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Roses
In Greek and Roman mythology, they were symbolic of love, protection,
and rebirth. At funerals, the Romans would scatter roses to symbolize resurrection.
The white rose stood for purity and the Moon, and the red for
passionate love.
"The rose is the flower of love. It was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers,
out of the lifeless body of a nymph which she found one day in a clearing in the woods.
She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty; Dionysus,
the god of wine, added nectar to give her a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her
charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that
Apollo, the sun god, could shine and make the flower bloom. And so the rose was
born and was immediately crowned Queen of the Flowers" (Pickles, 88).
The first red roses were supposed to have sprung from the blood of Adonis,
Aphrodite's lover. Due to this, the rose became a symbol for love transcending death,
and resurrection. Sub rosa, under the rose, meant under the seal of secrecy.
Another myth, tells that on the wedding day of Cupid (love) and Psyche
(soul), roses were scattered over the land. Here, the rose serves as a symbol
for the union.
A white rose could be a symbol for the virgin goddess, and the red for maternal
sexuality. The rose came to be the symbol for the Virgin Mary. The briar is the male
rose.
The rose itself can be a symbol for love, womanhood, or beauty. A rose in full bloom
means I Love You. The rosebud means youthful beauty, young girl, purity, or innocent
love.
The white rose means purity and innocence, secrecy, wisdom, and freedom. However,
it can also be a symbol for death.
Red and white together, form the duality in alchemy. Together they can be a symbol for
creation.
A note from the Ask John column: When a male anime character has a signature weapon or symbol of the rose, it can mean several things. There's a duality with roses, beautiful flower but
harmful thorns. "The rose is also associated with romance, and by extension in anime, the romantic, chivalric hero or beautiful villain. It's difficult to imagine a better icon or weapon than a
rose for heroes and villains who represent grace and class combined with cruelty or danger."*
Ask John Column at AnimeNation.com. What's the Relationship between Anime Guys and Roses. Dec. 4, 2002.
Dream Hunter REM
In OVA 2, Sayako and her group wear a black rose pinned to their chest. This goes with the dark aspect of the feminine and pursuit of beauty, it makes these girls cruel. And the black
rose contrasts with the red rose associated with Kyoko and Yoko. A black rose as a symbol for a dark society or shadow society on campus also shows up in the later Utena series.
The thorns also contrast to the rose itself, dangerous and cruel beneath the softness and allure of the beautiful petals, just as the girls themselves are.
Fruits Basket
In episode 8 in flashback, Kana herself and later her tears are represented by a red rose and petals. This is sometimes a common image in anime, used in both
Rose of Versailles and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Rose of Versailles
As mentioned, the rose in this series becomes a symbol for the women of Versailles. The opening lyrics have lines that read:
"But I was born with a destiny of roses
Born to live in glory and passion"
These lines stand for not just Oscar but the other female characters too: Antoinette, du Barry, Jeanne, Charlotte, etc. They are all born with the destiny of a woman, and for better or worse
will find a way to live sometimes gloriously (as in Oscar's case) and also passionately within or in spite of that destiny. At the same time, the rose is used as a symbol for womanhood itself, and
blooming into womanhood. In ep. 18 Oscar describes the growing beauty of Antoinette "as if she were a flower in full bloom."
The rose and thorns in the opening credits represent the coming of the revolution and also stand for being caught in destiny. Oscar tangled in the thorn vines in the opening is a good image
as she will represent and be at the heart of many of the issues dealt with within the series. As a woman given the role of a man since birth, she walks between a man's world and a woman's. For several
characters such as Marie, Rosalie, and Charlotte, she becomes a symbol of freedom or strength or one reason or another there is something about Oscar they admire and trust. And Oscar's struggles and story
will be at the heart of the series and the stories of everyone else. Another reference is seen at the end of ep. 7 where Marie and Fersen are caught up in the thorns together. Their fate to love each other will
ultimately be part of their tragic undoing and reason for being caught up in the revolution.
