Delicate and majestic lily: what is the meaning of this flower

All flowers have symbolic meaning. It should be borne in mind that its exact interpretation may vary depending on the country, species, and color scheme of the plant. Lily has several common interpretations, sometimes contradicting each other. She is endowed with magical abilities, thanks to which she can influence a person’s fate, if you believe the signs.

What does the lily flower mean?

The plant has a rich and long history. Its name translates as “white-white”. The ancient Greeks associated the lily with the birth of new life, sexuality and masculinity. In Greece, statues of gods and temple buildings were decorated with snow-white buds. In Ancient Egypt, the flower was associated with the shortness of life.

With the spread of Christianity, the lily began to be considered the embodiment of innocence and purity. At the same time, witches used it to prepare a love drink, and healers made a decoction for the sick and possessed. The ambiguous symbolism has led to the emergence of many myths and superstitions. On the one hand, it is associated with tenderness, innocence and fortitude. And on the other hand, with vice, corruption and sadness.

In the Middle Ages, the lily meant repentance for sins committed. Criminals were branded with a picture of a flower. Lilies were brought to funerals and graves were decorated with them.

Now the plant has many meanings, sometimes completely opposite depending on the country and culture. For example, in many European countries it is not customary to give a bouquet of these flowers on a festive occasion, but in Russia such a gift is quite appropriate for a wedding or anniversary.

Composition of lilies

Lily, along with other flowers, is often presented to girls as a gift. Based on the characteristics of the flower presented as a gift, the encrypted message you received will also vary.

• The “traditional” version of the bride’s bouquet consists of lily flowers, because their snow-white hue is associated with purity, purity, nobility, and majesty. White lilies are allowed to be given only to those people for whom you feel a feeling of love.
• The presented yellow lilies will most likely be an attempt by a man to attract attention to his person, because they will emphasize his originality.
• Red lilies are especially careful. They symbolically correspond to wealth, pride, and in some cases, contempt and hatred. A composition of red lilies is most likely intended to alarm rather than delight.
• Orange lilies are a symbol of a man’s interest in a girl, and also the desire to find out if she likes him. They act as a kind of silent question: “Is your heart busy right now?”
• The tiger lily is associated with abundance and prosperity. A composition of tiger lilies will tell about the giver’s self-confidence, as well as satisfaction with himself and his successes.

According to ancient legend, on the night before the crucifixion, when Jesus Christ walked through the Garden of Gethsemane, all the flowers expressed their compassion to him and drooped as a sign of sadness. And only the lily flower was so proud of its beauty that it did not bow its head before the Savior. But, feeling ashamed, the lily's petals turned red.

Depending on color and quantity

Lilies are given in mono-bouquets or in compositions. Flower images decorate wedding dresses, dishes, clothing and accessories. By the color of the buds, you can determine the character of the donor or learn about his intentions.

The meaning of the bouquet depends on the color:

• White lilies symbolize purity and innocence. The man indicates that his intentions are noble and his attitude towards the girl is serious. The lover who gave such a bouquet is most likely in the mood for a wedding and the birth of children. Brides choose snow-white flowers for their wedding bouquet as a sign of devotion and fidelity.
• Yellow means the fan is interested and emphasizes his desire to continue the relationship. However, in a man’s thoughts, the intimate sphere remains in first place. Such a gift characterizes the guy as an extraordinary, flighty, eccentric person; the romance with him will not last.
• Tigers symbolize narcissism. It is believed that only a narcissistic and arrogant person gives a bouquet of such flowers. He is financially wealthy, but spiritually poor, unable to remain faithful.
• Red - talk about the selfishness of the donor. Carnal pleasures take priority over serious feelings. Aggressive, unyielding, egocentric. It's not worth building a relationship with someone like that.

Yellow

Brindle

White

Red
The number of flowers in a bouquet also matters:

• one is a confession of romantic feelings;
• three - a compliment or tribute;
• five - declaration of love;
• seven - marriage is approaching;
• nine - the strength of friendship for centuries;
• thirteen - enmity, hostility;
• fifteen - gratitude, admiration.

Takka Chantrier

In tropical countries, this rare flower has several names: “bat”, “black lily”, “cat’s whiskers” and even “devil’s flower”. He received all these names for the bizarre structure of the inflorescences and completely unusual dark color.

This black lily is a magnificent exotic plant belonging to the takkov family. It has ten species that grow in tropical countries of the Old World.

Externally, this rare flower really looks a lot like a bat.

The black lily is pollinated by flies. Experts say that this is what determines its color.

