The thistle is the national symbol of Scotland. Prickly thistle - symbol, properties, application, recipes, treatment National symbol of Scotland

There are enough national symbols in Scotland, but let's try to figure out how real they are? Apostle Andrew is a real character in Scottish history; bagpipes - a national instrument - a symbol of Scotland; coat of arms, flag and anthem - an attribute of power; the unicorn is a real representative of the animal world, which is depicted on the Scottish coat of arms; tartan - a fabric with an ornament, from which, in particular, kilts are sewn; The thistle is a symbol of Scotland, most often depicted on banknotes. Thus, all the national symbols of Scotland can be attributed to very real and tangible things, another thing is that over time, the citizens of Scotland created many imaginary nuances around these symbols, thought out and invented some non-existent stories, but, in principle, maintaining their basic idea .
There are different versions of the story of how the thistle became the official symbol of Scotland.
One of the legends tells that when the army of the Norwegian king Haakon (Haakon IV the Old) intended to conquer the Scots and landed in 1263 on the coast at Largs. In order to suddenly attack the sleeping Scots, the warriors took off their shoes and advanced in complete silence under the cover of darkness.
But one of the Norwegians stepped on a thistle and his cries of unexpected pain naturally woke up the Scots and they quickly entered into battle, eventually defeating the Norwegians.
Another legend talks about the Danes planning to attack one of the Scottish castles. They also took off their shoes, then decided to jump into the moat to swim to the castle, but the moat was not filled with water, but completely overgrown with thistles. One can only imagine the cries of the Danes that filled the surrounding area. And in this version, the victory went to the Scots.
Regardless of how true the stories are - there is no written historical evidence - the thistle is state symbol from the 13th century, from the reign of King Alexander III of Scotland. It was first used on silver coins in 1470, and was incorporated into the shield of the coat of arms during the reign of James II Stuart (James VII, as the Scottish king) in the 16th century.
Scottish Thistle or Cotton Thistle (Onopordon Acanthium) or Scott's Thistle is one of the herbaceous plants widely grown in England. We know it as the prickly Tatarnik. You find it along the roadsides, in the most unexpected places, and the Scottish thistle prefers chalky and sandy soils southern territories and bright sun.
A biennial plant that blooms in late summer - early autumn, reaching two meters in height. The plant is very strong and branched, has wing-like descending branched trunks, wider than the plant's own diameter. The leaves are large, with sharp spines along the edges. In the first year, the plant produces a rosette of spiny, silvery-white foliage, which is why the thistle received the name “cotton thistle.” The following year, the flowers of the grown thistle acquire a light purple (lavender) color and are surrounded by a spherical cover with sharp spines. Cotton Thistle is grown as an ornamental plant for its large foliage and beautiful flowers.
In general, which species of the thistle genus is the true historical Scottish thistle, even Scottish antiquarians cannot always determine, since it is not at all necessary that Scotland is the birthplace of Onopordon Acanthium.
It seems that the first heraldic use of the plant was already on the Scottish king James II's own inventory, described after his death in 1458, embroidered thistles on the drapery. There is no doubt that the thistle was already a national symbol in 1503, when William Dunbar wrote his poetic allegory, The Thistle and the Rose, to celebrate the wedding of James IV and Margaret Tudor.
Pliny, and after him medieval authors, repeat that thistle decoction is very good at restoring healthy hair growth.
The ancients assumed that thistle was effective against malignant diseases, and in relatively modern times Thistle juice was effectively used for ulcers and cancerous tumors. A decoction of thistle root has astringent properties and reduces secretions from mucous membranes.
In former times, the juicy receptacle was eaten like artichokes. The cotton lint at the base was collected to fill the pillows. The oil obtained from the seeds was used for cooking and for burning lamps. Young stems without peel are eaten in the same way as those of Greater Burdock.
The most ancient and noble Order of the Thistle, symbolized by the national flower of Scotland, with the exception of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, one of the ancient orders, established in 1540 by James V and restored by James VII in 1687. The expressive motto of the order, Nemo me impune lacessit (No one will attack me with impunity), quite eloquently describes the thistle as a symbol of retribution.
True, the true historical date of the establishment of the order is shrouded in legends, like the symbol of the thistle itself in Scotland. One of them says that allegedly in 809 the Scottish king Achaeus entered into an alliance with Charlemagne and the Order of the Thistle appeared to commemorate the union. Is there some more interesting legend about the same king Achaea, when in the battle with Athelstan, the Anglo-Saxon king, he saw the cross of St. Andrew. He established the order and dedicated it to Saint Andrew. The order may have been founded by James III, who was responsible for changes in royal symbolism in Scotland to include the thistle. James V is said to have bestowed the insignia, the "Order of the Burr or Thissil", as a reciprocal reward to King Francis I of France in 1535.
But during the years of the Reformation the order seemed to cease to exist, until in 1687 James VII restored it with a new law to reward those who supported his political and religious views. One clause of the charter required that "clothes be strewn with golden thistles." According to the charter, the Order consisted of the Sovereign and twelve knight-brothers, in memory of the Savior and his Twelve Apostles.
After James VII, the order once again went out of use, but was restored in 1703 by Queen Anne, the number of knights included in the order still remained twelve. Despite the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745, James the Old Pretender and the Young Pretender or Bonnie Prince Charlie appointed Knights of the Order of the Thistle (and Order of the Garter) during the years of exile. The first Hanoverians also rewarded Scottish nobles who supported the Hanoverians and the Protestant faith.
Interest in the order was renewed when George IV wore the order when visiting Scotland in 1822. The charter of 1827 established additional knight-brothers (16 people in total), and in 1987, according to the charter, ladies could join the order. Additionally, knights and ladies of the Order of the Thistle are appointed according to a special charter. Thus, among the non-compound Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Thistle is Princess Anne (Princess Royal), who entered the order in June 2001, and for the first time in more than 200 years, King Olaf V of Norway was admitted to the order in 1962.
The Sovereign of the Order of the Thistle is Elizabeth II.

