Sappho, the Greek poet, called it “Queen of Flowers” in about 600 BC, but to the Arabs it was a masculine flower.
Romans used it extensively and gave us many terms
sub-rosa – when a forum discussion was to be kept secret a rose was displayed in the Senate
ceiling roses – a favourite pastime of the Romans was to have a net filled with roses above the partying guests, and let it loose during the feasting.
Said to be one of the causes of the downfall of the Roman Empire because much of the arable land was given over to the growing of roses, due to demand.
Early Christians saw it as a symbol of paganism, orgies and lust, but that changed and about 400 AD the church adopted rosa alba rose as its symbol.
Before long the rose was elevated to become a symbol of Christianity and especially of the saints. Most of the local roses of the time were five petalled and pink. The reddish rose, rosa gallica officianalis, was used to symbolize the blood and agony of the crucifixion of Jesus; the five petals representing his five wounds. The rose emblem is still to be found in churches everywhere, particularly in the form of the Rose Window of stained glass. Many headstones in graveyards have stone blossoms carved on them. This is actually a pagan practice harkening back to the burial customs of the Greeks and Romans, who dressed their dead in rose wreaths. But that is another story.
The rosary supposedly dates from the 12th century when Saint Dominic invented this new kind of praying. Legend has it that Dominic, worn down by months of unsuccessful evangelizing of the Cathars of Eastern Europe, fell into a troubled sleep and was visited in a dream by the Virgin Mary. She gave him a string of beads to aid him in his devotions, explaining that the beads were made from the kneaded petals of roses growing in her heavenly garden. But the flaw in this legend is that rosary beads did not appear until a century after Dominic’s death and even then the oldest beads we have from Dominican monks were carved from wood.
There are rosaries from the Carmelite nuns at the convent of Avila, Spain, an order that, since the Middle Ages has been continuously making rosaries using an obscure medieval method. The petals of rosa gallica officianalis were dried, mixed to a paste, rolled into beads and allowed to dry, then strung onto fine thread. These were expensive, so the commoners would take rose hips and thread them on hempen thread.
Monasteries were a refuge for roses. It was a must that at least one monk be well versed in botany and familiar with medicinal and healing virtues of plants. It is important to remember that the rose was in the herb patch at the monasteries. The monks (and usually a local beldame) became the local herbalists and they developed a range of rose oils, balms, rosehip syrups and smelling salts (nosegays). They even used the thorns for bloodletting. But that is another story.
The War of the Roses (1455 to 1487) was really a series of battles between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the right to put their contender on the throne of England. Each of the Houses used a rose as part of their heraldic symbol.
The House of Lancaster had The Apothecaries Rose (rosa gallica officinalis). This is a dark pink/red rose. It is said that about 1260, Edmund of Woodstock, the youngest son of Edward I was sent to Provins, a town south of Paris, then part of England, to quell a riot. He brought The Apothecaries Rose back with him. Legend has it that the streets of Provins were crowded with apothecaries’ shops, each of which had the rose planted outside as advertising. Officinalis in Latin means “of the shop”. This rose is famous for its many medicinal purposes.
The House of York had chosen rosa alba, a white rose, as their emblem. The Romans had introduced this rose to England, (Albion to the Romans) during their invasion, so it was well known.
The marriage of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and Elizabeth of York in 1485 finally united the factions. They chose a rose from a bush bearing flowers that were red, white and red/white, entwined within a crown. Legend has it that this rose was rosa damascena versicolor (York and Lancaster). This would be an ideal ending except that although this rose does have this colouring, it was not known in England for another 300 years. But that is another story.
There are many legends and stories behind the names of roses and each country and culture has developed their own. For example, in Turkey it was (and I believe still is) an act of sacrilege for a Muslim to tread on a rose petal. This stems from their belief that the rose was born from the sweat of the prophet Mohammed. If a Turkish lady was unmarried at her death a sculptured rose surmounts her tombstone.
In Italy, fully open roses are not given as a gift because death will befall a relative of the recipient. Also in Italy, a black rose was given as a gift to a member of the mafiosa to advise them that they were to be executed. In Scotland a white rose blooming in the autumn foretold an early marriage. In Morocco rose amulets were worn as protection against the evil eye.
In China, at the time of Confucius, the Chinese extracted oil of roses from plants grown in the Emperor’s garden. The oil could only be used by nobles and dignitaries. A commoner found in possession of the oil was put to death.
Every rose has a story behind it so there are thousands of tales to tell. I have given you a very small sample of some of the folklore of THE ROSE for your enjoyment.
Wal J 2015