The black lily, the photo of which you see in our article, is very reminiscent of the famous inhabitant of our forests - the raven's eye. The flowers of both plants are similar in shape and general appearance. They are painted in dark purple, brown, violet, almost black tones.

Feng Shui meaning

Lily's zodiac sign belongs to Libra. Flowers connect the living world of beauty, eternal youth and tenderness with the kingdom of the dead, withering and sudden death. Balances the energy in the room.

To bring abundance and wealth into your home, you need to place lilies in a vase in the southwestern sector. This location attracts long-awaited guests. If an unmarried girl puts a bouquet there in a red vase, she will soon meet a wealthy suitor. According to the sign, blossoming buds mean a quick marriage.

A bouquet helps to achieve peace of mind, rise above problems and quickly find a solution. Flowers will calm the heart after a difficult separation and give strength for new relationships. If you place lilies in the southern part of the bedroom of quarreling spouses, they will soon make peace.

Lily and man

Lilies can be bought at a flower shop, or you can grow them in your own garden or even in your window. You can surround yourself with images of this elegant flower by hanging a painting in your home or wearing clothes with floral prints or embroidery. You can wear jewelry in the shape of a flower or lily bud. You can even imprint the lily on your body forever by getting a tattoo. After all, the lily flower is traditionally considered a talisman and gives a person not only a unique aroma, but also a powerful energy charge.

Lilies will decorate any interior

According to feng shui

Lily is a delicate, graceful flower with a wonderful aroma that successfully survives on a windowsill. This flower is grown and bred at home, mainly for aesthetic reasons, but its strong energy dictates certain rules for the placement of flower plants.

Lily brings abundance and harmony to the family, and attracts their soulmate to lonely people. If you want to improve your personal life, then the lily pot should be placed in the southwestern part of the apartment, since this sector, according to Feng Shui, is responsible for love.

Lilies bring harmony to the home

Lilies placed in the bedroom can increase the sexuality of a couple, since the delicate flower also symbolizes passion. It is also recommended to have lilies in the house for those who are experiencing separation from a loved one or their loss, because lilies help get rid of sadness and torment.

In ancient times, when a woman was widowed, a lily flower was woven into her hair so that sadness would leave her as quickly as possible.

In addition, the lily flower has another property - it drives away ghosts from a person’s home. According to Feng Shui, you should surround your home with lilies around the perimeter so that evil spirits do not dare to approach. Residents of apartment buildings are advised to place a pot of lilies on every windowsill and near the front door to reliably protect their home from ghosts.

To protect a house from ghosts, lilies must surround it

In tattoos

The image of a lily on the human body is traditionally considered a female tattoo, because few men want to decorate themselves with flowers. And the symbolism of the lily is more feminine than masculine. Although often the image of a lily is not chosen by the future bearer of the tattoo, the leading role in the choice is played by the elegance and beauty of the sketch.

The lily flower imprinted on the human body symbolizes nobility. Also, the floral motif, in which the leading role is given to the lily, means innocence, tenderness, fragility, and personifies feminine beauty.

When a lily is depicted surrounded by herbs and flowers, the tattoo symbolizes the sinless soul of its bearer. When one stem crowns several flowers, the meaning of the tattoo is rebirth or immortality.

During the Renaissance, a design in the form of a lily branded the body of a woman of easy virtue, so in some cases a tattoo with the image of a lily can be misinterpreted

In interpreting the meaning of a tattoo, the color in which the lily petals are painted also plays a role. Light colors are associated with purity and daytime, dark shades represent passion and night.

Dark lilies symbolize passion

The pink lily symbolizes youth, the white lily symbolizes purity. A tiger lily in a tattoo is a sign of the originality of its wearer, and a yellow one warns others about the proud and even arrogant nature of the owner of the tattoo. Although any tattoo on a woman’s body, especially one as ambiguous as a lily flower, suggests that other people’s opinions are not important to its owner.

Charms

Among the Slavs, the lily was a traditional women's amulet; its image was used by women in embroidery. Pink lilies surrounded by green leaves were embroidered on underwear, this protected against all diseases and improved health.

The ornament protecting people was embroidered in a circle on the collar, sleeves or hem of the shirt. You couldn’t embroider amulets for yourself, nor could you ask someone else to do it. For the amulet to work, it had to be given from a pure heart.

The image of a lily surrounded by a leaf and a bud symbolized the birth, flow and infinity of life. A dew drop embroidered above a flower is a symbol of fertilization. This ornament gave the owner vitality, the strength to continue life, and protected from disease.

