Flowers have been used as symbols and in iconography for thousands of years. Certain flowers like roses symbolize love, lilies symbolize purity, and sunflowers symbolize adoration. But when it comes to divinity, flowers that represent gods or goddesses are the ones that truly embody divine symbolism. Throughout mythology, legend, and folklore, specific flowers have come to represent the divine due to their connections to various deities. This article will explore the deep symbolic meanings behind flowers associated with gods and goddesses from various cultures and religions. We’ll uncover why these particular flowers came to represent the divine, their religious and cultural significance, and examples from myths and legends where the flowers appear.
Lotus
The lotus flower has incredibly deep spiritual symbolism rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism. The lotus is associated with purity, spiritual awakening, rebirth, and divine beauty. According to Hindu myths, the lotus flower represents creation itself. It’s said to have arisen from the navel of the god Vishnu whilst he lay in the primordial waters. Thus, the unsoiled, pure white lotus epitomizes divine birth and the original state of the universe before creation. The pink lotus is associated with the gods as a flower of divine beauty. The Hindu Lakshmi and Brahma, along with the Buddhist Great Buddha, are often depicted seated atop pink lotus thrones or holding lotus flowers.
In Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes purity of body, speech, and mind. The Buddha is also linked to the lotus, as Buddhist scriptures state that he emerged from a lotus blossom. His first steps made lotus flowers appear everywhere he stepped. In Buddhist iconography, the Buddha sits or rests on a giant lotus. This connects the flower to meditation and spiritual enlightenment. The lotus’ daily cycle of opening and closing represents spiritual awakening; the soul emerging from the darkness of the world into the light of wisdom. Even though the lotus flower grows in muddy waters, it is untouched by impurity or pollution. This represents the Buddha’s teachings that followers can rise above desire and attachment to reach Nirvana. Overall, the divine associations of purity and transcendence have made the lotus a sacred flower of the gods in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians used the lotus flower extensively in religious iconography and architecture. The blue water lily is actually indigenous to the Nile River and was chosen as the symbol of Upper Egypt. Statues depicting the primeval Egyptian deity Nefertem show him wearing a lotus flower headdress. Nefertem was the god who first arose from the primeval waters and brought light into the world, starting the process of creation. Thus, the blue lily connects him to divinity through themes of genesis, beginnings, and the life-giving force of water.
Additionally, Egyptian art and hieroglyphics depict lotus flowers issuing from the fingertips or hands of various Egyptian deities. The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes how the sun god emerged from a lotus at the dawn of creation. The Egyptians believed that drinking wine from a lotus enhanced one’s union with Osiris, the god of death and rebirth. Lotus motifs were ubiquitous in ancient Egyptian tombs, temples, and artwork, consistently conveying divine connotations of rebirth, genesis, and the sun.
Ancient Greece
The lily flower appears in ancient Greek myths as well. One story describes the Greek goddess Hera nursing the infant Hercules after she tricks him into drinking her milk. When Hercules suckles too strongly, Hera pulls him away and her spilled milk creates the Milky Way galaxy overhead and lily flowers on earth below. In this myth, the divine milk from the goddess creates both the galaxy and lilies, linking lilies to the gods in a cosmic, creative sense.
Another myth describes the nymph Liriope turning into the very first lily flower. Various Greek myths link lilies to birth or rebirth, as in the story of the baby Hercules drinking Hera’s milk. Overall, lilies symbolized chastity, fertility, birth, and the life force across ancient Greek culture. The flower’s ties to powerful goddesses like Hera infused the lily with divine, feminine energy.
Iris
In Greek mythology, Iris is personified as the goddess of the rainbow. The iris flower is named for her due to its wide variety of colors and shapes. Irises come in every color of the rainbow, perfect for symbolizing Iris the rainbow goddess. Iris acts as the messenger between the gods and humanity. She travels on the arc of the rainbow as a bridge between the realm of gods above and the mortal realm below. As a divine messenger, Iris delivers news from the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus down to earth.