This article begins a series of publications dedicated to the symbols used in my works. Sometimes this is the author’s idea, but more often I use one or another motif or symbol at the customer’s choice and desire.

We can all appreciate the sensual and aesthetically pleasing side of art; We have all experienced more than once its ability to charm, delight, excite, but also shock, depress and disgust. However, until you look beyond the outer shell of a work of art, until you understand what exactly you are seeing, only a tiny part of the author’s intention will be revealed to you. Because art largely communicates with us through symbols, and a symbol represents something other than what it might seem at first glance. By identifying clues and understanding the connections between the symbolic references that artists have encoded into their paintings and other works, you will discover a rich world of allusions and hidden meanings. The use of the ancient language of symbols allows both the artist and the viewer to go far beyond the boundaries creative space And cultural traditions and delve into the secrets of the human soul.

Encyclopedic definition

Thistle (lat. Cárduus) is a genus of plants of the Asteraceae, or Asteraceae, family, common in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Generic name Lat. Cárduus - thistle, comes from the ancient Latin name applied to thorny plants.

In Russian and other languages

The Russian botanical name of the genus comes from the folk name of a group of weedy thorny plants belonging to different types Cardus, Arctium, Cirsium, which are sometimes still called thistle in different places. Other names found for this group of plants: Mordvin, Mordvinnik, burdock, shishobar, dedovnik, sow thistle, Tatar, thorn, thistle, dogs, kolyuha, thistle.

Burdock was attributed not only with properties harmful to humans, but also with the ability to influence evil spirits. So the name thistle reflects the special medicinal and magical function of the burdock - to ward off evil spirits. These plants were used to fumigate barns in an attempt to protect livestock from disease. “Thistle is used to drive out demons, and generally “evil spirits” from the house.” “During an attack (episode illness), the lying patient is drawn in a circle and beaten “mercilessly” with thistle grass.”

The word thistle is complex: the first part is “devil”, the second “polokh” - the verbal basis of thistle, frighten, commotion, frightened, etc. The meaning in modern language is translated as frightening devils or devils.

