THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Pansy

Lisa Karen Miller                          

          Shakespeare knew his flowers, and he knew that his audiences would understand their references in his plays. The word pansy derives from the French penser, to think.  Thus, in Hamlet, Ophelia is right when she says, “And there is pansies – that’s for thoughts.”

          In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon tells Puck to squeeze the juice of a pansy into Titania’s eyes to make her fall in love with the first creature she sees. Inevitably, she sees Bottom, a donkey.

          Ah, well. The course of true love never did run smooth.

          Viola tricolor was a common ingredient in Celtic love potions because the petals are heart shaped and were thought to be able to cure its troubles.  This goes back to the Doctrine of Signatures – the belief that plants gave some outward sign of their intended use.  Plants with hairy stems, for example, were used to treat baldness. 

          The flower goes by many common names. Just a few are Bouncing Betty, Johnny Jump Up, Heart’s Ease, Herb Trinity (sacred to Trinity Sunday, and used for church decoration on this anniversary), Cupid’s Delight, Three Faces in a Hood, and Kiss Me at the Garden Gate.

          In Somerset, England, they are called Biddy’s Eyes, after St. Bride.  A doll laid in a bed of violas recalls the saint’s time in Somerset, where she left her bell, missal, and sleeves before she sailed to Ireland.

          Beatrix Potter had pansies in her garden at Hill Top Farm in England’s Lake District.  Her farm and its original house are now maintained by the National Trust.  Read Marta McDowell’s lovely book, “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life” for an account of the city girl’s transition into a farm woman.

          In many parts of the world, the pansy is far more closely associated with love than the rose, and is often given as a love token. Wear it to attract love, or grow a heart-shaped patch in your garden. If they grow, so will love. It used to be one of the favored flowers in wedding bouquets.

          In the language of flowers, it says, “Think of me,” and “You’re in my thoughts.” The pansy also signifies fond memories of those who have passed. It is a good luck gift to a man.

          It’s quite easy to see faces in pansy petals, though the singing pansies in Alice in Wonderland have rather scary faces, I always thought.

          Pansies are cool season annuals – enjoy them in early spring or fall. 

          Just watch out for donkeys.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller