The blue iris symbolizes hope, mystery, clarity and dreams, marriage, monarchy and royalty, faith, and messages.
Blue irises are lovely flowers with very contrasting and interesting meanings. The symbolism comes from ancient cultures, traditions and mythology, as well as color psychology and history.
What does the Blue Iris Symbolize?
1. Hope
Despite its gloomy associations as the color of grief, blue in flowers also represents optimism and a positive outlook on the future.
This makes a blue bouquet ideal for someone about to start a new professional or personal adventure. For example, the blue iris can be given to someone graduating from college or starting a new job.
2. Mystery
Blue is the color of darkness and unchartered depths, which might be a reason we associate blue with mystery. Blue flowers may be the way to go if you want to give an aura of mystery and ethereality to your arrangement.
3. Clarity and Dreams
Blue flowers represent a dream brought to life. This makes blue flowers ideal for a creative person looking for inspiration, as well as when you realize you’ve been yearning for someone else, and it’s suddenly evident to you that you have found them!
4. Marriage
Blue flowers are frequently the answer for brides-to-be searching for their “something blue.”
Of course, many of the traditional bridal bouquet flowers don’t have naturally occurring blue versions. When choosing a bridal bouquet, however, florist-dyed blue flowers generally do a good job.
5. Monarchy and Royalty
It’s no surprise that the iris is connected with the concept of monarchy. In the early to mid-summer, this royal bloom puts on quite a display in royal gardens in England. Its towering flowers come in a wide range of colors, including yellow, white, pink, red, chartreuse, brown, and black. Irises are available in many colors and styles to suit any occasion.
Related: Blue Flame Symbolism
6. Faith
The blue iris is also a sign of optimism and trust. When you’re walking and come across irises, it’s a sign that you should find hope and believe in positive opportunities, even if you’re feeling depressed.
7. Messages
The iris flower is also about relaying a message to someone. Giving someone an iris in Victorian England suggested you had a message for them, which you would attach to the stems of the flowers. On a spiritual level, the iris, like the butterfly or hummingbird, is linked to messages from your spirit guides.
The Etymology of the Word “Iris”
The iris gets its name from the ancient Greek goddess Iris, who used the rainbow to bridge heaven and earth as a messenger to the gods.
According to legend, the ancient Greeks thought the rainbow represented Iris’ flowing, multicolored garments. Others thought the lovely colored flowers were part of her robe or the flowing veil from her gown.
As a result, they gave these flowers their names to honor the Rainbow Goddess and bring good fortune to the planet.
The Symbolism of the Iris
Planting iris flowers on women’s graves became popular among the ancient Greeks, who believed it would persuade the Goddess Iris to guide their loved ones to paradise.
Egyptian Kings were charmed with these majestic blooms. They exhibited their fanatism with their representations of these flowers in Egyptian palaces. Most likely, greek mythology influenced the Egyptians, and they used the iris to symbolize their connection to heaven.
By the Middle Ages, Frech people used iris flowers to represent monarchy and power. The iris is the source of the fleur-de-lis, France’s national symbol.
The iris is the birth flower of February, the flower of the 25th wedding anniversary, and the state flower of Tennessee in the United States.
Blue flag irises are wild irises that occur in the United States. The Siberian Iris is similar to these irises. Florist irises are used as highlights in flower arrangements and are often blue or purple.
Blue flowers are one of the most uncommon flower colors. Even though botanists have hybridized blue types, blue flowers account for a small percentage of color variants when compared to pink or purple blooms.
The Significance of Blue Flowers in History
The ancient Egyptians considered blue flowers as holy. The blue water lily and blue lotus played a significant role for them. Many temples have this flower on their pillars, altars, and arches. Egyptian mythology associated this flower was associated with rebirth and the sun.
Blue water lilies often appeared in religious rites. The flower contains alkaloids that produce euphoria and hallucinations when consumed.
Ancient Greeks prized several blue flowers. They used monkshood, also known as wolfsbane, to kill wolves that attacked flocks by putting them on the ends of arrows. This flower appears in Ovid’s tales.
The goddess Persephone and her nymphs gathered blue iris, which became the name of the goddess Iris. Blue delphiniums were devoted to the deity Apollo and appear in various stories.
The ancient Romans appreciated the blue borage blossom. Pliny the Elder gave it the name Euphrosinum, which means “merriment,” and considered it a remedy for sadness.
In the 1700s and Victorian eras, blue flowers had different meanings.
Blue flowers have a variety of connotations for the Victorians. Blue represents affection, desire, love, inspiration, trust, purity, tranquillity, or sympathy in floriography, depending on the flower kind.
The blue blossom was the dominant emblem of inspiration during the Romantic period. It symbolized hope, beauty, and a quest for the unattainable or limitless whether given as a gift or utilized as an artistic subject.
What Are the Spiritual Meanings of Blue Flowers?
The Hindu god Krishna had blue skin, according to Hindu scriptures. Blue flowers are associated with holiness, pleasure, and love.
Blue hyacinths are associated with consistency and honesty in Judaism. Blue flowers symbolized the impossible.
The blue lotus represents intellect, wisdom, understanding, and the supremacy of spirit over the senses for Buddhists. They frequently depicted it as a partially opened blossom.
Frequently, Catholics connect the blue flowers with the Virgin Mary. Blue columbines are used in art to signify the Virgin’s grief during childbirth and her spiritual connection.
Related Blue Flower Symbolism: What do Blue Poppies Symbolize?
Blue Flowers in Literature and Art
Blue flowers appear throughout the Romantic period and beyond in art and literature. In Still Life with Irises, Van Gogh famously painted blue flowers.
In his autobiography, C.S. Lewis used a blue flower to symbolize the sentiments of desire generated by beauty. Goethe spoke of a search for the “original plant.” Blue flowers represent fragility in Tennessee Williams’ drama The Glass Menagerie.
Blue flowers appear in several Robert Frost poems, while Heinrich von Ofterdingen equated blue flowers with valor. The contemporary writers Penelope Fitzgerald and John Le Carre mention blue flowers in their works.
Blue Flower Meaning & Symbolism Today
Depending on the species, blue flowers now represent a variety of meanings and messages. Blue blossoms are versatile flowers used in floral arrangements.
They’re ideal for congratulation or success presents because they’re associated with inspiration and hope. They’re pleasant options for Valentine’s Day or a romantic present because of their relationship with closeness and love. Blue flowers are a logical option for this momentous milestone because the 10th wedding anniversary has to do with silver and blue.
They’re also popular for bouquets and centerpieces during weddings. Blue is also a color that conjures up feelings of compassion.
More Iris Symbolism:
Conclusion
Blue irises have similar meanings to purple irises. All irises represent hope, trust, royalty, and valor. However, it has other meanings associated with the color blue. For example, it represents faith and positivity, mystery, and dreams.
I’m Chris and I run this website – a resource about symbolism, metaphors, idioms, and a whole lot more! Thanks for dropping by.