Shishobar-grass - grass for all herbs

Popular proverb

In the Vologda-Vyatka dialects and the Arkhangelsk dialects bordering on Vologda, as well as in some dialects of Siberia, there is the word shishobar. We can correlate the first part of the addition with the dialect name trait (shish). The latter has approximately the same distribution area as the word shishobar - Northern Russian dialects: shish, shishiga, shishigan (unclean, Satan, demon), shishi-mora (eastern) (kikimora, ghost), shishka, shishko (demon, devil) . This name appears to be of taboo origin. In the second part of the composition of the word shishobar, we can assume the element bor - from the verb to fight. The whole word should look like shishobor (one who fights, who conquers devils).

IN English language You can find names like thistle, ironweed. In other languages: German - ringdisteln, disteln, French - chardon, Spanish - cardo, Finnish - karhiaiset, Polish - oset, Ukrainian - Budyak, Chuvash - Kurshanak.

Harriet Isabel Adams, 1907

National symbol of Scotland

There are several legends explaining how the thistle became a symbol of Scotland, but all legends have one thing in common - it saves the Scots in difficult times.

One of the most famous dates back to the reign of King Alexander III (he reigned from 1249 to 1283). The king's father, Alexander II, also tried to buy off the Hebrides, which recognized the sovereignty of Norway. The son continued to try, but the Norwegians were not at all interested in weakening their influence, rather the opposite - therefore, when King Haakon IV received information that Alexander III was already raiding one of the islands, he assembled a huge fleet and set off in the summer of 1263 to Scotland. Peace negotiations came to nothing, and on October 2 a battle took place near the town of Largs. At first, the Scots' forces outweighed them, and the Norwegians were forced to save themselves by retreating to their ships, then the Scots retreated... In Norway, they still believe that the Norwegians won that day, but the Scots believe that they won (eventually It was the Scots who were luckier - after two years, control over the Hebrides still passed to them). Anyway, this is history. Here's the legend.

One night, the Norwegians decided to quietly land on the shore and take the Scots sleeping in their camp by surprise. So that no one would hear them sneaking, the Norwegians took off their shoes and, under cover of darkness, set off. Perhaps this attack would have been successful if it had not been for having to go through places overgrown with thistles. One Norwegian warrior stepped on thorns in the dark, screamed in pain, the Scots heard the scream, jumped up... and the battle of Largs was won.

William Hall, fragment of a painting, National Portrait Gallery of Scotland

Another version of the legend tells not about the Norwegians, but about the Danes who tried to capture one of the Scottish castles, and the action takes place not in the 13th century, but two hundred years earlier. The Danes also took off their shoes to sneak up unnoticed, but, alas, it was discovered that in the ditch surrounding the castle there was not water, but thistles... They had to retreat in shame.

So the thistle protector became the national and then royal emblem. The inventory of King James III, who died in 1488, mentions embroidery with thistles. The thistle has been featured on Scottish silver coins since 1470. And when in 1503 King James IV married the English princess Margaret Tudor ( older sister Mary, the Rose of the Tudors mentioned above), then in honor of this marriage union an allegory in verse was written entitled “The Thrissil and the Rois”.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is a knightly order associated with Scotland. The history of the modern order begins in 1687 with its establishment by King James VII of Scotland (also known as King James II of England), with the claim being that there was a revival of a previously existing order.

The Order consists of a Sovereign and sixteen knights and ladies, as well as a number of "supernumerary" knights. The granting of membership is the exclusive competence of the Sovereign. Members of the order may use the honorific prefix "Sir" or "Dame" to their names, as well as the postnominal letters "KT" or "LT" (Knight or Lady of the Thistle). Also, members of the order can use its symbols in their coats of arms, and have the right to add heraldic shield holders to their coats of arms.

The main emblem of the order is the thistle, the national symbol of Scotland. The motto of the order is Nemo me impune lacessit (from Latin - “No one will touch me with impunity”); the same motto is inscribed on the Royal Arms and on some pound coins. The patron saint of the order is Saint Andrew.






Symbol of Lorraine

The thistle is one of the symbols of Lorraine, together with its coat of arms, depicting the three alerions, and the Lorraine cross (sometimes called the "Angevin cross"). The thistle is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Nancy.