A drop of dew over a lily flower symbolized the conception of a new life.

The image of a golden lily protected against adultery, it was a talisman against temptations, it was customary to embroider it on bed linen, most often on pillowcases. The white lily was considered a good luck charm.

The negative symbolism of the lily is firmly entrenched in the minds of many people; perhaps Alexandre Dumas, whose books have grown up with more than one generation, is also involved in this, because the writer paid so much attention to the brand on the shoulder of his deceitful and dishonest heroine in the novel “The Three Musketeers.”

Unfortunately, people are afraid to give and receive lilies, attributing exclusively funeral and punitive symbolism to the delicate flower. We hasten to dispel this myth and wish you that your path will be strewn with roses and lilies, because this is how prosperity was wished in ancient times.

Why are lilies given as gifts?

Giving delicate flowers is not customary in Europe, as they mean grief and sadness. They are placed in the hearses of the dead and left on the graves. Painters painted death with a lily in his hands.

In Russia there are no prejudices about these flowers. They are given for birthdays, anniversaries, and brought on dates. The presented bouquet carries a meaning depending on the color:

• White - the admirer is delighted with the beauty, tenderness and fidelity of the chosen one.
• Snow-white lilies presented as a gift to a relative, parent, or child mean deep gratitude and love.
• Yellow for a beloved is a nonverbal confession of betrayal. Perhaps the man intends to break up.
• Yellow - as a gift for a friend, colleague, relative, speaks of support, a desire to lend a hand in difficult times.
• Orange - means irreconcilable hostility, envy, deceit. The giver poses a serious threat.

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Magic properties

The flower helps a woman become pregnant and bear a baby, giving birth strong and healthy. For this purpose, in the old days, the expectant mother was decorated with a wreath of snow-white lilies. It is believed that the plant will fulfill any love wish if the flower is cut at sunset.

It is forbidden to use flowers cut from churches, cemeteries or holy land for magical rituals. They will absorb only the bad and after the ritual they will deal a crushing blow.

To protect yourself from evil, love spells and the evil eye, you need to make an amulet with a dried lily flower. It should contain silver and a turquoise bead. Dried white flowers collected in a canvas or cotton bag, which should be placed next to the front door, will help protect the house from evil entities and spirits.

Interesting facts about lilies

1. The negative symbolism of the lily is firmly entrenched in the minds of many people; perhaps Alexandre Dumas, whose books have grown up with more than one generation, is also involved in this, because the writer paid so much attention to the brand on the shoulder of his deceitful and dishonest heroine in the novel “The Three Musketeers.”
2. In the old days there was even such a belief: if a person saw a fallen lily on the ground, he must make a wish. So the flower was equated to a fallen star, which was quite a rare occurrence.
3. The great Tyrian architect, who built the Temple of Solomon, gave the graceful shape of a lily to the capitals of the temple and decorated the walls and ceiling with images of lilies, sharing with the Jews the opinion that this flower would deepen the mood of prayer. And Moses ordered to decorate the seven-branched candlestick with images of lilies. There is also a legend that under the yellow lily, which usually grows among the reeds, the cradle of Moses stopped.
4. Some Caucasian lilies can turn yellow or red under the influence of rain, and therefore Caucasian girls use them for fortune telling. Having chosen a lily bud, after the rain they open it, and if it is yellow inside, then their loved one is unfaithful, and if it is red, then he still loves.
5. In Ancient Germany there was a belief that every lily flower has a patron elf who is born and dies with it. Therefore, the inhabitants of this country tried not to pick them, so as not to harm the small magical creatures.

Without exaggeration, we can say that this amazing flower has conquered the whole world, since its description can be found in religious treatises, ancient mythology, medieval painting, and on the coats of arms of French kings. In terms of popularity, lilies are second only to roses, firmly occupying their niche both as an indoor flower and as a wonderful decoration for a garden and pond.

Lilies in the bride's bouquet: signs

If on the wedding day the groom gives the bride a bouquet of lilies, it means he swears fidelity. With this gift, parents bless marriage and the birth of children. Relatives, friends, and acquaintances use lilies to express approval and accept the choice of the bride or groom.

Several bouquets on a significant day mean a happy, long marriage and mutual understanding with your spouse. Seeing a girl with this flower in her hair at a wedding is a sign of cheating on your other half. It is undesirable to decorate a dress with lily flowers, as you can invite trouble, quarrels and discord.

