Lilies are one of the most popular flowers in the United States, rivaling several of the nation's other favorites like roses, tulips and daisies. A delicate but flamboyant bloom with elegant petals, lilies are popular choices for both both weddings and funerals, and are a staple of many bouquets.
But like most flowers, lilies have also taken on more specific meaning over the years. If you're wondering about what this flower represents or symbolizes, read on.
The name lily comes from the Latin word for this type of flower, “lilium." The flowers represent purity, innocence and rebirth: in religious iconography, they often represent the Virgin Mary, and are also often depicted at the Resurrection of Christ.
Lilies can also represent femininity and fertility. This meaning may have its roots in a Greek myth about Hera, the wife of Zeus. So the story goes, Zeus fathered a son with a mortal woman, and then tricked Hera into breastfeeding the baby as her own. When Hera discovered the deception, she was so angry that she flung the baby away from her—and in that process, a few drops of her breast milk spilled onto the ground. According to the myth, from those drops of milk sprang the first ever lily flowers.
Other cultures throughout history have also coded lilies in a similar way. In Babylonia and Assyria—both empires in ancient Mesopotamia—the flowers are linked to Ishtar, a goddess of creation and fertility. So it makes sense that white lilies are such a popular choice at weddings, perfectly complementing a traditional white bridal gown (which also represents chastity).
But lilies can also represent grief and mourning; they're one of the most popular flowers at funerals in the United States, and are often sent as sympathy flowers. According to some interpretations, lilies symbolize death because they represent the moment when the soul departs the body.
Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.
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