Episode 07: Buttery Butts & Sea Foamy Flowers- Roses
Roses are a member of the rosacea family, which also contains fruit like apples, apricots, strawberries and raspberries. You can easily spot the members of this family because their flowers grow petals in groups of five.
Roses are characterized as primarily deciduous woody perennials, but they can be grown in shrub, climbing, or even trailing forms depending on the variety. Most of them do have sharp thorns growing on their stems, and many produce a fruit known as rose hips, that are kind of similar to an apple. They are most famous for their large, vibrant, and fragrant flowers, with layers and layers of delicate petals.
Like most of the members of the rosacea family, their seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide, but not enough to be considered dangerous for humans.
The earliest recorded remains we know of for roses were found in Florissant Colorado, but we know we have been cultivating roses since at least 500 bc in China, Persia, and other mediterranean countries.
There are hundreds of different rose species and Of the THOUSANDS of different cultivars, the vast majority of the garden roses most of us are used to originate from chinese tea roses, which are prized for their vibrant blooms and stronger fragrance.
In china symbolize early spring and longevity, and are often used in different foods and medicines as they have been for centuries.
While tea roses may have taken a while to take off, roses themselves have had no issue finding their way into folklore and gardens across many different cultures. Including the mediterranean
Ancient Greeks and Romans had quite a few stories involving roses. The first is all about how exactly roses came to be. According to legend, one morning the goddess of flowers (Chloris or Flora) went for a walk in the early morning. As she was enjoying her stroll, she stumbled upon the body of her favorite nymph. Distraught, she decided to breathe life back into the innocent creature, making it into the most beautiful flower. She phoned a few friends for help- namely she called on Apollo, God of the Arts, for the breath of life, Bacchus (or dionysus) gave the nymph nectar , Vertumnus gave her fragrance, Pomona fruit, and Flora herself finally gave the petals, creating what we now know as the rose.
Another story about roses in Greek Mythology is about the origin of white roses- which were brought to earth anywhere aphrodite's seafoam touched the earth. To understand this one though, we are going to have to really dive deep into some family history.
Oronus, father of the sky, just hated his son- chronos. This is because he was a titan, which seems a little unfair, but whatever I guess. Basically he hated his son so much that he IMPRISONED HIM IN THE EARTH. This made Chronos pretty angry, because what the fuck dad?? So one day Oronus comes home to see his wife Gaia, mother of earth, who is low key a little pissed that he trapped their son. So, she arms Chronos with a sickle, and he cuts off his father’s testicles. Once those bad boys plop into the ocean, Aphrodite is born, and now anywhere her seafoam touches, white roses appear.
Aphrodite actually has a lot to do with roses, which is why the flower has such close ties to her. In fact, the word “Rose” is said to actually stem from her son’s name “Eros”.
Eros ALSO loved roses. So much so that every morning he would go out and give his roses a big ol’ sniff. One morning on his sniffing tour of the garden, he ended up sniffing a bee, who was NOT a fan. The bee stung him. In his anger, he fled to Aphrodite, who suggested he take his arrows and go to shoot the bee. Bees are obviously quite small and nimble, so Eros struggled to make his mark, leaving his roses absolutely COVERED in arrows, which is how roses got their thorns.
In another story, Aphrodite’s mortal lover- Adonis, was attacked by a wild boar. In an effort to save him, she rushes over to him, dripping in seafoam and cutting her ankles on the rose’s thorns- staining them with her blood, leaving them a deep crimson forever.
It comes then as no surprise that roses are associated with love, but did you also know they also symbolize secrecy? Apparently Cupid brought Haropcrates- the god of silence- roses in exchange for keeping Venus’s indiscretions on the down low. But what WERE the indiscretions you ask? Well, Venus got extremely jealous of Psyche, as people were beginning to call her “the second coming of venus” as she was so beautiful and lovely. I will say that calling someone “The second coming” of a person who is still very much alive IS pretty rude. But, upon hearing these comments Venus is like “What am I, the crypt keeper” and then proceeds to misdirect her anger at psyche, literally torturing her to a point where she loses her ability to speak. She sends cupid to go and kill her, but Cupid Falls in love with psyche, and ends up marrying her after gaslighting everyone into thinking this was all one big misunderstanding by giving the god of silence roses.
