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rose

As history tells us, the War of The Roses raged in England between the Houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose). The war was ended by Henry VII of Lancaster who married Elizabeth of York. As an emblem of his House (Tudor), he joined the white rose with the red. Early Christians too associated the rose with their Roman enemies, but later adopted the rose as a symbol of miracles. The Virgin Mary is called "The Mystical Rose." The first rosary is said to have consisted of roses and later carved into beads. Many stories and legends name the rose as a source of love and delight. According to the ancient Persians, the nightingale loved the white rose so much that the bird embraced it, piercing its heart and turning the rose red with its blood. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs during the Crusades. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret! The story of roses even goes to the Egyptian Cleopatra who had her palace strewn with rose petals to receive her lover, Mark Anthony.

love

Roses have long been associated with love in many different cultures and contexts. The ancient Greek poetess Sappho (6th - 5th century BC) declared that "the rose breathes of love" and the flower is a symbol of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

secrecy

The rose as a symbol of secrecy dates to ancient Greece and Rome. The Latin phrase sub rosa (literally "under the rose") conveys the duty of silence denoted by the flower. Roses hung from a ceiling or made into garlands serve as a reminder of this code of silence.

rose is also a symbol of gentleness, light, martyrdom, christianity.

Example of known uses of rose

The coat of arms of the town of Gançaria

The rose Or in the arms of this town in western Portugal is the emblem of its local Marian devotion, Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Health). Here,as in much of Europe, the rose is a symbol of hope and joy.

Lancashire County Council

The rose gules of Lancashire was originally the heraldic badge of the House of Lancaster, one of the two rival houses of 15th century England (the house of Yorkshire, its rival to the throne of England, was symbolised by a white rose).

Coat of arms of Arriach

A gold "Luther Rose" (designed by Martin Luther c.1520) is in the coat of arms for the Austrian town of Arriach in the eastern Alps. It appears dexter to a eucharistic chalice, with a Chi Rho symbol sinister, against a green background.

Coat of arms of Gustave Gaspard de Coriolis

This coat of arms of the ancestors of French physicist, Gustave Gaspard de Coriolis (1792-1843), who discovered the Coriolis Effect, has the design of a five-pointed white rose below two yellow chevrons on a blue field. The family was originally Italian.

The Australian Intelligence Corps arms

The Australian Intelligence Corps arms are based on the British Army Intelligence badge, with a red-and-white Tudor rose on a laurel wreath, under a crown and over a banner. Pins are gold-colored. The rose represents security and trustworthiness. It was confirmed in 1953.

England

The heraldic rose is strongly associated with England and many of its key political figures including Queen Mary; Charles I; and Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII. The Tudor rose remains a heraldic emblem of England.

Martin Luther

A rose features prominently on the seal of the German monk Martin Luther, father of the Protestant Reformation, and has since the early 16th century. A symbol of Lutheranism, the white rose surrounding a red heart stamped with a black cross is found in many coats of arms.