While I am often interested in the backstory/history/lives of people and pets buried or memorialized, what really and truly grabs me is the symbolism! I love the idea of an item telling more than one story for those who have passed on.
I adore the language of the fan, floriography, secret codes. A lot of my youth was tied up in British murder mysteries and Regency era romances so it is no wonder that funerary art and symbolism is my jam.
The Victorian Era was the zenith for heavily embellished gravestones that were festooned with carved flowers, plants, bugs and human/non-human animals. I often find myself at garden cemeteries and that’s where you’ll usually find the highest concentration of these types of symbols. But never underestimate a small family plot or city cemetery!
When you’re out visiting a cemetery maybe look for the following to see if you can piece together a message for the departed:
Acorn – strength
Bee – mystery of nature
Bouquet of Flowers – collective grief
Butterfly – life, death & resurrection
Calla Lily – marriage
Corn – farming, rebirth
dog – loyalty, protection
Fern – sincerity, sorrow
Ivy – friendship, marriage, love
Lamb – innocence
Morning Glory – affection
Oak Tree/Leaf – honor, endurance
Pineapple – prosperity
Pinecone – regeneration
Rose – love
Thistle – sorrow
Tree Stump – life cut short
‘Weeping’ Willow – grief
Wheat – rebirth, longevity
Wreath – victory, memory
I wrote about Funerary Floriography on the blog here and I have classes via my Tussie Mussie website as well!