In ancient Greek culture, the iris could signify valor and hope when depicted with swords or laurel leaves. Iris flowers themselves represent faith, wisdom, and cherished friendship. Gifting irises conveys the message “I have a burning flame in my heart for you” – symbolic of the divine messenger Iris utilizing the rainbow bridge to convey inner truth. Overall, the varied, colorful iris flower mirrors the iris goddess’ divine continuum linking the heavens and earth via rainbows.
Ancient Egypt
In Egyptian iconography, the iris flower represents divine illumination. Irises appear in ancient Egyptian art honoring Horus, the god of light. Horus is depicted with an iris flower in his hand to symbolize shedding spiritual light. Meanwhile, images of Thoth, the Egyptian god credited with inventing writing and magic, show him wearing iris flowers along with crescent moons. This likely links the wisdom and power of Thoth to the enlightenment of divine light.
Ancient Greece
According to Greek myth, Iris originated as a messenger for the gods and a personal attendant to the goddess Hera. Her duties involved delivering information and fulfilling errands across the mortal realm, seas, and skies. As a divine messenger, Iris travels along the rainbow bridge as a connection between realms. So in ancient Greece, the iris became strongly associated with communication, messages, and new beginnings. Due to the variety of colors in the bloom, the iris could represent inspiration, creativity, and emotional expression.
Chrysanthemum
In Japan, chrysanthemums carry deep symbolic ties to the Emperor and the imperial family. The Emperor’s throne is called the Chrysanthemum Throne, and the imperial crest consists of a chrysanthemum flower. This connection stems from ancient Japanese mythology which links sun goddess Amaterasu with the mythical origins of the imperial family.
According to Japanese legend, the first emperor was a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. After Amaterasu retreated into a cave and hid away, plunging the earth into darkness, the other gods and goddesses eventually lured her out to restore light to the world. A feast and entertainment was held to coax her out of the cave. At this divine festival, chrysanthemums were placed as offerings to the sun goddess. From then on, the chrysanthemum became intrinsically linked to Amaterasu and the imperial family as her descendants.
China
In China, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of autumn and the flower of the ninth moon. It’s considered one of the Four Gentlemen in Chinese culture, along with the plum blossom, orchid, and bamboo. Chinese art often depicts these four plants together. In Taoism, the chrysanthemum represents harmony and perfection, as its petals radiate out in complete symmetry from the flower’s center.
Chrysanthemums were revered by Chinese poets, and it’s one of the most praised flowers in traditional verse and art. The chrysanthemum tea is also popular in China for its medicinal properties and sweet aroma. As a whole, Chinese culture valued the chrysanthemum for its auspicious symbolism of longevity, steadfastness, elegance and perfection. The orderly, beautiful unfolding of its petals makes it a natural symbol of divinity and spiritual nobility.
Sunflower
As their name conveys, sunflowers have an evident connection to the sun. Across religions and myths from ancient Egypt to the Greek Apollo myths, the sun often represents divinity because it provides life, light, and warmth to the earth. Thus, the sunflower became associated with divine solar symbolism and spiritual guidance. Specifically, the sunflower is strongly linked to various sun gods from mythology and contemporary religion.
In ancient Egypt, sunflowers represented Ra the sun god, as well as divinity and everlasting life. Egyptians would place sunflower wreaths on tombs to symbolize Ra’s presence speeding the soul into the afterlife and the promise of regeneration. Meanwhile, in ancient Greek myths, sunflowers symbolized Clytie, a water nymph in love with the sun god Apollo. According to legend, Clytie was distraught when Apollo fell in love with another. She lay wasting away, watching him move across the sky daily, no longer eating or drinking. Finally, she transformed into the very first sunflower, forever able to gaze at Apollo in his sun chariot. The myth explains why sunflowers turn their heads to follow the sun across the sky each day.
In Aztec culture, sunflowers again represent solar deities. The Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli is often depicted as a hummingbird surrounded by sunflowers or with black sunflower markings on his body. The Aztecs would raise sunflowers as offerings to their sun gods and also scatter sunflower seeds during the coronation ceremonies of new emperors to signify divine consecration.
