Sometimes when I am designing a piece, no matter how big or small it may be, I want to include some symbolism. Either as a special meaning, an inside joke, or merely to continue a tradition that has spanned millennia of embroidery, I want the item I am stitching to just say something *more*.

What I have had to help me in this has been volumes of mythology, the internet, and notes on little scraps of paper. But that has meant I spend more time looking for my notes or relooking on the internet for information I have already collected. I actually just did a ‘files that contain the word’ search in order to find some notes while writing this blog post.

So, here is a work in progress of thoughts I may want to symbolize in my stitching, compiled over years of studying embroidery and art, and far from complete. So if you also want to add a concept or a deeper meaning to your work, this will be at least a good place to start looking.
If there is a concept I have not yet touched on, please let me know. This is a work in progress and certainly not a finished collection.

 

Authority: staff

Beauty:  rose, shell

Betrothal: clasped hands, red carnation, ring

Blindness: beetle

Charity: bread, child, cornucopia, dove, fruit, heart, hen, lamb, lioness, pelican, phoenix, hen, stag

Cleverness: cat, serpent, squirrel

Compassion: milk

Courage: bees, eagle, leopard, lion, salamander, thyme, edelweiss

Cruelty: Bear, crab

The Dead: cherries, cherry trees

Death: crow, swan (good death), primrose (early death), butterfly (early death)

Deceit: cat, crab, daisy, duck

Devil: locust, dragon, serpent, pig, frog, goat, leopard, monkey/ape, owl, toad

Devotion: candle

Diligence: Bees, ants, human arms, chair, dolphin

Discipline: valerian (readiness), scythe, spider

Eternity: circle

Evil: crow, dragon, fly

Fertility: barley, cornucopia, lotus, strawberry

Friendship: basket of flowers, forget-me-not, garland of roses

Gentle: hare, hart, lamb

Gluttony: pig

Goal: castle

Gossip: parrot

Grace: swan

Greed: toad

Grief: anemone, tomb, urn, weeping willow

Happiness: basket of fruit, cherries, butterflies, holly

Health: cornucopia, basket of fruit, caduceus, cherry tree

Honor: Hyssop, anvil, castle, crescent moon (hope for)

Hope: bees, birdcage, crow, holly, anchor, bread and wine, crown, fish, lion, phoenix, rainbow, scallop shell, ship

Hospitality: candle, chair, pineapple, table, bread, wine, apple, barrel

Humility: donkey, camel, daisy, dove, lamb, ox, violet

Ill temper: bear

Immortality: phoenix, peacock, ivy, kingfisher, milk, pomegranate, scallop

Innocence: crown, flowers, garland, lily, strawberry, violet, lamb, child

Jealousy: crocodile, rat

Justice: lion, scepter, thunderbolt, scales

Knowledge: fountain, key, sun

Lazy: monkey/ape, snail

Liberty: butterfly, cat, hawk, bell, fish, wings

Life: fountain, water, well

Life after death: barley, pair of birds, butterfly, phoenix, wheat, corn, holly, ivy, lizard, octagon

Longevity: trees, apple, pine, oak, basket of flowers, deer, dove, elephant, hare, knot, marigold, stork, tortoise/turtle

Love: bird, bows and ribbons, dolphin, apple, basket of fruit or flowers, birds, carnation, heart, shell, swan, rose, tulip

Loyalty: dog, dove, anchor, elephant, goose, forget-me-not, kingfisher, key, pine, ivy, swan, violet, cumin, ring

Luck: clover, horseshoe, ship, vase of carnations, crow (bad), peacock (bad)

Lust: monkey/ape, toad

Marriage: clasped hands, dove, pair of ducks, ship, geese

Masculinity: horse

Melancholy: violet

Metamorphosis: caterpillar, butterfly

Mischief: squirrel

Moderation: clock

Mortality scissors (open)

Motherhood: basket, beehive, pink carnations, cow

Old age: grasshopper, oak tree

Overcoming trials: Acanthus, heron

Patience: donkey, ox, ram, rose

Peace: kingfisher, olive, apple, caduceus, cornucopia, elephant, flowers, lion & lamb, rainbow, instruments

Perfection: circle

Perseverance: ram, bee, cock, camel, hawk

Playfulness: butterfly

Pleasure: butterfly, moth

Power: bull

Pride: cock, falcon, hart, horse, mirror, ox

Prosperity: acorn, fruit, olive, pomegranate, moth (destruction of)

Protection: iris, thistle, woodpecker

Prudence: camel, hedgehog, anchor, deer, dolphin, elephant

Purity: iris, lamb, lily, peacock, harp, hart, lily, marigold, stork, strawberry, unicorn, milkmaid

Resurrection: lizard, swallow

Salvation: dolphin, well

Selflessness: bees

Self Reliance: acorn, duck

Servitude: chain

Sobriety/temperance: bees, camel, clock, elephant

Solitude: crow, hart

Straightforwardness: bull

Stealth: cat

Strength: acorn, bull olive, pillar (support)

Stubbornness: donkey, turtle (good)

Stupidity: donkey

Trust: robin

Truth: bell, lamp, well, heart, lozenge, raven

Vanity: mermaid, mirror, peacock, poppy (all looks, no value)

Vengeance: bear

Victory: garland

Watchfulness: candle, cock, griffin, dog, dragon, goose, hare, lion, peacock, weathercock

Wisdom: bees, book, lamp, lion, owl, serpent, elephant, fox,

Women: pincushion (virtuous), vase

Youth: primrose, sun, lamb