Daffodils in folklore, legend, symbolism and art
It is not only the vivid colour and striking flower form but also the daffodil’s appearance in early spring – following the barren winter – which makes it such a culturally important plant
En masse in swaying golden drifts, it is easy to see why Narcissus has been the muse of so many writers and artists. From Shakespeare and Wordsworth to Don Mclean and Joni Mitchell many words, myths and legend have been crafted about this most unmistakable of flowers and the hope and joy it inspires.
The Tenby daffodil (Narcissus obvallaris) is most often cited as the Welsh daffodil. This is the variety that grows wild in South Wales, and is described as having perfect proportions. It has an all-yellow flower and is extremely hardy. It is ideal for planting into rough grass or meadows where it will spread when left undisturbed.The Welsh national flower
It may be the flower was chosen to join leeks as an emblem of Wales because the welsh word for leek (cenhinen) and for daffodil (cenhinen pedr – or ‘Peter’s leek’) are so similar.
Narcissus in Greek mythology
Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse
The origin stories of flowers in Greek mythology is rarely a happy tale. A Homer poem sees daffodils created by Zeus for Hades to lure Persephone into the field where she is abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. While the Furies are said to have worn garlands of daffodils in their hair which they used to dope their victims.
It is from such stories that Narcissus came to have associations with death – sharing the same root word in Greek as narcosis (meaning numbing or deadening). In the 19th century daffodils were often planted in graveyards and the Victorians believed that having them as a cut flower in the house could induce madness.
Legend of the Chinese lily
If a daffodil blooms in your garden during the Chinese New Year it is said to bring great luck.
The legend of the Chinese Lily tells of a man who leaves his two sons his land. The eldest son takes the tillable land leaving his brother just a watery, rocky area. A benevolent fairy gifts the younger son three daffodil bulbs. The flowers are greatly admired, and he makes his fortune selling bulbs. The elder brother buys up all the bulbs and plants hundreds in the hope of outcropping his sibling. But his daffodils all die because they do not get enough water. A lesson about the pernicious nature of greed, but also about the importance of right plant, right place.
Daffodils in art and literature
The butterfly can see it from afar,
Although one summer evening’s dew could fill,
Its little cup twice over, ere the star,
Had called the lazy shepherd to his fold,
And be no prodigal.”
From The Burden of Itys by Oscar Wilde
Still life with Daffodils by John Singer Sargent
During the Covid lockdown in 2020 artist David Hockney created a sketch on his iPad of a patch of daffodils with the title ‘Do remember they can’t cancel the spring’. Berthe Morisot, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Monet are among the famous artists to have captured the beauty of the daffodil on canvas.
However daffodils are arguably more famous as a literary muse, not least to William Wordsworth whose poem ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ is a shameless ode to the wildflowers he and his sister Dorothy saw during a walk in the Lake District. Written in 1804, in 1995, BBC Radio 4 listeners voted it the nation’s fifth favourite poem. Wordsworth’s daffodils were probably Narcissus pseudonarcissus, one of the most pervasive wild species.
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Taken from I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth
Watercolour of a 'Lent Lily' daffodil by an unknown artist, c.1900
Daffodils as symbols of hope
In the UK daffodils are the flower for the month of March, the astrological flower of Pisces and what you are supposed to give on your tenth wedding anniversary. Floriograpy, or the Language of Flowers has mixed interpretations of what daffodils mean. Yes, they can represent vanity, hubris and misfortune, as influenced by the tragic Narcissus, but as the first ray of spring they also symbolise anticipation and love. In many dream interpretations daffodils suggest a fresh start or renewal.
It is this hopeful message daffodils brings which has led to it being chosen as the symbol for cancer charities around the world. In the UK Marie Cure hold the Great Daffodil Appeal (1 March), harnessing our love of the flower to raise funds for end-of-life care. A fitting role for a plant that every spring trumpets both the passing of the winter and the future promise of summer.
Sources:
The Romantic Language of Flowers by Gill Davies and Gill Saunders
Vickery’s Folk Flora by Roy Vickery
Daffodil: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Most Popular Spring Flower by Noel Kingsbury
