The Celestial Flower of Summer
If there is one flower that captures the glory of summer, it must be the sunflower. Available in a wide array of colors, the sunflower is a popular addition in many home gardens both for its beauty and being one of the easiest ornamentals to grow. The face follows the sun as it moves through the sky in a way that symbolizes the faithfulness of a lover to his or her beloved. Sunflowers were a common crop among Native American Indian tribes who used it for medicinal purposes and ritual decoration. In China, sunflowers were a food of vitality and immortality. The sun-ray pattern of its petals and changing colors relate it to the compass and the hands of an analog clock bringing in the representation of space and time. Its ability to purify the soil by soaking up toxins allows the sunflower to help clean up contamination caused by harmful chemicals. The enduring appeal and significance of sunflower stories continue to influence cultures around the world.
Sunflowers in Mythology and Folklore
Native Americans used sunflowers for medicinal purposes as well as ritual decoration. The plant was used to treat burns, heal wounds and as an anti-dote by the Zuni to cure snake bites. Yellow pigments were extracted from the petals which they then used for dyeing textiles, body painting, and illustrating patterns on baskets and pottery. Because sunflowers are so easily cultivated, they became an important part of Native American spirituality as well. The Hopi, who lived mainly in Arizona and viewed the land as sacred, centered their lives in agriculture while cultivating a reverence and respect for all things. Their goddess Kuwanlelenta was designated the guardian of sunflowers representing the fertility and abundance of the harvest. During ceremonies the wild sunflower was worn in the hair and carved wooden sunflower disks were used in rituals.
In Greek mythology the sunflower was born from a water nymph in love with the sun god Helios. At first, Helios loved Clytie too, but he soon found another nymph he liked better. When he did not return her affections, Clytie watched the god from morning till night and soon her hair turned into golden petals. Her story comes to us mostly from Ovid’s narrative poem Metamorphoses. When she becomes interested in winning Helios back, Clytie becomes angry and informs King Orchamus about the affair Helios is having with his daughter. Orchamus puts his daughter to death by burying her. A brutal tale that seems to counter the beauty and peace usually associated with sunflowers.
Engraving by Abraham van Diepenbeeck https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_nymph_klytie_transforming_into_a_sunflower_as_the_sun_god_drives_his_chariot_above,_engraving_by_abraham_diepenbeeck_for_the_metamorphoses_book_by_ovid,_in_a_greek_language_copy.jpg
Depictions in Art and Literature
It is hard to underestimate the influence of sunflowers on modern cultural movements. In 17th century Europe sunflowers came to represent kingship at its most conceited. Both Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France were referred to as the Sun King. And just as royalty was declining in favor, 18th century gardening manuals suggested banning them from flower beds. They were relegated to more mundane uses like producing oil, seeds and fibre. The next century would raise the status of the sunflower when the Aesthetic Movement adopted it as a motif and included in paintings and poetry.
Sun and Moonflowers, 1889 George Leslie Dunlop
As Vincent van Gogh was painting his sunflowers, he chose shades of yellow to reflect the heat of the sun and the creative energy of happiness, joy and optimism. Perhaps he chose art and sunflowers as way to combat the loneliness of the asylum. In a letter written in 1890 to his sister Willemien, he wrote, “the desire comes over me to remake myself and try to have myself forgiven for the fact that my paintings are, however, almost a cry of anguish, while symbolizing gratitude.” While perhaps not as showy as peonies, he painted the blooms in various stages of the lifecycle.
Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Artists in the Aesthetic Movement were drawn to subverting rigid Victorian culture and any orthodoxy. Oscar Wilde, who headed the movement, championed the belief that art was not to be used to convey morals, but was for appealing to the senses. Art for art’s sake expressed the idea that art had an inherent value apart from any ethical, moral or political significance. In his poem, Le Jardin, Wilde refers to the sunflower as a gaudy lion and the flower became the movement’s emblem.
In Mary Oliver’s delightful poem “The Sunflowers” the plant becomes a metaphor for individuality and the desire to connect with others. Viewed from a distance, a field of sunflowers all look same, just as we may view others who are different from ourselves, but if we ask questions and get to know them, we hear their stories and get to share in the experiences that have shaped their lives.
Modern Interpretations
On April 26, 1986, the No. 4 nuclear reactor near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine exploded causing the worst nuclear disaster in history. The fallout made the land uninhabitable turning Pripyat into a ghost town. Today the area has recovered somewhat with signs of wildlife returning to the woodlands. Now come the sunflowers. They won’t do it all on their own of course, but sunflowers are what is known as hyperaccumulators of toxins. After the disaster at Chernobyl, fields of sunflowers were planted to absorb the radioactive metals from the ground. Later the flowers were pulled up and destroyed. The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, a symbol of hope, happiness and peace.
Just as the face of the sunflower follows the sun for warmth and light, sunflowers can remind us that we are never alone. All around us the beauty of those golden disks will be there through the tough times to inspire resilience and bring radiance to shine through. We can reach for brighter days, like other artists who see hope, happiness and gratitude in the beauty of the sunflower.
References: www.sunflowerusa.com, Discover Magazine June 2021, The Sunflowers are Mine by Martin Bailey
Your Weekly Writing Exercise: Reflection and research feed the creative writer’s journey. Describe a tradition in your family and its personal significance.