Flower tattoos are often highly valued among women looking for their first piece of body art. It’s form and shape reminds us of the gentle platitudes of the female form and for the most part flower tattoos are of a feminine nature. But, the symbolism of the flower tattoo design depends entirely on the color and the genus of flowers indicated. Each indigenous flower has it’s own unique symbolic characteristics. Next to the ubiquitous rose, the iris is the most highly symbolized flower. With Christianity, the triple petals of the Iris came to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The colors of the Iris -blue and white- became associated with the Virgin Mary. The Archangel Gabriel is depicted holding the flower in his hand when he appeared to her, establishing it as a symbol of purity. In Medieval England, noblewomen often took the Iris as a symbol of virtue and had its image incorporated into their personal seal. The Violet, Hyacinth, and Narcissus are all flowers with names derived from Greek mythology. The Violet, for instance, took its name from the little nymph Io, much loved by Zeus. To avoid his wife’s jealousy, Zeus changed Io into a heifer and put her in a field of sweet purple violets!
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