If a friend gives a bouquet of yellow or orange flowers at a wedding, this means envy on her part, a desire to destroy family happiness.

Tiger flowers - to a rich sex life, frequent infidelities of both spouses. It is better not to combine different varieties and colors in a wedding bouquet, but to choose only white ones.

Interesting things about lily flowers

Enchanting with its attractiveness, the lily has a rich history. Few people know that this magnificent plant used to decorate portraits of famous girls of the Middle Ages.

Ancient Greek myths associated lilies with Hera, Zeus and Aphrodite. Their beauty was highly valued by the gods, and these flowers were only allowed to be given to high-ranking officials.

A lily flower will look equally good both in the form of a bouquet and standing in a pot on the window. Lilies are real guardians of family happiness; they will delight your eyes every day and fill your home with a festive atmosphere.

Combination with other colors

To enhance the beneficial effects, you can combine several types. Lily in the language of flowers means loyalty, greatness and strength. It can be the main thing in a bouquet or emphasize the beauty of another plant.

Flowers are combined into bouquets not only according to signs, but also for safety reasons. The buds have a very strong smell that causes headaches in sensitive people. There are varieties with minimal aroma, but they are more expensive. If you are aware of a person's allergies or sensitivities, you should not give them lilies.

Flowers look great in a bouquet with cornflowers, daisies, roses and poppies. Certain combinations have their effect:

• with roses - renewal of passion in a relationship;
• with daisies - finding peace;
• with chrysanthemums - to wealth and power;
• with irises - to replenish the family.

Delicate lilies mean fidelity and devotion. The meaning of the flower may vary depending on the country. This must be taken into account when choosing a bouquet for a foreigner. The optimal composition would be snow-white varieties with a moderate aroma. It is important to take into account the importance of the event and the tastes of the recipient.

History of a flower

Historical references to this flower date back to 1700 BC. Images of lilies on frescoes and vases were popular in Ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. In Persia, these flowers decorated lawns and royal courtyards. And the capital of Ancient Persia, Susa, was called the city of lilies.

The history of this flower is surprisingly rich, interesting and sometimes contradictory. There are many legends and traditions that mention these delicate flowers. Most of the mentions are made about white lilies.

For example, according to ancient Greek legend, these flowers appeared from the drops of milk of Hera, the wife of the god Zeus. A beautiful legend says that Queen Alcmene secretly gave birth to a boy named Hercules from Zeus. Fearing the punishment of Zeus' wife Hera, she hid the baby in the bushes. But Hera found the newborn and decided to breastfeed him. Little Hercules sensed the change and roughly pushed the goddess Hera away. Milk splashed onto the sky and earth. So the Milky Way appeared in the sky, and lilies sprouted on the earth.

Lily is also found in ancient Germanic mythology. For example, the thunder god Thor was depicted with a scepter crowned with a lily.

Emblems

Lilies. . .

The white lily surpasses many flowers in luxury and splendor, but does not last long. So a person must grow old and disappear, from which God’s mercy and supervision will not save him.” Hochberg, 1675.

Antiquity

The main attribute of the Minoan goddess Britomartis.

The white lily is the flower of Hera, which arose, like the Milky Way, from drops of her milk. The wedding bed of Zeus and Hera is covered with lilies. The white lily is revered by the Romans as the flower of Juno and an emblem of hope. As a sign of virginity, the lily belongs to Diana.

At the same time, it serves as an attribute of Aphrodite (Venus), who, according to one legend, gave the flower (branded?) a resemblance to the phallus of a donkey, which connects the flower with erotic, carnal love and marriage.

White lilies are also woven into the cloak of Olympian Zeus and into the hair of the muses. The latter is also associated with the Levantine, Indian aroma (honey and pepper) - it is generally believed that it particularly promotes emotional impulses and imagination.

Hades kidnaps Persephone while she is gathering lilies and violets.[2]

Christianity

The lily is a common motif in medieval mystical literature and art. From previous traditions, Christianity adopted in relation to this flower, first of all, the category of innocence, purity and hope. Initially, in Christian symbolism, the lily was used as an attribute of holy virgins.

Subsequently, the lily becomes a stable attribute of the Virgin Mary:

• the straight stem is her Divine mind;
• drooping leaves - modesty;
• aroma - Divinity;
• white color - purity.

A branch of lilies has been an indispensable element in the Annunciation scene since the Renaissance. She is depicted in the hand of the Archangel Gabriel or in a vase[5] standing between him and Mary[6]. The frequency and stability of the iconography of this subject gradually led to the displacement of the earlier attribute of Gabriel - the olive branch, the lily.

