Dark Eyes . . . by Dawn LeBlanc
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The Calla lily is a very beautiful flower. During the flower language boom in the Victorian period of 19th century, there were strict social codes and if one had to express ones feelings, flowers were the best medium. Flowers delivered the feelings subtly and every part of gifting a flower, carried secret flower meanings. The person who made the offer to the way the flowers were arranged, all had a specific meaning. Thus passionate messages were delivered to the recipient, without the use of words through flowers. During this time, calla lily was used to express many such hidden symbols. Calla lily due to its physical resemblance to female genitalia catted an overtly sexual one. This sexual calla lily meaning was brought forward to admirers by Freud and other artists like Georgia O’Keeffe.
The main and the most significant calla lily meaning is magnificence and beauty. The calla lily name finds its origin from a Greek word for beauty. The calla lily meaning originates from a Greek myth that says the lily originated from the breast milk of Greek Goddess, Hera.
The legend goes that Zeus, the Roman God fathered Hercules with his association with a mortal women Alceme. He wanted his son to partake more of divinity and become mortal. So, he brought Hercules to Hera after drugging her to sleep. He placed baby Hercules at her breast and Hercules began nursing. When Hera got up from her sleep, she was shocked after seeing a baby nursing her. She flung the baby away from her. When doing so, some of her milk gushed across the heavens and formed the milky way. Some of the few drops fell on earth and these drops sprang in the first lilies on earth.
The Roman legend further goes that when Venus arose from the sea-foam she saw the lily and overcame with a pang of jealously. The snow-white beauty of the lily made Venus think of it as a competitor to her beauty. She cursed the lily and huge, heavy pistil sprang from the lily’s center. Thus, calla lily symbolized the association of Venus and the Satyrs, who personify the feelings of lustful ardor.
Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/calla-lily-meaning.html