This is actually where the term “Sub Rosa” or “Under the Roses” comes from, and is why you might notice ceilings in restaurants, meeting places, and even confessionals are adorned with carvings or paintings of roses. They are meant to serve as a reminder that whatever is said in the space is to remain confidential.
With all of these stories, it comes as no surprise that roses have come to be so steeped in symbolism. Just like last week, our Victorian friends LOVED to send different messages with roses. Let’s jump in to some quick decoding- just in time for valentine’s day.
Red- Deep love, desire
Single Red Rose- Early expression of deep love
White- Devotion, purity, charm
Red and white- unity
Pink- Happiness
Dark Pink- thankfulness
Light Pink-Grace
Burgundy- Beauty
Dark Crimson- Mourning
Orange- Fascination
Peach- Immortality or Modesty
Yellow- Friendship, Joy, Gladness
Lavender- Enchantment
Tea Roses- Remembrance
Single Roses- Undying love
Thornless roses- love at first sight
Rosebuds- Beauty, Youth
Mature Blooms- gratefulness, or emphasis
Rose leaf- you may hope
Dried white roses- “Death is preferable to loss of virtue” THE DRAMA
In this case I think the most brutal rose combination to send someone is a single dried white rose with leaves, which would mean “You might hope I could love you, but I would rather die”.....OUCH.
Speaking of burns, Roses have been used for centuries to help heal skin and cure other ailments. Rose petals were often juiced, and used as an early antiseptic rinse to help with sores in the mouth or on gums, and even to help with thrush. Whole flowers were mixed with wine and prescribed to soothe stomach aches, and often baths with roses or rose oil would be prescribed to soothe inflammation, Ulcers, and other ailments.
In less pleasant sounding medical treatments, rose oil was mixed with butter, brought to a liquidy smooth consistency, and then injected into the anus to cure dysentery…as if the stakes in Oregon Trail weren’t high enough already, we’ve now got to consider that you may subject your entire group to rose oil and butter enemas, which is a party foul for SURE.
But WHY would roses be effective in antiseptic and anti-inflammatory uses? Well, we still don’t have exact answers, but we do know that they contain Anthocyanins, Flavonoids, and Polyphenols, which all help to reduce inflammation and act as antioxidants and antimicrobials.
While we are still digging into the science behind why roses are so effective, herbalists and spellcrafters have been using roses to aid in their healing for ages.
In spells, roses are often used to bring love, positivity, and cleansing energy. They can be dried, burned, soaked, steeped, or spritzed depending on the kind of spell and intention they are being used for.
While roses are a popular addition to many spells, they are also a favorite for bringing a dose of floral freshness to food and drinks.
One of the most famous uses for roses, from a pop culture standpoint, is turkish delight. If you’re anything like me, when you saw Edmond eat it in “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, you suddenly become CONVINCED this had to be the most magical treat in the world..and to be honest it kind of is. Turkish delight is a gooey, gel-based dessert traditionally flavored with rose, orange, or bergamot. Roses are also popular additions to teas, cocktails, lemonades, cakes, and as a garnish. Rose hips are often made in to jams, jellies, syrup,or eaten raw.
Today, roses play a vital role in our gardens, our skincare, and even in our medicine. Roses are currently being studied in treatment for both HIV and antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus. It’s also extraordinarily popular in skin care, where it helps to clear blemishes, brighten skin, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It’s scent is popular for both its freshness and soothing properties.
Of course, roses are probably most famous for being the traditional gift on valentines day, so if you’re listening to this when it comes out, I am sure you have seen a bunch of them today! If you want to learn more about Valentine's day and how roses came to be such a big part of it, check out the bonus episode on it!
Sources:
https://www.appleyardflowers.com/flowerdiaries/flowers-greek-mythology/
https://thepresenttree.com/blogs/tree-meanings/rose-meaning
https://www.ludwigsroses.co.za/latest-news/the-rose-in-myths-legends/
https://www.charentonmacerations.com/2014/10/29/mythological-rose/
http://www.allflorists.co.uk/advice_flowerMeanings.asp
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261181/
https://jenniferraye.com/blog/rose-medicine
https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/november-2021/roses