As an attribute of Jesus Christ, the lily is used when depicting him as the Judge in scenes of the Last Judgment. She may be depicted with a sword on either side of his face (as symbols of innocence and guilt, respectively), or emerging from Christ's mouth as a sign of mercy. The lily and sword are sometimes used as independent images with the above meaning. In the late Middle Ages, a scene with the crucifixion of Christ on a lily became widespread - an image that combines the symbolism of the tree of life and the cross.

“And why are you worrying about clothes? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil, they do not spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like any of them.” Matthew 6:28-29

The words of the Sermon on the Mount present lilies as a symbol of unconditional trust in God, which made this flower an attribute of many saints:

• St. Anthony of Padua;
• St. Francis of Assisi;
• St. Casimir;
• St. Dominic;
• St. Francis Xavier;
• St. Philip Neri - prays before a vision of the Virgin Mary;
• St. Thomas Aquinas;
• St. Albert the Great;
• St. Vincent Ferrer;
• St. Joseph the Betrothed;
• Joachim and Anna - parents of the Virgin Mary
• St. John the Baptist;
• Joseph the Beautiful;
• holy virgins (as a symbol of their purity)

St. Catherine of Siena, St. Clare, St. Euthynia, St. Scholastica (Scholastica), St. Isabella, St. Philomena;

• Erythraean Sibyl (Erythraean).

Often a branch of a lily is given to a saint by the Christ Child as a symbol of the virtue of chastity.

The lily, surrounded by thorns, is a symbol of the Immaculate Conception and purity, preserved among the sins of this world.

The images of the reed, lily and oak leaf represent a symbol of human weakness (the helplessness of the reed), which, passing through resurrection (lily), gains new strength (oak).

There was also a legend that the lily appeared from the tears of Eve, mourning her expulsion from Paradise.

Anne de Bayle, Lady Clarik, Charlotte Buckson, Baroness Sheffield, Lady Winter - one person

The brand in the form of a lily, as a symbol of indelible shame, was branded with state criminals: thieves, Huguenots, women who took upon themselves the sin of getting rid of an unborn child. Anna de Bayle is a beautiful villainess with whom the Count de La Fère fell so passionately in love and married the young dowry, without even knowing her dark past. And before meeting him, she was a nun at the Templemar Monastery and persuaded the priest - her lover - to run away to another city. He agreed and to escape, he stole church relics in order to sell them and get money.

On the way they were detained, and the priest was shackled, branded as a thief, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But he managed to escape with the help of his brother, the executioner in Lille. For some time, the fugitives lived in Berry (by the way, there are also three yellow lilies on the Berry flag), where they pretended to be brother and sister, until the smart girl met a profitable match for herself - the Count de La Fère. A 25-year-old man fell in love with a young beauty with all the ardor of a young soul.

“The bride of Count de La Fère is only sixteen years old - there are no such refined manners in all of Provence: both a wondrous look and a gentle disposition. And out of love, like a drunken Count.” The imaginary brother of the bride personally performed the ritual of the “sister’s” marriage, and then returned to Lille, repented of his crime and... hanged himself. It was then that his brother, the Lille executioner, was released from prison, accused of aiding the fugitives. For the rest of his life, he harbored a grudge against the villainess, because of whom his brother chose death over life, and he himself was forced to become a prisoner in prison.

Quite by accident, the essence of the young countess was revealed when one day, while hunting, she fell from her horse and fainted, and her husband, in order to make her breathing easier, cut her tight dress and saw the mark of a lily on her shoulder. The count realized that he was facing a criminal, and since he had the right to administer justice on “his” land, he tied the countess’s hands behind her back and hung her on a tree, without experiencing any remorse. Subsequently, he told D'Artagnan that "... if she had been left alive, she, without a doubt, would have continued her disastrous work..."

However, the psychological blow was too strong for the count. He renounced his title and property, went to Paris and entered the king's service as a royal musketeer under the name "Athos". Meanwhile, miraculously surviving, Countess de La Fère actually continued her path as a villain, becoming a spy for Richelieu. The ethical or moral side of life interested her the least in life - she wanted power and money. The woman whom Cardinal Richelieu called “Milady” was guilty of poisoning her second husband, Lord Winter, killed the young Constance Bonacieux, D’Artagnan’s beloved, on Richelieu’s orders, she participated in the dark story with the diamond pendants of Queen Anne of Austria, and sent to the next world not one man.

