As the birth flower for March, I tend to under-appreciate the daffodil flower meaning. I would never name them as a favorite. Yet, I am always excited when I see the bulbs poking up. As someone who has moved through rentals over the years, unexpected daffodils offer homey delight.
In my current home, my first house, I was again surprised and pleased to see a pile of white and yellow daffodils crop up along the treeline in spring. They’re simple and a little bit silly with their trumpet shape. I always pick them and they drape beautifully out of wide-mouth vases.
Daffodil Flower Meaning
The daffodil is a spring perennial plant with six petal-like tepals around a trumpet-shaped corona. The most common color combination is white and yellow.
The derivative of latin is unknown but it is linked to hell and the underworld. The way that the flower bends resembles the string of narcissus looking at his reflection in the water.
The flower and bulbs are linked to suicides because people have used their toxic bulbs as poison. In the West, the flower usually symbolizes vanity in art in literature.
Most of the time, they are used to illustrate rebirth as the blooms sprout forth in springtime from the dead earth.
Stories + Myths
According to Greek mythology, the plant grew along the river Styx. By extension, the plant became associated with death. William Wordsworth wrote,
” I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
As one of the most popular English-language poems, this story emphasizes how imagination can help you survive in difficult situations. The speaker is traveling across a distance and the beauty of nature helps him carry on. It’s a metaphor for both everyday life and the journey of life.
Several works of art like the Trees and Undergrowth series by Van Gogh use the flower. These paintings capture the play of light falling through the trees. The low-lying plantscreate white, yellow and red. A horizon line is suggested by a line of yellow, which may be a clearing of daffodils.
According to Flower Meanings’ Website,
The daffodil has similar uplifting meanings across cultures, probably because this bright flower appears as the cold, dark days of winter wane and the warm rays of spring appear.
China: The daffodil symbolizes good fortune in the Chinese culture. In fact, it is so esteemed for its ability to bring forth positive things that it is the official symbol of the Chinese New year.
Japan: To the Japanese people, the daffodil means mirth and joyousness.
France: In France, the daffodil is a sign of hope.
Wales: A Welsh legend claims that the person to find the first daffodil bloom will be blessed with more gold than silver in the upcoming year.
Arabian Countries: The Arabians believe the daffodil flower was an aphrodisiac and cure for baldness.
Medieval Europe: The medieval Europeans believed that if your gaze caused a daffodil to droop it was an omen of impending death.
United States: In the United States, the daffodil is the official symbol for the American Cancer Association, symbolizing hope for a cure. It is also the flower for the month of March and the symbol of the 10th wedding anniversary.
Learn More About Flower Meanings
If you enjoyed this post, you should explore more of the birth month flowers. I spent a whole year studying them and creating sketches for each one. I post about them monthly on my Instagram account @verdera.me. Join me and other nature lovers there.
