Flower Names (Was: Narcissa)

[Katrina]

No: HPFGUIDX 78530

After reading the etymology of Narcissa, I decided to look up the 
flower names found in the Potter-verse and discovered some 
interesting associations:


Lily:
Lily in Christian art is an emblem of chastity, innocence, and 
purity. - E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and 
Fable. 1898.

1.Beyond reproach: blameless, exemplary, good, irreprehensible, 
irreproachable, unblamable. See RIGHT. 2. Free from evil and 
corruption: angelic, angelical, clean, innocent, pure, sinless, 
unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled, unstained, unsullied, 
untainted, virginal - Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third
Edition.  
1995.

According to http://www.cybercom.net/~klb/flowers.html, The Language 
of Flowers: Lily represents "Purity."



Petunia:
South American herbs of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). - 
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.  2001

The Language of Flowers: Petunia represents "Not proud."


Narcissus:
Well covered by Odile

>And according to the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, p.
>695:
>"...connection of this flower with the cults of the
>Underworlds... Narcissi were planted on graves. They
>symbolize the numbness of death, but of a death which
>is perhaps no more than a sleep."

>How. Cool. Is. That.

>But wait! There's more! (Fanfic authors take note?):

>on p. 696: "...relates to the symbolism of water and
>the seasonal cycle, and in consequence to fertility. 
>This is the meaning of its ambivalence - death, sleep,
>rebirth."

>And:

>"Persephone was drugged with the scent of Narcissi
>when Hades, enraptured by love of her beauty, seized
>the girl and carried her off to the Underworld."

In The Language of Flowers, Narcissus represents "Egotism."



Violet:
In the Language of Flowers, Violet represents "Faithfulness, 
Modesty, Innocence, and Watchfulness."



Lavender:
>From the Spanish lavandera (a laundress), the plant used by 
laundresses for scenting linen. The botanical name is Lavandula, 
from the Latin lavo, to wash. It is a token of affection. E. Cobham 
Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.

In Flower Language: "Distrust or Mistrust."



Myrtle:

According to Brewer: "If you look at a leaf of myrtle in a strong 
light, you will see that it is pierced with innumerable little 
punctures. According to fable, Phædra, wife of Theseus, fell in
love 
with Hippolotus, her step-son; and when Hippolotus went to the arena 
to exercise his horses, Phædra repaired to a myrtle-tree in
Trœzen 
to await his return, and beguiled the time by piercing the leaves 
with a hair-pin. The punctures referred to are an abiding memento of 
this tradition."

Also, "The ancient Jews believed that the eating of myrtle leaves 
conferred the power of detecting witches; and it was a superstition 
that if the leaves crackled in the hands the person beloved would 
prove faithful."


In Flower Language, Myrtle represents "Love in Absence."



Poppy
The Poppy, of course, is an herb long associated with medicine and 
healing.  In Flower Language, it represents "Consolation, Sleep, or 
an Antidote."



Pansy

Interestingly, Brewer says that Pansy in Flower Language represents 
the French "Pensez de moi."  Think of Me.

I also noted that The Jane Austin site, 
http://www.angelfire.com/de2/longbourn/referenceflowers.html, refers 
to many of these flowers and listed similar meanings.

Katrina
Not a flower name.