Caring for black lilies

What soil is best to plant black lilies in? The soil must be well drained. If water stagnates in it in winter, the bulbs can not only suffer, but also die. In order to prevent them from drying out, it is necessary to plant the bulbs immediately after purchase. The depth at which they should be placed depends on the characteristics of a particular variety. However, a prerequisite for growing a plant such as Asiatic lily is the presence of coarse sand at the bottom of the hole.

Then you need to straighten the roots and sprinkle them with the same sand on top. During active flower growth, the roots of the plant should not be allowed to dry out. To do this, they are watered regularly, especially often during dry periods. Sometimes you can add liquid fertilizer to the soil.

Asiatic lily loves well-mulched soil. Compost or peat is suitable for these purposes. You should not loosen the soil around the plant. If the height of the flower exceeds one meter, it is tied to a support. Faded flowers are removed, flower stalks are cut to soil level. Using dry leaves or peat, mulch the ground above the plant.

Judaism

The ancient Hebrew “shushanna”, “shushan”[3] in translations of biblical texts is usually read as “lily”, but can also mean many other plants: amaryllis, narcissus, jasmine, rose, lotus, anemone, hyacinth, etc.

• Emblem of the Tribe of Judah.
• Sign of the Archangel Gabriel and trust in the Lord:

“I will be dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily...” Book of Hosea 14:6 In the temple of King Solomon “And over the pillars he placed crowns made in the likeness of a lily” (3 Kings 7). Lily - desire, love, beauty. Lily - beauty, choice, sophistication.

The references to the lily[4] as an erotic symbol in the biblical Song of Songs (2.2; 5.13) go back to the ancient chthonic symbolism of fertility:

“Like lilies among the thorns, so is my beloved among the maidens” Song of Songs (2:1-2) “Your belly is a round cup, in which the fragrant wine does not run dry; your belly is a heap of wheat surrounded by lilies.” ibid (7:2)

"Leluya" is a stylized lily, a traditional decorative motif in Jewish art from the medieval ghetto period in Holland.

Lily in Kabbalism - resurrection.

Features of care

How to care for this plant? Landini is very unpretentious. There are, of course, several requirements for growing it.

• The area where it grows should be well lit. In this case, light partial shade is acceptable.
• The plant does not like moisture, so the soil should be drained before planting the lily.
• You can't grow flowers in acidic soil. To solve this problem, it is enough to add a little lime or ash to the soil.
• Organic fertilizers should not be used as they can harm the plant. It is better to purchase a suitable feed in the store to avoid rotting of the plant.

Ad vocem

“Lily” is the name given to the voices of cicadas and muses in poetry as a designation of their tenderness.

Sayings:

• “White as a lily”, “whiter than a lily”;
• “To gild gold and whiten lilies” is a meaningless, ridiculous activity.

Troilus about Cressida:

“Take me quickly to that field where I could recline on a bed with a lily intended for one who is worth it.” W. Shakespeare “Troilus and Cressida” “Like the lily in the meadow, so the queen bows her head and withers.” W. Shakespeare “Henry VIII” “In that forest Proserpina is happy, especially when she picks lilies and violets in the underworld” Ovid “Metamorphoses” “The young man who was not rewarded is you, Marcellus! So bring him armfuls of lilies!” Virgil "Aeneid"

Draft materials

Flower of the East.

Dante called it the “lily of faith.”

Lily is the flower of the night, the moon, passionate love... [vkss]

White lily - gray hair; old age and love. Lily together with roses - spring. [vkss]

A broken lily, with a drooping flower - sadness, lost innocence. [vkss]

Lily is a lie, and its result is disappointment. [vkss]

Lily - excess, uselessness. [vkss]

“...The angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a Virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David, and the Virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women... You have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and ever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary asked in bewilderment: “How will this be when I don’t know my husband?” The Angel answered Her that this was a miracle: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Then Mary said with humility: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” According to legend, the Archangel Gabriel held a white lily in his hands - a symbol of purity and purity, the image of which can be seen in many icons and paintings dedicated to this event.

Michael Pacher "Annunciation", 1465-1470

Sandro Botticelli_2 “Madonna and Child with Angels”, 1478

Sandro Botticelli "The Annunciation", 1489-1490.

Orazio Gentileschi "The Annunciation", (c. 1563-1640)

Francesco Albani (1578-1660) "Annunciation"

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (1757 - 1825) “Archangel Gabriel”

Dante Gabriel Rossetti "The Annunciation", 1849

John William Waterhouse "The Annunciation", 1914