by Last Updated on July 24, 2021 by Avia
Happy Thoughts and Symbolic Meaning of the Daisy
The symbolic meaning of the daisy has a lot to do with purity and positive perspectives. By their mere appearance, they are a perky, happy-looking flower…easy to understand why they are symbolic of uplifting themes. But there is actual cultural history dating back to ancient Greeks that gives credence to daisy meaning.
“(S)he loves me, (s)he loves me not.” Who among us hasn’t plucked the petals of a daisy saying those words with each tug? -Each of us hoping the last petal reveals: Yes! S(he) loves me! I certainly did as a child, and there’s our primary theme of the symbolic meaning of daisy – childhood, innocence, purity.
Another common phrase connected to this bright flower is: “Fresh as a daisy”. The cliche underscores the theme of cleanliness are purity.
It’s not just the secular world that has adopted the daisy as a symbol of innocence. We see that message repeated in Christianity, where the daisy is a sacred symbol of Virgin Mary signifying her chastity, grace and purity. The daisy has also been employed as a symbol to represent the Christ child. We see evidence of this specifically in Renaissance paintings where the daisy replaces the lily. In fact, the daisy was used instead of the lily to represent the infant Christ because the daisy resembled simple virtue, whereas the lily symbolically leaned in more exotic, alluring directions during the Renaissance. Hence, it was deemed an inappropriate representative of Christ.
Interestingly, the opposite is true of the symbolic meaning of daisy in Norse mythology. As a sacred symbol to Freya, a Norse love goddess, the daisy is a symbol of love, sensuality, and fertility. The daisy also symbolizes the aspect of motherhood and childbirth in association with Freya, which carries on the theme of unblemished youth.
“Always have something beautiful in your sights,
even if it’s just a daisy in a jelly glass.”
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
In the west, the daisy is a symbol of simplicity, chastity and transformation. We see these meanings sussed out in the Roman myth of Vertumnus vs. Belides. As the story goes, Vertumnus (Roman god of seasons, agriculture and gardens) became utterly enchanted by the dainty nymph, Belides. Vertumnus was so beguiled and infatuated with Belides – like a creepy stalker – he became obsessed, and would not cease pestering Belides with his unwanted affections. Being the sweet nymph she was, Belides transformed herself into a field of daisies rather than hurt Vertumnus’ feelings by telling him to “take a hike, buddy.”
Let’s take a look at the symbolic meaning of daisy we’ve uncovered so far…
Daisy Meaning and Symbolism
- Love
- Youth
- Purity
- Virginal
- Innocence
- Chastity
- Freshness
- Fertility
- Childhood
- Daintiness
- Cleanliness
- Enchanting
- Motherhood
- Transformation
So how does it happen that an unassuming, pert little flower like the daisy become such a champion for virtue? A look into the etymology of its name may give us a hint. The word “daisy” is Old English for “day’s eye“. This refers to one of two (or both) events in nature:
♦ The beginning of each day, which is illustrated in the daisy closing its petals in the evening, and the first to open at dawn to greet the day.
♦ The tiding of spring, illustrated by the daisy’s debut during this transitional season.
Both daybreak and spring are strongly affiliated with the power of the sun, which implies the symbolic meaning of daisy is connected with solar attributes. Native American wisdom recognized the daisy as a sun symbol by observing the bright yellow center with radiating white petals resembling the rays of the sun. As a sun symbol, the daisy is symbolic of…
Solar Daisy Meanings
- Joy
- Life
- Light
- Clarity
- Truth
- Cheer
- Energy
- Warmth
- Provision
- Constancy
In the Victorian era (1600s), Lady Mary Wortley standardized the symbolic language of flowers. This was a highly chaste and demure era of the western world – a time in which propriety and proper behavior were of the utmost importance. In this kind of environment, expressing ardor, passion and desire were a major “no no”. So, sending flowers became a sort of a covert code amongst lovers (secret or otherwise).
According to Wortley’s flower decoder, the daisy sends a message that says: “I accept your affections, and reciprocate! I think you’re the ginchiest!” Okay…so I made up the “ginchy” bit, but the daisy does send your potential sweetheart a sweetly simple response: “I like you too!” Learn more about symbolic flower meanings here.
In astrology, the daisy corresponds to the sign of Taurus. This astrological sign cycles through the year around April 20 to May 20th, and that makes sense as the sun/spring-loving daisy pops from the Earth around that time in the Northern hemisphere. Taurus attributes are synonymous with symbolic meaning of daisy, so in this aspect, the daisy stands for traits like…
Astrological Meaning of Daisies
- Family
- Patience
- Security
- Persistence
- Appreciation
- Quiet Strength
In the realm of color meanings, the common daisy reveals its symbolic messages with the colors white and yellow. Yellow is symbolic of vitality, radiance, alacrity (quick wit), communication and creativity. White underscores the daisy’s meaning of purity, innocence, cleansing. White is also symbolic of purification and healing. Learn more about the meaning of flower colors here.
I hope these tidbits about the symbolic meaning of daisy offers you a new perspective on this delightful little flower. Who knew it could be such a powerful symbol for Christianity, as well as a sweet little message of love to a special friend. You know, that’s what gets me so jazzed about symbolic meanings…they are so diverse, and each discovery is just as fascinating as the last.
If you found this article on daisy meanings intriguing, I invite you to check out other pages of similar interest listed at the end of this page. Thanks for reading, and may your path ever bloom with symbolic surprises.
As always thank you for reading.
Mighty brightly,
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Take Away Tips About the Symbolic Meaning of the Daisy
Yay! It’s a new day!
The word “daisy” is Old English for “day’s eye.” It is a reference to the dawning of a new day, and also the beginning of spring.
He loves me, he loves me not?
In many myths, the daisy is a symbol of love. In ancient Norse myth the daisy is sacred to Freya, who is a goddess of lots of cool things – including love.
You’re a daisy if you do!
In the Victorian language of flowers, the daisy has a positive message of acceptance. If you give someone a daisy, it is a message that means “I like you too!” This could be in love and/or friendship.
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