Lynn Smythe
Language of Flowers
January 15th 2008 19:29
Tussie-Mussie AKA Posey
-Gill Saunders, The Country Flowers of a Victorian Lady
Flower Symbolism
Flower symbolism has been a popular hobby for many centuries. In 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu traveled to the Middle East along with her husband who was then the English ambassador to Turkey. Lady Montagu discovered the practice of the Turkish secret flower language and brought back her knowledge of this interesting form of communication to her English countrymen. The first European flower dictionary to be published was written in France in 1818 by Madame Charlotte de la Tour and was titled "Le Language des Fleurs."
Floriography otherwise known as the language of flowers reached its height of popularity during the Victorian Era of the 1900's. The Victorian Era occurred during the rule of Queen Victoria of England from 1837 to 1901 and many dictionaries on the symbolism and meanings of flowers were published during this time.
Tussie Mussie
A tussie mussie, which means sweet posey, was a small bundle or bouquet of flowers which was used during the Middle Ages and Renaissance throughout Europe. Tussie mussies were originally made of a variety of herbs chosen for their supposed medicinal virtues. These small herb bouquets were carried around by individuals and were thought to help prevent disease such as the plague from spreading to the individual carrying the herbs. In addition, the tussie mussies would help to cover up unpleasant odors due to unhygienic living conditions prevalent during this time period.
In previous eras social etiquette did not allow for the public expression of love and affection so a language of love using flowers, plants and herbs developed. A variety of small bouquets, nosegays and tussie-mussies were given to loved ones and potential suitors to convey a variety of secret messages. During the Victorian Era tussie mussies were used to convey secret messages to loved ones and were often enclosed within a lace doily and tied together with a satin ribbon. If there were any inverted flowers present in the bouquet that particular flower would be interpreted as having the opposite of the usual meaning.
Creating Flower Messages
A variety of instructions for making tussie-mussies can be found in various publications such as Maggie Oster's book Gifts and Crafts from the Garden. One of my favorite herb books Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs even contains a section on creating crafts from herbs including how to make a tussie-mussie along with a table of the language of herbs and flowers.
You may want to investigate the meanings of the flowers and herbs growing in your own garden if you are interested in creating your own flower messages. Tussie-mussies and small bouquets can be made from either fresh or dried floral material. The fresh material is more aromatic but you may like to use dried flowers for a longer lasting effect. You can sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto the dried flowers if desired. A variety of silk and satin ribbons and paper doilies can be found at craft and hobby stores. You could even use silk flowers to create a floral greeting that will last indefinitely.
My complete article, Language of Flowers; Antiquated Herbal Folklore, can be found on the Associated Content website.
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