Discover the meaning of the lily: purity, faith, rebirth and eternal love. Its symbolism across cultures, the language of flowers and spiritual significance.
The lily is one of the most elegant, noble and symbolically rich flowers in existence. With its large and majestic petals, its upright bearing and its intense fragrance, the lily has been the flower of kings, gods and virgins throughout all of human history. In the language of flowers, few blooms communicate with such clarity messages of purity, majesty and spiritual transcendence.
The term “lily” can refer to several different plants depending on the cultural context.
In common English usage, “lily” most often refers to the Lilium (true lily), though the Iris (also called lily in some traditions) shares many symbolic characteristics despite being botanically distinct.
The genus Lilium includes more than a hundred species native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The most well-known are the white lily (Lilium candidum, while the “lily of the valley” is technically a Convallaria), the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) and the tiger lily.
The genus Iris (named for the rainbow in Greek) includes the famous blue-violet lily of European gardens.
The lily was consecrated to Hera (Juno in Rome), the queen of the gods. Greek mythology tells that the lily sprang from the milk that spilled from Hera’s breast when she tried to nurse the infant Heracles (Hercules). That drop of divine milk became a flower: the white lily.
The iris (rainbow) was also the messenger goddess of the gods, and iris flowers took their name from her.
The lily was a symbol of fertility and rebirth. The Egyptians used it in funerary ceremonies and depicted it in frescoes and reliefs as a symbol of the life that continues after death.
The white lily, especially the Lilium candidum (Madonna lily), is the pre-eminent symbolic flower of the Virgin Mary. In Christian religious art, the archangel Gabriel typically carries a white lily when he announces Mary’s pregnancy in the Annunciation. The lily represents:
In Christian iconography, the lily also appears alongside Saint Joseph and many other saints, always as a symbol of purity and holiness.
The fleur-de-lis (lily flower, a stylized lily) is one of the most recognizable heraldic symbols in the world. It was the symbol of the French monarchy for centuries and today appears on countless coats of arms, flags and emblems around the world.
According to legend, King Clovis I (5th century) adopted the lily as his symbol when he was baptized a Christian, marking the beginning of Christian France. The fleur-de-lis represents royalty, Christian faith and the connection between earthly and divine power.
In Asia, the lily is associated with good omens, abundance and good fortune. In China, the yellow lily is given to brides as a symbol of 100 years of marital happiness. In Japan, lilies are associated with summer and purity.
The color of the lily modifies and enriches its basic meaning:
The most spiritually charged of all. It represents:
Beyond specific cultural symbolism, the lily as a spiritual symbol conveys:
The transcendence of the material: The lily grows from mud (its bulb lies underground, in darkness and moisture) and emerges as a flower of extraordinary beauty. This transformation is the same metaphor as the lotus in Eastern tradition: the soul that emerges from the difficulties of material life toward the beauty of spiritual realization.
The purity of the soul: In virtually every tradition in which it appears, the white lily symbolizes the soul in its most pure state, before being tainted by ego and conditioning.
Connection with the divine: The lily, consecrated to goddesses (Hera, Mary, Isis) and carried by angels, is the flower of the threshold between the human and the sacred.
The majesty of the spirit: The upright and sovereign bearing of the lily speaks of a spirituality that does not bow or bend, that maintains its dignity.
In Victorian floriography (the language of flowers used to communicate messages without words during the Victorian era):
Dreaming of lilies generally carries very positive connotations:
A white lily in bloom: Purity of intention, a period of spiritual cleansing, good omens, connection with the sacred.
A garden of lilies: Spiritual abundance, inner peace, a period of grace in life.
A lily that is wilting: The end of a period of innocence, a loss, the need to renew something that has deteriorated.
Receiving a bouquet of lilies: Recognition of your spiritual worth, someone who holds you in deep esteem.
The lily is appropriate for:
Caution: Lilies in general are toxic to cats (they can cause kidney failure). If you have cats at home, it is better to avoid keeping lilies.
What is the difference between a lily and an azalea? In Spanish-speaking traditions, “azucena” is another name for the white lily (Lilium candidum and similar varieties). In practice, “lily” and “white lily” are often used interchangeably when referring to the white garden lily.
Is the lily of the valley actually a lily? The lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) does not botanically belong to the genus Lilium, although its common name includes the word lily. It has its own rich symbolism: it represents the return of happiness, humility and pure love.
What does it mean to give lilies at a funeral? White lilies at funerals symbolize that the soul of the deceased has returned to innocence, that death is not an end but a transition, and that the love the living feel for the departed is pure and eternal.
The lily is the flower of the sublime. In its upright elegance, in the purity of its color and in its millennia-old connection with the divine, the lily reminds us that there is something within us that transcends the mud from which we come and rises toward the light. It is the flower of humanity’s highest ideals: the purity of the soul, the faith that does not bend and the hope that life continues beyond what is visible.
Discover more about the symbolism of flowers in our section on flower meanings.
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