The Etymology and Symbolism of Roses

The word "rose" comes from the Latin word "rosa," which itself comes from a Greek word that likely evolved from a Persian word. The long etymology of the word "rose" is a clue as to the long history of the importance of roses in various cultures around the world. Many different cultures and folk traditions have assigned meanings to the different colors and types of roses. There's an entire language around the color and number of roses one person gives to another. Commonly understood meanings of roses are that red stands for true love, white for innocence, black for death or mourning, orange for passion, and yellow for friendship.

Roses as a Symbol of Religion

Various religions have long used roses as symbols of religious belief. In ancient Greece, the rose was a symbol of Aphrodite. It was also part of the Egyptian myth of Isis. More modern religions still use the rose symbolically. The rose is a repeated leitmotif of Judaism that symbolizes both Israel and royalty. Jewish people are also compared with roses in the Bible. After the rise of Christianity, the rose became heavily linked with the image of the Virgin Mary. Some Catholic sects place crowns made of roses on statues of the Virgin Mary during different religious holidays. Islam also incorporates these flowers into its symbology.

Roses as a Symbol of Love

Roses are an important symbol of love and relationships. Red roses are one of the most well-known symbols of love. The number of roses in a bouquet also symbolizes the depth of feelings. Three roses, for example, say "I love you." Seven roses are a symbol of infatuation. Nine roses represent eternal love. And a dozen roses says "be mine."

Roses as a Symbol in Literature

Literature regularly features roses as symbols in works ranging from poems to plays and novels. The poet William Blake uses the rose to symbolize passion gone bad in "The Sick Rose." A poem from 13th century France, "The Romance of the Rose," uses the rose as a symbol of a woman and her lover's pursuit of her. In the 20th century, William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" included the rose as a very complicated and unclear symbol: It could stand for Emily's dead lover, or for the larger secret that haunts the story. And Umberto Eco's famous 1983 novel The Name of the Rose uses the various colors and scents of roses as symbols throughout the book to point out that roses are so heavy in symbolic meaning that it can actually lessen the impacts of those meanings.

Roses as National Symbols

England has long had the rose as its national flower. During the 15th century, England had a series of civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. The House of Lancaster was represented by red roses, while the competing House of York was symbolized by a white rose. Descendants from both houses married and created the House of Tudor, which was symbolized by the Tudor rose, a rose that's both red and white. Shakespeare drew on this symbolism when writing Richard III. In modern times, the English rugby team has used the red rose on its uniforms since 1871.

The United States adopted the rose as its national floral emblem in 1986. Various species of the flower are also the state flowers of Iowa, North Dakota, Georgia, New York, and Oklahoma. Portland, Oregon, is known as the City of Roses, as is Pasadena, California, which is home to the Rose Bowl.