Honeysuckle

This week I’m going to be writing about the Honeysuckle and the quote for this week is from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 1997;

“Kanga – Pooh, Roo has a little surprise for you

Roo – Flowers

Pooh – Honeysuckle, yum!

Kanga – No Pooh, you don’t eat them, you smell them”

The Honeysuckle as had many different meanings over the decades. One of the most interesting is in the Victorian era, where Honeysuckle was not allowed in the home where young girls lived as it was believed that the scent would give them alluring erotic dreams. The Honeysuckle has also been used as a symbol of good luck and to ward off evil spirits, so it was grown around garden gates and front doors to protect the family within the home and as a sign of a content home.

Honeysuckle comes from the middle English, Honysoukil. This comes from an earlier middle English term, honysouke, this stemmed from the old English, honigsũce, which means “honey suck”.

The original term ‘honey suck’ comes from the number of animals that collected the ‘honey’ from Honeysuckle, this included hummingbirds and bees.

The Honeysuckle can also symbolise devoted love, this is shown in Peter Paul Rubens - The Honeysuckle Bower, where Rubens and his wife are sitting in the shade of a honeysuckle bush holding hands showing blossoming love in their new marriage.

In herbal medicine, the Honeysuckle is believed to have healing properties, this includes being used for sore throats, respiratory conditions and for its anti-inflammatory properties. In Chinese culture, the Honeysuckle is traditionally used in herbal medicine for its potential health benefits.

In other cultures, the Honeysuckle has different meanings and uses, in Ancient Greece the Honeysuckle was associated with happiness and was used in celebrations, in Japan the Honeysuckle is a symbol of the fleeting nature of life, as the Honeysuckle has a short blooming period and in Native American cultures it is used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes

The different colours of Honeysuckle all have different meanings and symbolisms; white is a symbol for purity, innocence, grace and the gentle quiet side of romantic love. The yellow Honeysuckle is the classic European symbolism of happiness, friendship, respect and bonds of love in a non-romantic way. Pink is about innocence, playfulness and sweet romantic affection. The red Honeysuckle is passionate love, fiery is its devotion.

Facts about Honeysuckle

The Druids used symbols of Honeysuckle in the Celtic alphabet to represent joy and happiness.

Honeysuckle is the June birth month flower alongside the Rose.

The Honeysuckle can get to 1.8 metres long, depending on its species.

In Christian symbolism, Honeysuckle has been associated with the Virgin Mary.

I would recommend looking up the painting, it has a real likeness for both the people and Honeysuckle, Rubens was a very talented artist.

Thank you for reading, see you next week

Sources

The Highland Boundary Highland - The Essence of Honeysuckle

FlowersLuxe - Flower Meanings Encyclopaedia

Heroutdoorz - Nicola Baldwin

Hello Fearless - Etymological Meaning Of The Flower

Almanac.com - June Birth Flowers: Roses and Honeysuckles

Honeysuckle flower meaning: Victorian bonds of love, fragrance, and growing - By the Your Flowers Guide editorial team

The myths, magic and language of flowers – Floriography – Sally Coulthard