Thursday, May 14, 2009

Fleur De Lis

The white iris are blooming in my garden.
The French fleur de lis (or fleur de lys, either is correct) is said to have been inspired by an iris flower. Looking at my iris in profile, I have no trouble believing that to be true.

There is a story told about King Clovis, who in searching for a way to ford a stream on his way to battle found wild yellow irises (aka English Flags, German Lieschblume) growing in the water where he was able to cross. He snatched one up and wore it on his helmet as a symbol of God's provision for victory. It is said that French kings ever since have used a yellow fleur de lis on a field of blue in their coat of arms.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the background on irises. They're my favorite flower.

    ReplyDelete

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