Éire Literature

Ever since I was young, my favorite flowers have been lilies of the valley. Maybe it was because I played Animal Crossing games growing up, and you were always awarded with a lily of the valley when you completed most of the game. But they always reminded me of willow trees; they looked sullen and fragile. Most storybooks use willow trees to depict grief or mourning, but I always thought they were the most beautiful. I never admired the picturesque green fields as much as I did the dark shade of the willows or drooping flowers. As I got older, I continued to revere these flowers, and it wasn’t until recently that I found out they’re poisonous. 

The lily of the valley is considered a flower of love, so I found it was strangely symbolic that they were poisonous at the same time. Lilies of the valley are usually portrayed as innocent and beautiful but rare and out of reach. Similar to real beauty, it’s intertwined with violence and seduction, making the once beautiful flower a symbol of lust. The most perfect beauty is also presented as innocent and as untouched as budding flowers. Throughout literature, we see beauty and innocence usually as a downfall for most characters; it’s something that can never be properly obtained. A perfect portrayal of this is Eve in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost.’ The Garden of Eden is supposed to be the picture of perfection, and Eve is supposed to obey Adam’s every need like God intended. She is the blueprint of innocence and beauty, but these very things lead her to the downfall of humanity. 

It’s rare to see a character that only benefits from these traits. Lilies of the valley often look edible and approachable, but they will lead to great danger and even death. Innocence leads to temptation and curiosity, like the forbidden fruit which leads to downfall. These flowers, being flowers of love, always accurately shows that love is painful and destructive, but it’s usually wrapped in tenderness, like these gorgeous flowers. The color white is also a symbol of purity in flowers like the lily of the valley. This so-called love is also the corruption of purity and how that innocence poisons rather than heals showing the danger underneath it.