Question About Applying Symbolism to a Medieval Era Flavored Story

ChrystaWolfe

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Hello,

Not sure where to ask this, but, my question is about symbolism in Medieval or Renaissance art or literature, and applying it to a story.
If I wrote a story set in the Middle Ages, and I wanted to use a flower (baby's breath/gypsophila is one) for purity, can my character directly reference its meaning in dialogue?

(I imagine the main conflict is if it was ascribed the meaning which I am using, in say, 1800, or some other later date)
(And I use the word "can" to mean, in your opinion, without jarring a reader terribly)

Or, is it better to narrate it? (I am likely going with Omniscient POV as I very much like the distance and tone it creates in my writing)

Or, is ascribing meaning and identifying patterns of use, something we did later over the years?
My instinct is that it depends on the item (and that we did this both then, and over the years).
And my guess is that I would need to research the art of the times and literature. But I admit, I am a bit lost ... For all I know, the concept of symbolic meaning in arts wasn't ever consciously spoken of even if it was widely practiced. And if that is the case, (your opinion) is it jarring if I had a character speak of it?

While I have a few common, symbolic items I will throw in my story, and one or two I may create or adapt myself, I have one scene in dialogue where I want my character(s) to reference the symbolism of a few flowers (probably baby's breath, lily, and daisy).

Also, it is actually not Middle Ages, but fantasy, with some leeway over time and worlds, and some overlapping of them if needed for the story (But I am trying to work with a core of a Medieval/Renaissace flavor of my created world, and to branch out only as needed). I also have my own art, festivals, mythologies in the making (or will adapt them to fit my world) and can incorporate any such flowers into them, as needed.

Thank You, in advance, for any assistance you may provide. Have a nice day.
 

Harlequin

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I wouldn't reference it at all, but that's just me.

There are some nice SFF books which include such symbolism, as a treat for readers who care to know or research--unless your plot requires that people know, in which case it will come out on its own.
 

AW Admin

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Flowers did have symbolic meaning in medieval literature and works of art; there are some indications that the same meanings associated by literate classes were shared by the non-literate.

The meaning and the flowers vary by age and era; why not pick flowers that would be found in your world and go from there?

ETA: Moving to Research
 
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blacbird

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Google is your friend for questions like this. I just tried "Medieval symbolism flowers" and in a second got a long list of useful-looking sites. The first one I looked at referenced lilies as being regarded as symbolic of purity.

caw
 

ChrystaWolfe

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That might be my best bet, using flowers of my own world. I have done that with an arachnid and also sketched out a mythological story to give a character's name meaning, so maybe that is the way to go here also, especially for dialogue.
And yes, most symbolism borrowed, probably would work best if not alluded to, I do agree. (my only reason for dialogue in this instance had been that it was in an argmuent to contrast characters.)
And yes, google can be helpful for sure.

Thank you so much for the replies and thoughts, for your taking your time to offer them. Have a nice night :)


(I hadn't meant to add to this, as I realize that could go on forever with new replies, but just want to say the additional posts were VERY HELPFUL and touched exactly where I needed them to. You are all AMAZING, a wealth of knowledge and information. Thank you so much.)
 
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lonestarlibrarian

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A lot of floriography/botanical symbolism was really developed in the Victorian age, if I recall. That's not to say that symbolism wasn't there beforehand, but just that the way symbolism was approached in, say, Britain in AD 400, or AD 1100, or AD 1300 was very different from the way symbolism was approached in Britain in 1500, or 1700, or 1900.

To take your gypsophila example, you look at the name. "Gypso - philia" means, basically, "chalk-lover", and is a reference to the kind of soil that the plant thrives in. So it's not the white laciness of the flower that associates it with bridal purity, but the chalkiness of the soil itself. (Wedding dress = white itself is pretty much a Victorian invention; it started off as "I can afford to buy a fancy dress that I only wear one time." Before then, you just pretty much got married in your best clothes.) If you're actually dealing with a fantasy land, why not keep in mind that the same flowers have different meanings in different cultures, and perhaps come up with your own set of fantasy-flora, or attribute your own meanings to known botanicals?

You might look to some of the Asian cultures for inspiration. Ikebana and hanakotoba are good things to look at-- ikebana having been developed in a religious setting, for flower arrangements to decorate Buddhist altars-- to the point where there were a certain batch of priests (called Ikenobo) whose primary duty it was was to do these flower arrangements. But even earlier in the Heian period, things like poetry were very highly prized, so a branch of a pine tree or a particular flower would call to mind a particular poem that made reference to it. Or a particular kind of tree or plant or flower might be related to a particular powerful family, or ruling dynasty... and by looking at the landscaping around you, you can tell someone's affiliation.

So-- if you want to incorporate flower symbolism in your work, it might make your fantasy culture a little less "generic medieval fantasyland" if you perhaps approach it from more of an Eastern-inspired direction.
 

blacbird

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To take your gypsophila example, you look at the name. "Gypso - philia" means, basically, "chalk-lover", and is a reference to the kind of soil that the plant thrives in..

This actually brings up another point that hadn't previously occurred to me. A name like "gypsophila" is scientific Linnéan nomenclature, which came along with the great naturalist Linnaeus, who invented formal scientific taxonomy in the 18th century. So if you're using this in a medieval setting, it's an anachronism. Whatever that flower was called in medieval times, it wasn't "gypsophila".

caw
 

benbenberi

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Gysophilia = baby's breath

As blacbird points out, flowers were never known by their scientific names in medieval times because those names were not invented till the late 18c.

There were also a lot of flowers that are well-known now, and which were popular when the Victorians were elaborating the "language of flowers" that were unknown to medieval Europe. Many of these were native to the Americas or to Australia or various Pacific places. And a lot of flowers have popular versions today that are very different from their common medieval form. (The rose, for instance -- it's difficult to see the typical modern rose in medieval rose pictures, because rose breeding has come a long long way since then!) Depending on how you are developing your secondary world you may or may not want to be aware of this when you pick your flowers!