Ancient Symbol Fleur-de-lis: It’s Meaning And History Explained

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Fleur-de-lis, ( French: “lily flower”) is an ancient symbol that has long been associated with French royalty. Depicting a stylized lily or lotus flower we encounter the emblem in many places across the world.

What makes the Fleur-de-lis symbol special is how it has been used in different contexts. This symbol has represented peace, war, religion, politics, royalty, and more.

The fleur-de-lis is visible on this nearly 2000-year-old Ksahtrap Dynasty coin from Ancient India.

For example, Joan of Arc carried a white banner that showed God blessing the French royal emblem, the fleur-de-lis when she led French troops to victory over the English. The Catholic Church has used the Fleur-de-lis emblem for many years. The lily flower was a symbol of the Holy Trinity as well as an emblem of the Virgin Mary.

The symbol has been regarded as a sign of purity ever since antiquity.

A number of military units use the symbol’s resemblance to a spearhead to identify martial power and strength.

Why Is The Fleur-de-lis – Lily Flower A Symbol Of Royalty?

Fleur-de-lis (also ‘fleur-de-lys’) should not be confused with the Flower of Life, which is an ancient sacred geometry symbol and blueprint of the universe.

The fleur-de-lis symbol was sporadically used in Babylonian, Indian, Egyptian, and Roman architecture, but it is most associated with French royalty and the Church.

The fleur-de-lis’ symbolic association with French monarchs may stem from the baptismal lily used in the crowning of King Clovis I.

An ancient legend tells, a golden lily flower given at his baptism to Clovis, king of the Franks (466–511), by an angel or even the Virgin Mary. The lily was said to have sprung from the tears shed by Eve as she left Eden. The lily flower was a symbol of his purification upon his conversion to Christianity.

According to another legend, Clovis adopted the symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and thus succeed in battle.

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