Flowers have carried historical and religious significance for millennia, and the lily is no exception, appearing in folklore dating back to antiquity. The superstition surrounding lilies, specifically the belief that bringing them indoors brings bad luck, has roots in ancient traditions and evolved through various cultural and religious contexts.

Historically, the lily has been associated with positive attributes. According to Greek legend, the flower was formed from drops of the Goddess Hera’s spilt breast milk, symbolizing purity and fecundity. In ancient Greece, lilies were woven together with ears of wheat to form crowns worn by brides at marriage ceremonies, representing their innocence and blessing their fertility. Roman tradition saw lilies presented to young women by their suitors during the celebration of the spring solstice. Similarly, Slavic pagan mythology also held the lily as a symbol of fertility and new life, ritually given as gifts at the spring celebration of Ostara, the time of renewal that eventually became associated with the Christian Easter.

Christian tradition further cemented the lily’s symbolic power, albeit with a growing association with themes of death and resurrection. According to Christian legend, lilies sprang from Eve’s tears when she and Adam were banished from the Garden of Eden. Borrowing from the earlier mythology linking the lily to motherhood and purity, lilies became associated with the Virgin Mary, said to represent her tears. Early paintings depicting the annunciation show the Archangel Gabriel handing Mary lilies as he announces her pregnancy with the son of God. St. Thomas was said to have found lilies in place of Mary’s body in her tomb after her ascension to heaven. Furthermore, the flower was said to have sprung from drops of Jesus’s sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion, making them symbolic of the Resurrection. Lilies are frequently used to decorate churches at Easter, demonstrating their enduring connection to Christian beliefs.

The association of lilies with death, which underpins the superstition, stems from ancient burial rituals. At Roman burials, a lily was placed in the hands of the deceased to signify rebirth. This tradition was adopted by the early Church, which eventually appropriated the flower as a Christian symbol of death.

It is from this appropriation, the lily’s connection to funerals and mourning, that the superstition about them bringing bad luck if brought into the home likely derives. The flower’s presence became strongly linked with loss and remembrance, making its introduction into a domestic setting an unwelcome reminder of mortality. Over time, this association hardened into a superstition, with many believing that lilies, despite their beauty, brought misfortune or even foreshadowed death if kept indoors.

In modern interpretations, the superstition surrounding lilies remains relatively niche, although is still practiced in some regions. While many people appreciate lilies for their aesthetic appeal and fragrance, others avoid bringing them indoors, particularly if they are reminded of funerals or have a heightened awareness of the flower’s association with death. The superstition serves as a reminder of the powerful symbolic weight that flowers can carry, shaped by centuries of folklore, religious beliefs, and cultural practices.