June 4, 2012 – I’ve always liked thistles, though I can’t really provide a logical explanation for it. They are imposing plants, that can wound you if you aren’t aware. I remember running through my grandparents alfalfa fields and always staying alert for the massive thistle plants that could come as a nasty shock if you weren’t looking far enough ahead. You had to be prepared to suddenly dive left or right to change your forward inertia from thrusting you straight into a painful reminder that large and hurtful things can hide right in front of you. Sort of like life – go forward, but always be ready with a backup plan!
Maybe my appreciation comes from those memories, or perhaps from the fact that one of my grandmothers was Scottish, and the thistle is a Scottish symbol, an ancient Celtic symbol of nobility of character. My Scottish ancestry can be traced back a long way – somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1056 or earlier the last time I checked. You have to have an appreciation for being able to trace your ancestors that far, or farther. And there are some pretty cool stories tucked away in those family history books.
The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of Alexander III (1249–1286) and was used on silver coins issued by James III in 1470. It is the symbol of the Order of the Thistle, a high chivalric order of Scotland. According to a legend, an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scottish army’s encampment. During this operation one barefoot Norseman had the misfortune to step upon a thistle, causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence of the Norse invaders. ~Wikipedia
Some people see a nasty weed, I see something more.
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