Y Ddraig Goch

May 25 2025 - Roses have claws

Prompt: Roses - “Roses have thorns. Those are like flower fangs. Roses are the vampires of the plant world.” Jarod Kintz, A Memoir of Memories and Memes
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Roses have many meaning in floriography (the language of flowers that I was aware of but am becoming more and more immersed in due to a current writing project). Nearly all of the cryptic message about roses are linked to love, passion, and relationship. Each colour represents a different aspect or type of love. Even the numbers in an arrangement denote different imagery. It’s fascinating.

Are roses the Vampire Flower? I don’t think so. They can spill blood, but it’s not usually deadly, it doesn’t drain your blood – which is more in line with the whole vampiric genre. Though some horror movies have created some interesting, modified flowers/roses.

Roses don't have fangs - but they have claws or daggers. Maybe that is why I think roses are aligned more to the “beautiful but dangerous” trope. You could make the argument that they are closer linked to werewolves than vampires; claws that could tear skin apart. Or maybe the femme fatale - compelling and beautiful to look at but needs to be handled with care or you can get hurt. A perfect imagery for love, perhaps?

But it is the story of evolving, ever changing love that the rose represents/illustrates to me. It’s often the young, innocent girl who pricks her finger on the single stem after all – a broke heart. Or the delicate white petaled roses with slashes of red pigmentation that allude to the loss of life or innocence. It’s interesting that within floriography this evolution in love and passion can be seen through the colour palate of roses as they morph from white, beige, and pale pinks to the deeper reds.

There are many other flowers that I associate more with the gothic tones of vampires; usually those with deep burgundy or purple (almost black) hues. Prefect example is the Dragon Lilly – a must at any Halloween party decor. Or the deadly nightshade or black henbane - truly beautiful, but equally deadly.