Love, Respect, Courage, Blood

 Yellow - Joy, Gladness, Freedom

 Pink/Peach - Gratitude, Appreciation, Admiration or Sympathy

 White - Reverence, Purity, Secrecy

 Black - Strength, Power, Danger, Death

 Two Roses - Engagement

 Red and White Roses Together - Unity

Roses can be found in literature everywhere and in all eras. It is in Greek myth that the association with both love and blood began. Adonis died in Aphrodite’s arms and the first red roses were said to spring up from his blood soaking into the earth. Even today, the idea of the rose as a gift on Valentine's Day clearly symbolises its powerful  association with love.

Roses can also symbolise mystery and magic. In The Golden Ass, the ancient Roman novel by Lucius Apuleius, the goddess Isis instructs the main character, who has been unluckily transformed into a donkey, to eat rose petals from a crown of roses worn by a priest to regain his humanity (it takes him the entire novel to succeed in this!). In Romeo and Juliet', Juliet wishes that Romeo was loved by her family as a person and not treated as an enemy. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose; By any other name, would smell as sweet.’ 

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley explores the different stages of love and how they can change with time. The rose, a symbol of everlasting love, is the perfect flower for a story filled with romance and secrecy. 

Of course, the rose is everywhere in poetry. Who cannot quote Robert Burns:

O my Luve’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

Or William Blake's ‘The Sick Rose’:

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

Perhaps less known is Emily Dickinson's poem:

Nobody knows this little Rose—
It might a pilgrim be
Did I not take it from the ways
And lift it up to thee.
Only a Bee will miss it—
Only a Butterfly,
Hastening from far journey—
On its breast to lie—
Only a Bird will wonder—
Only a Breeze will sigh—
Ah Little Rose—how easy
For such as thee to die!

A recent book covering the symbology of this wonderful flower is: Sacred Rose: The Soul’s Path to Beauty and Wisdom, by Mara Freeman. Filled with magnificent colour illustrations, Sacred Roseis a work of scholarship. Freeman’s careful research is combined with an attractive writing style that is never difficult to read. Throughout the book, we journey through historical fact, world literature, sacred religious texts, legend and myth to find roses at the very heart of humankind’s longing to experience the mysteries.

Mara Freeman

Freeman begins with the connection between roses and goddesses, especially Isis, Aphrodite and Venus. She then examines the relationship the medieval church had with the rose, especially though Mary, the Mother of Christ, who is often portrayed in a rose garden. She offers refreshing insights into the Rosary and the amazing rose windows in cathedrals across Christendom. Looking across the ancient world, Freeman compares the rose to the many-petaled lotus,  explores its hermetic connections, its honouring in the Arabic world, both Islamic and Zoroastrian, and the links with the Rosicrucians and the Tarot. Freeman uses poetry to illustrate this. From Danté’s ‘celestial rose’, to the 13th century Sufi poet, Rumi, to Yeats and Elliot, she demonstrates how the rose symbolises a portal leading us closer to the mysteries of life. 

The core  message of the book is how the reader can enter the ‘language of the rose’– how the Mystic Rose…also blooms within the individual soul. Freeman sets out methods of attaining this beauty and peace, including the use of rose essences and by creating a sacred space which would include the perfection of a plucked rose, and through meditations set out in the book. 

It’s not hard to love roses – they abound in my garden, making them a common theme. 

Using the symbolism of the rose can enhance the very aroma of  your writing. Using the powerful symbol of the rose can be likened to how a tight rose bud allows its many petals to spread open into a perfect sacred geometry. So use the rose symbol with care and attention; using it in an indifferent or offhanded way will cause its value to dissipate. The rose, although ubiquitous, is priceless, and its symbols are deep, compelling and affecting.