For Antoinette and Oscar the red and white rose respectively become their biggest floral symbol each. For Marie the red rose is an appropriate flower as she is the
Queen of France, and her life is a passionate yet tragic one that will be thrust into the bloody revolution. For Oscar the white rose serves a symbol of her nobility, idealism, and purity
of spirit and courage. The white rose and Oscar stand out most in ep. 19 when Charlotte cherishes the white rose she takes from Oscar's chest, and holds to throughout the episode, until
at the end she takes her life after washing her hand that de Guiche kissed, wanting it to be clean and beautiful like that rose, like her beloved Oscar. And again at the very end of the series
in ep. 40 when Antoinette gives a white paper rose she made to Rosalie to dye the color Oscar liked, before she is taken away to be executed. In the end it's decided white is the color
for it to remain.
Sailor Moon
The black rose foreshadows death. In Jungian terms, the color black stands for the lack of
consciousness, along with the descent into darkness.
In Sailor Moon, Tsukikage no Knight throws a white rose for an attack, and Tuxedo Kamen
a red (quite appropriate as Usagi's protector and future husband).
Tuxedo Kamen's rose in the series could be a resurrection symbol, in
that he and Usagi are reincarnated lovers from the Silver Milennium. The
black rose is also used during the end of the first season while Mamoru
was controlled by Beryl, and during the fourth to symbolize the dying planet.
In the first movie, with Fiore, the rose becomes an important symbol of
love, both friendship and romantic. I see
the rosebud as a symbol of innocence and friendship,
as it deals with the childhood love of Mamoru and
Fiore. Later, the rose in the flashback is in full
bloom because it's not Fiore but Usagi who's sharing
the memory. And the full bloomed rose is a symbol of
the deep bond between them, their love, throughout the
series. It's a visual tie from their meeting as
children to their relationship in the present.
Perhaps, the handing of the rose in each instance was
the gesture of friendship itself, but the state of the
rose in each instance has a different meaning.
Because also, the full blown rose, (I'm thinking now
it might be a double symbol) while it purposely
mirrors the roses Tuxedo Kamen throws, and is a symbol
for the two lovers, it could possibly be argued that
maybe the rose is also symbolic of Fiore's emotions as
well. In the first flashback, Fiore is a child, and
the two children bear the love of children, it's all
sweet and innocent. But the second flashback, Fiore
stands as witness as an adult, and it was hinted that
Fiore's feelings may have been of a romantic nature.
Therefore, the full bloomed rose is also symbolic of
the change/maturation in Fiore's feelings.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
The yellow rose seems to be nostalgia or remembrance.
The black rose foreshadows death. In Jungian terms, the color black stands for the lack of
consciousness, along with the descent into darkness and mourning. In Chinese
cosmology black stands for the element water.
Also concerning black roses, submitted by Amanda Alvis: "I've found out there was a number of biblical figures form the Old Testament that go under the alias of the
Black Rose, namely the Queen of Sheba was known as the "Black Rose". In fact, in the New Testament, the destructive aspect of the Holy Mother was the Black Madonna,
who was the Black Rose. I've also found out that the Knights Templar's sacred flower was the Lily of the Valley. Roses were also mentioned in the Bible as such as the Rose of
Sharon which was the Queen of Sheba as well."*
Yellow roses are used during
Utena's early memory of her prince, and may to a point, go with the symbolism of
Nanami's rose. In Utena, the white rose seems to be a symbol for nobility or the
prince. The black rose was a key symbol in the second saga of Utena.
For the most part, the symbolism in the Utena film remains the same as the series. Touga's red rose may
represent the martyr, since he had died giving his life for another. Also, his red rose can
symbolize love, since he loved Utena. The red rose is also the rose used predominantly in the
film. They may represent love, or act as a general image of a rose. Red is the color of
revolution and new beginnings, so may be one reason chosen as well. Utena is still
represented by a pink rose, and Juri an orange rose. The white rose is still used for the
Prince.
Many shoujo titles use roses as a feminine symbol or a symbol for blooming into adolescence. Both of which to some degree fit here.
*Information Amanda found came from www.goddesschess.com
Yu-Gi-Oh
A symbol for love or for a woman. In Pegasus' flashback, he remembers how he lost his beloved wife, Cecilia. To symbolize her death there is the image of Cecilia standing with Pegasus at the
altar, happy and married. But suddenly she is devoured by a rose before bloom which suddenly bursts and is gone. All before his eyes.