Sunflowers
This week I’m going to discuss Sunflowers, their meanings and symbolism. The quote for this week is from the 2003 movie Calendar Girls. “I don’t think there’s anything on the planet that more trumpets life than the Sunflower. For me that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.”
The Sunflower is definitely one of the cheeriest flowers, with its large centre and its traditional yellow petals, the name Sunflower comes from the Greek word helios (sun) and anthos (flower). The Sunflower has a long history, in Ancient Greece there is a legend of a water nymph named Clytie who fell in love with the sun god Apollo, Apollo did not fell the same way about Clytie and ignored her, after nine days of hopeless devotion the nymph turned herself into a Sunflower and thereafter turned towards the sun and her beloved.
Sunflowers are indigenous to North America and are used in native tribes such as the Hopi, Aztec and Pueblo peoples, for food, oils, dyes and in ceremonies.
The Sunflower is the national flower for Ukraine; it is a powerful symbol of pride and resilience. The Spaniards brought the Sunflower to Europe in the early 17th Century, and it made its way to Ukraine in the mid-18th Century, the climate was perfect for the growing of Sunflowers, and the flowers soon became a food source for Ukrainians. Sunflower oil became a significant part of the economy and Sunflower seeds made a huge part of their exports. The Sunflower also plays a big part in their festive celebrations, the flower symbol is woven into clothes, wreaths and headdresses.
Sunflowers are not as closely associated with the Fae as berries and foxgloves however, some stories view the Sunflower as a beacon for Light Sprites and friendly Fae, their sunny nature wards off trickster energy.
The symbolism of the Sunflower is strength, loyalty, admiration, joy and hope during hard times. Sunflowers come in almost 70 different types with five categories; Tall, Dwarf, Florist, Branching and Perennial. Sunflowers are well known for their height, some can get to over nine meters,(this is in carefully controlled conditions with specialist) mostly they get to two to three metres.
The different colours of Sunflowers all have different meanings; the yellow colour is devotion and compassion, red Sunflowers are a mix of hope and power and orange is joy, the cheeriest and most delightful.
Sunflowers are dominant flowers within art, one of the most famous examples of this is Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, part of a series of paintings Van Gogh created in Arles between 1888 and 1889. The series was painted for his friend Paul Gauguin. The paintings are worth over 100million.
Facts about Sunflowers
The oil created from Sunflower seeds is used is a range of different applications, including varnishes and paints; it can also be used as a biodiesel.
Sunflower is the birth flower of August
Sunflowers are one of the most useful plants on earth as Sunflower oil makes up 9% of global vegetable oil production.
After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, Ukrainians planted Sunflowers in the devasted area. The flowers represented hope and renewal and help to remove the toxins in the soil.
Sources
Sunflower Meaning: The unravelling symbolism of sunflowers – Stefan Karatzas
Upscale and Posh – Sunflower meaning and symbolism: What every colour represents
Sunflower Meaning: Symbolism, types and what they represent – Edwin Kirwa
Herb & Fable – Herbalism, witchcraft, connection, natural
The healing power of flowers – Clarie Bowen and Eva Nemeth
Flowers and their Meaning – Karen Azoulay
Flowers of Ukraine Symbolism – The Cultural Significance and symbolism of Ukraine flowers – Tricia Drevets