Pomegranate
In many cultures and faiths, the pomegranate represents life, fertility and abundance. However, it also has strong connections to divinity due to the fruit’s symbolism of death and rebirth. Greek myths link pomegranates to the underworld and the goddess Persephone. According to legend, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and brought to the underworld. While there, she ate several pomegranate seeds, and for this reason had to spend several months of the year in the underworld. Her cyclical journey to and from the underworld signifies the changing of the seasons and the symbolism of death and rebirth.
The pomegranate later became an emblem of Greek mythology, fertility, and marriage. Brides would wear pomegranate wreaths at weddings, and the pomegranate flowered abundantly in the Garden of the Hesperides where Hera’s golden apples grew. In ancient Egypt, pomegranates adorned tombs to represent resurrection and the afterlife. Pomegranates also symbolized divinity in Judaism and Christianity, representing righteousness, fruitfulness, and divine knowledge. As a fruit that symbolizes life, fertility, death, and resurrection across cultures, the pomegranate encapsulates the divine cycle of existence. The seeds inside reflect how life and death, Underworld and Earth coexist simultaneously, just as they do within the pomegranate fruit itself.
Hera and Ancient Greece
The pomegranate fruit was one of the wedding gifts Hera received when she married Zeus, according to Greek mythology, tying it to ideas of fertility, abundance, and feminine power. At their wedding, Gaia the Earth goddess gave Hera a tree with golden apples, representing immortality. Zeus’ gift to Hera was a pomegranate tree representing fertility and progeny. Pomegranates were among the enchanted fruits that grew abundantly in the Garden of the Hesperides, which Hera tended.
In ancient Greece, the pomegranate symbolized marriage, fertility and family relationships. Aphrodite the goddess of love, desire, and beauty is often depicted with a pomegranate, as are Eros and other divinities associated with marriage and sexuality. Pomegranates also represented the masculine power of Zeus along with feminine creative forces. Overall, Greek iconography and myths consistently link pomegranates with divine fertility, femininity, and relationships.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians would place pomegranates on the tombs of the deceased to represent eternal life. The pomegranate was tied to Egyptian gods and goddesses associated with birth, death, and resurrection. Depictions show Osiris holding a scepter with a pomegranate on top, and jar stands in tombs would sometimes be shaped like pomegranates to invoke ideas of death and rebirth. Egyptians also associated pomegranates with righteous living, reflecting how virtue in life can lead to divine eternal existence after death.
Judaism and Christianity
In Judaism, pomegranates symbolize righteousness, fruitfulness, and divine wisdom. Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate contains 613 seeds, representing the 613 divine commandments of the Torah. Pomegranates adorned the hems of the priestly robes in the ancient temple, signifying life and the priest’s role as a divine conduit. King Solomon designed his crown based on the “crown” or calyx of the pomegranate. Some Jewish scholars believe the pomegranates were among the fruits of the Garden of Eden that Eve picked, seeking divine knowledge.
In Christianity, the pomegranate represents resurrection, eternal life, and Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. Early Christians would incorporate the fruit into tomb decorations to represent Christ’s resurrection. The seeds bursting forth from the pomegranate resemble blood dripping from wounds, so the fruit came to symbolize the passion of the Christ and the divine promise of rebirth.
Conclusion
Various flowers like the lotus, iris, chrysanthemum, sunflower and pomegranate have deep symbolic ties to divinity across cultures and belief systems. Ancient religions and myths link these flowers to godly attributes like purity, wisdom, death, rebirth, fertility, and the divine origins of nature. Many cultures used these flowers architecturally in holy sites, showing reverence for their spiritual symbolism. These sacred botanicals remind us of the presence of the divine integrated into the very fabric of the natural world. Their myths and symbolism reveal how divinity manifests in the cycles of nature and the mythology humans create to make sense of creation. By studying the folklore and legendary origins of these flowers, we better understand humanity’s spiritual relationship with the natural world.