Coat of arms of the city of Nancy, center of Lorraine

The red heraldic cross represents the Christian motives and principles that guided the founders of the city. Also on the coat of arms there are five symbols representing the indigenous Indian population and four European peoples who settled in the city in the 19th century: the Weymouth pine - a symbol of the indigenous peoples of Quebec (since 2017), the Bourbon lily - a symbol of the French diaspora (since 1939, instead of beaver), the scarlet rose of Lancaster - a symbol of the English diaspora, the thistle - a symbol of the Scottish diaspora, the shamrock - a symbol of the Irish diaspora.

Coat of arms of Montreal from different times

Thistle in Christianity

In the Middle Ages, the thistle was a symbol of the Virgin Mary because of its white sap. The reference was to the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the Child Jesus. More specifically, we are talking about milk thistle (Mary's thistle), the milky juice of which has medicinal properties.

The cult of the Mother of God "Mammal" is perhaps the oldest of the cults of the Blessed Virgin in Christianity. The fresco in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla (second half of the 2nd century) is the oldest image with this plot and at the same time the oldest image of the Virgin Mary known today.

Mammal

The thistle, a beautiful and prickly flower, is the national symbol of Scotland. They decorate literally everything in this country, for example, coins, flags, coats of arms and T-shirts; souvenirs and jewelry with thistles are especially popular. This plant evokes the admiration and love of the inhabitants of Scotland, for which it received the name “Scottish rose” from them.

Of course, there is a local legend about this symbol, like any other. One day, the warriors of Scotland fell asleep, not suspecting that Scandinavian pirates were approaching them. The Vikings almost managed to sneak up unnoticed, because they took off their shoes to move silently. But with their bare feet the unlucky attackers fell into a thistle, from whose thorns the forest began to scream.

The Scottish warriors heard these cries and successfully defended themselves from the attack, defeating the enemy. In connection with this legend, the thistle is also called the Guardian.

Historians cannot reliably confirm the reality of this story, but the possibility of such a case cannot be refuted. It is supported by the fact that different areas of Scotland tell this story in their own way, with minor changes, as well as the thistle itself, which freely grew across the fields of Scotland.

The Scots are sure that their character is similar to that of the thistle - picky, proud, invincible.

The thistle was considered a symbol of Scotland more than six centuries ago. His image is minted on silver coins from the 15th century, or more precisely from 1470.

The symbolism of this plant was so significant that in 1687 the Knightly Order of the Thistle was established. One of its symbols is a chain of gold, each link of which represents this plant. The motto of the order is: “No one will anger me with impunity.” The head of the Knightly Order of the Thistle is the monarch of Great Britain, now Queen Elizabeth.

Traditionally, thistle is considered a simple plant, unsightly and unsightly. He's actually quite attractive and graceful. The flower of the plant itself is especially pleasant, pale purple, fluffy and soft. Everyone knows about thistle thorns, which are so sharp and dangerous that they can injure human skin.

In addition to its external qualities, thistle also has magical fame. Based on the name, you can guess that this plant was used to ward off evil spirits. The smoke of the burning plant was used to fumigate the home and barn. The flower itself was worn in a belt or in a buttonhole to ward off evil spirits.

The thistle, a beautiful and prickly flower, is the national symbol of Scotland. They decorate literally everything in this country, for example, coins, flags, coats of arms and T-shirts; souvenirs and jewelry with thistles are especially popular. This plant evokes the admiration and love of the inhabitants of Scotland, for which it received the name “Scottish rose” from them.

Of course, there is a local legend about this symbol, like any other. One day, the warriors of Scotland fell asleep, not suspecting that Scandinavian pirates were approaching them. The Vikings almost managed to sneak up unnoticed, because they took off their shoes to move silently. But with their bare feet the unlucky attackers fell into a thistle, from whose thorns the forest began to scream.


The Scottish warriors heard these cries and successfully defended themselves from the attack, defeating the enemy. In connection with this legend, the thistle is also called the Guardian.

Historians cannot reliably confirm the reality of this story, but the possibility of such a case cannot be refuted. It is supported by the fact that different areas of Scotland tell this story in their own way, with minor changes, as well as the thistle itself, which freely grew across the fields of Scotland.


The Scots are sure that their character is similar to the character of the thistle - picky, proud, invincible.


Thistle

The thistle was considered a symbol of Scotland more than six centuries ago. His image is minted on silver coins from the 15th century, or more precisely from 1470.

