Scottish Thistle Symbol Meanings
The thistle is Scotland’s national flower. It has been an emblem of Scotland for over 700 years. Legend says that long ago, the Danes tried to invade Scotland by surprise. Under cover of darkness, they crept with bare feet to keep the sound of their approach to a minimum. As they got closer, one of them stepped on a thistle and screamed in pain. The sleeping Scots, alerted to the danger, avoided a terrible slaughter.
Since then, the plant that saved them became known as the Guardian Thistle. It was adopted as the emblem of Scotland and carries the motto, Nemo me impune Laecessit, which means, “No one provokes me with impunity”.
The Scottish thistle has long taproots and its thorns are very painful. If a tiny piece of root remains after attempting to pull one, the plant will come back even stronger. It is very difficult to get rid of, as the Scottish people well know. This is one of the reasons that the thistle remains the symbol of Scotland.
During the reign of James III, the thistle became the badge of The Stuarts and later appeared on early Scottish coins. The smallest coin in Britain is the five pence coin showing the Scottish Thistle with leaves and a royal crown.
This noble plant is the namesake of Scotland’s ancient order of chivalry known as “The Order of the Thistle”. The thistle is the badge of several old Scottish families as well as the insignia of Scottish Regiments. Broadswords bear the engraving of the thistle on them. It was probably on the Claymore or Claichbeamhr-mohr, the great sword of the middle ages.
The thistle adorned many traditional drinking vessels or Quaich (meaning “cup” in Gaelic), including the late 17th century Scottish Thistle Cup. Used mostly for spirits and claret, the cup is very rare and valuable today.
Jewelry designs also use the Scottish Thistle as decoration. The signet ring of Mary, Queen of Scots has the thistle incorporated into its design and is on display at the British Museum in London. Skilled at needlework and embroidery, Mary, Queen of Scots also stitched the thistle, in full bloom, into her beautiful tapestry designs.
Popular legend says that Mary planted Scottish Thistle on the castle grounds at Fotheringhay Castle shortly before her death. They still bloom every summer and people say that they are Queen Mary’s tears. A carving of the insignia of the Scottish Thistle appears on the monument where Mary is buried at Westminster Abbey in London.
$23.00 USD (Item Code STH1)
Related Meanings
The Holy Thistle:
During the Middle Ages, when religion was foremost on citizen's minds, the white blothes on the foliage of this plant were said to be the milk of the Virgin Mary and the herb was called milk thistle, the Virgin Mary's thistle, our Lady's thistle, and the Holy Thistle. This thistle was a native of Greece and Italy.
St Benedict's Thistle:
This thistle was named for the Italian Saint Benedict of Nursia (480-533 A.D.) founder of the great Benedictine Order. During the Middle Ages almost magical virtues were ascribed to this plant, which was thought to cure many diseases, including the plague. In Elizabethan times every cottage gardener grew this plant. St. Benedict's Thistle was a popular vegetable. The Thistle root was boiled and eaten, and the heads cooked like artichokes. Today, this thistle is an effective bitter tonic that stimulates the appepite and strengthens the digestive system. This St. Benedict's thistle grows naturally in N.E, Canada to Alabama.
(Kamm, Minnie Watson. Old Time Herbs For Northern Gardens. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971.)
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