What is the meaning of the Fleur-de-Lis? Origin, symbolism and more!

The fleur-de-lis was once the title of one of the most beautiful songs in Brazilian music and is known as a decorative flower full of symbols. Added to this, the fleur-de-lis carries a monarchical heritage as it was widely used in European nations, especially in France at the time of kings and queens.

In addition, those who know the fleur-de-lis usually know that it carries a symbology of honor, strength and loyalty. Similar to a lily, the fleur-de-lis is also often used as coats of arms and by scouts. But, of course, that’s not all that boils down to the meaning of the fleur-de-lis, come find out more below!

Anyone who sees the beautiful fleur-de-lis with its three separate, raised, powerful upper points and the three lower points united, mixed and vibrant in tone is often lost in its beauty. After all, the fleur-de-lis is one of the most beautiful plants to be admired, having its contours transformed into tattoos, coats of arms, monarchical symbols, among others.

But to understand more about the fleur-de-lis it is necessary to know its origin, alternative derivations, symbolic meaning, its use in antiquities, its image and the like. Come check out more and more of this flower full of potential below!

The fleur-de-lis reminds many of the beautiful lilies that decorate gardens, the flower is even considered a kind of Iris pseudacorus and Iris florentina, only in a more stylized version of the species.

In the old days, even the fleur-de-lis was found in the rooms of monarchs, and there are records that the presence of these flowers was due to the fact that they surrounded the French and Franks in the rivers they frequented before entering Gaul.

From this, it is understood that the kings, in search of building an image of familiarity and beauty as a symbol, chose the well-known lilies that filled the houses of the regions.

Despite the evidence that the fleur-de-lis was used as a symbol of the French monarchy, some hypotheses are still debated about the other possible derivations, for example, it is still debated whether the symbol is actually not a sting — A weapon widely used by the French.

As well as, it is discussed whether the monarchical inspiration did not come from bees or doves descending from heaven, as a representation of the Holy Spirit. However, in the end, the idea still prevails that it is the fleur-de-lis that represents the flags and coats of arms of the era of the kings and queens of that region of Europe.

Signifying honour, strength, loyalty, purity of mind, light and perfection; the fleur-de-lis symbol is widely used in scouting, and is even a world reference. That’s because the petals of the fleur de lis, pointed towards the north, represented almost a rose of winds; although these three points symbolize the Scout promises specifically.

In addition, just like the points that are well directed, the good scout must always go forward and upwards, in the midst of his life purpose.

Used in the coronation of King Clovis I, the first Frankish king to unite all Frankish tribes under one ruler, the fleur-de-lis symbol was also adopted as a royal coat of arms linked to divine symbolism, that is, the king linked directly to God. Therefore, the fleur-de-lis represents purity.

There was even a rumor at the time that the oil used to anoint the king was made from fleur-de-lis and was sent directly from heaven to sanctify the monarch. Just as it was also said that a fleur-de-lis adorned the helmet of King Clovis I, when he won his victory at the Battle of Vouillé.

In addition to King Clovis I, other historical figures were linked to the symbology of the fleur-de-lis, such as King Louis who used the three petals of the flower to represent faith, wisdom and chivalry. It is worth noting that the Virgin Mary had the fleur-de-lis as a representation in many regions.

The image of the fleur-de-lis symbol resembles a lily or a sting, formed by six points, the middle one characterized by a point raised upwards and the two around it, points inclined downwards. The other ends are smaller and all directed downwards. In addition, the symbol image of the fleur-de-lis is usually in the golden tone.

To make the fleur-de-lis symbol, it is necessary to be inspired by lily flowers, as they are similar in shape and molds. So, set aside some time beforehand and see some images of lilies on the internet, an interesting tip is to also look for the fleur-de-lis itself in google images instead of the lilies, the inspiration will be even greater.

After that, you will need some material that will help you make the contours, and thus build the six points in a more harmonic way, a tip is to use the base of a glass because it is circular. Remember that each end has different extensions, with three points directed upwards and three points directed downwards.

From this it is worth noting that the middle point is more voluminous and those that surround it are medium in volume, the three lower ones, directed downwards, being much smaller in length and width. If these instructions are followed, celebrate: you’ve made the fleur-de-lis symbol.

Rich in meanings and symbolism, the fleur-de-lis is present in religion, art, militarism, flags, sports, education, literature, architecture, scouting, fiction and various tattoos out there.

But, do you know the meanings behind each aspect of this? Come check it out below and stay on top of everything!

In many regions, since ancient times, the fleur-de-lis was associated with Christian religious art, including representations of Christ were linked to this flower and similar flowers, such as lilies, since they carried the symbology of purity and chastity.

It is not by chance that, due to these last characteristics, the fleur-de-lis was also linked to the Virgin and the Holy Trinity. Including, in Notre Dame de Paris centuries ago, images of Mary with the fleur-de-lis appeared on some cathedral coins and on some church stamps.

Beautiful, emblematic and striking fleurs-de-lis are featured on military emblems in various regions such as, for example, in the United States that one of the New Jersey Army National Guard units has on the upper left side of its distinctive unit insignia a fleur-de-lis.

As well as US Army Cavalry Regiments, Medical Brigades, Infantry Brigade Combat Teams and the like, one of the symbols in its symbol is the fleur-de-lis. Also, as a heritage from the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force Special Operations Flash Weather Beret used a fleur-de-lis in its design.

In the British Army, including, the fleur-de-lis was the emblem of the Manchester regiment for more than two decades. If you look in more detail at the history of different regions, it is possible to find the fleur-de-lis as an emblem of several lines associated with militarism, reinforcing the power of this flower.

It is possible to identify representations of the fleur-de-lis in some coats of arms and flags, did you know that? The following are some examples of where to find such associations.

In French royal arms before 1376, French royal arms after 1376; in the banner of the French Renaissance; on the flag of the Kingdom of France; on the Naval Ensign of the Kingdom of France; on the flag of the Province of Lleida; on the flag of Quebec, also known as the Fleurdelisé; French-American flag in New England; Aroostook county flag in Maine.

In addition, there is also the flag of Acadiana; on the flag of Franco-Albertensis; on the flag of the Franco-Rotarians; on the Detroit flag; on the flag of New Orleans; the old Flag of Louisville, Kentucky; on the flag of St. Louis, Missouri; on the flag of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; on the flag of Montgomery County, Maryland; on the flag of Águas de Lindóia, Brazil and finally, on the flag of Brejões, Brazil.

The fleur-de-lis is associated with several sports teams, when it comes to a local team flag, so it is often honored such as the international teams of Quebec, Montreal Expos and CF Montréal.

Two curiosities are that Marc-André Fleury, a Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper, has the image of the fleur-de-lis on his mask and France used the fleur-de-lis symbol on the official emblem at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In Brazil, however, associations of this flower with sports have not yet been identified.

The fleur de lis with its symbology and power appears in some emblems, coats of arms and logos of international universities such as the “University of Louisiana in Lafayette and Saint Louis University and Washington University in Missouri” and schools such as Hilton College, in South Africa; “St. Peter, Minnesota and Adamson University and St. Paul’s University” in the Philippines.

In Monticello some schools and universities also adopted the fleur de lis as one of the symbols associated with their coat of arms. The flag of Lincolnshire has a fleur-de-lis emblem, for example.

In addition, several academy fraternities have adopted the fleur-de-lis as symbols, such as the “Kappa Kappa Gamma and Theta Phi Alpha” fraternity, the American fraternities Alpha Epsilon Pi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu”, and finally the international fraternity “Alpha Phi Omega.”.

The fleur-de-lis is present in great works such as “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, the “Hunchback of Notre Dame”, by Victor Hugo and “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas. In the Letters course, the fleur-de-lis symbolizes the analogy between three spheres: linguistics, literature and grammar, symbolized by each petal of the flower.

Thus, the left petal refers to linguistics, the middle petal represents literature, and the right petal represents grammar. It is worth mentioning that below the beam that unites them, they follow, symbolizing their continuity.

In architecture, the fleur-de-lis is used as a tool that represents defense, as its structure is often placed on top of iron fence posts.

In addition, fleur-de-lis can be incorporated into friezes and cornices and are often used to embellish tiles in any room in the house. In addition, in some English churches the design of the fleur-de-lis was incorporated into the coats of arms, being praised until today.