The symbolism of this plant was so significant that in 1687 the Knightly Order of the Thistle was established. One of its symbols is a chain of gold, each link of which represents this plant. The motto of the order is: “No one will anger me with impunity.” The head of the Knightly Order of the Thistle is the monarch of Great Britain, now Queen Elizabeth.

Traditionally, thistle is considered a simple plant, unsightly and unsightly. He's actually quite attractive and graceful. The flower of the plant itself is especially pleasant, pale purple, fluffy and soft. Everyone knows about thistle thorns, which are so sharp and dangerous that they can injure human skin.

In addition to its external qualities, thistle also has magical fame. Based on the name, you can guess that this plant was used to ward off evil spirits. The smoke of the burning plant was used to fumigate the home and barn. The flower itself was worn in a belt or in a buttonhole to ward off evil spirits.

Name

The Russian botanical name of the genus comes from the folk name of a group of weedy thorny plants belonging to different species Cardus, Arctium, Cirsium, which sometimes in different localities continue to be called thistle. Word thistle complex, has common Slavic roots: first part * čъrt- ‘damn’, second * polx- verb stem, cf. to stir'frighten', get worried‘to be frightened’, etc. The meaning is translated as “frightening devils,” which reflects its special medical and magical function - to drive away evil spirits.

Biological description

Most of the representatives of the genus are spiny herbaceous plants.

Thistle in culture and ethnography

The plant was credited not only with properties harmful to humans, but also with the ability to have a magical effect on evil spirits. Thistle was used to fumigate barns in an attempt to protect livestock from disease.

Folk signs

In stable weather, thistle spines diverge to the sides; in cloudy weather, they are pressed to the head. Folk sign.

In symbolism and heraldry

The thistle is a symbol of Scotland, from where it became a symbol in Peter’s times armed forces Russia called "burdock"

Emblem of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle. The motto of the order is lat. Nemo Me Impune Lacessit . Meaning “No one hurts me without getting hurt himself.” The meaning of this symbol is that anyone who dares to intervene in a dangerous enterprise will not be able to get out of it without losses.

Classification


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    See what “Thistle” is in other dictionaries: Thistle - drooping. THISTLE, a genus of thorny plants (family Asteraceae). About 120 species, in Eurasia and. Many species are weeds, some are honey plants. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

    thistle- milk thistle, tartar Dictionary of Russian synonyms. thistle noun, number of synonyms: 13 white larch (4) ... Synonym dictionary

    thistle- spiny: 1 shoot; 2 upper part of a flowering plant; 3 lower part of the plant; 4 fruit (achene). Thistle (Carduus), a genus of two, less commonly, annual herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family, a weed. About 120 species... Agriculture. Large encyclopedic dictionary

    THISTLE- THISTLE, a genus of thorny plants (family Asteraceae). About 120 species, in Eurasia and North America. Many types of weeds, some honey plants... Modern encyclopedia

    THISTLE- a genus of spiny plants in the Asteraceae family. OK. 120 species, in Eurasia and Northern. America; in Russia approx. 15 types. Many species are weeds, some are good honey plants... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    THISTLE- THISTLE, thistle, plural. no, husband (bot.). The name of some thorny weeds. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

    THISTLE- THISTLE, huh, husband. Weedy thorny plant of the family. Asteraceae with bushy stems and crimson flowers. | adj. thistle, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    THISTLE- “THISLE” (Ironweed) USA, 1987, 144 min. Historical film, adventure film. This is the first “purely American” film by Brazilian director Hector Babenco, who became famous for the film “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” It is based on the novel by William... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema

    See what “Thistle” is in other dictionaries:- the popular name for many thorny, tall, weedy plants, mainly from this family. Asteraceae (Compositae), for example Carduus, Centaurea, Cirsium, Inula, Onopordon, Xanthium (Cocklebur); the species Carduus and Onopordon are more often called Ch. Species Carduus... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

    thistle- needle (White); prickly (Bely, Garshin) Epithets of literary Russian speech. M: Supplier of His Majesty's court, the Quick Printing Association A. A. Levenson. A. L. Zelenetsky. 1913 ... Dictionary of epithets

 

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