This sacred symbol of antiquity and quasi-mystical has been of great controversy and the history stretched far back into time. It was said to be given to Clovis, King Frank by the Mother Mary and that they were the lily tears shed by Eve as she left Eden. From its earliest records (it was the flower of Hera, the Greek moon goddess) it has been the symbol of purity and was accordingly readily adopted by the Church to associate the Virgin Mary's sanctity with events of special significance.
Adopted as the royal emblem by the kings of France in the middle ages, the triple lily, or fleur de lys, stood for the triple majesty of God, his creation, and royalty. The three petaled lily is also associated with the trinity of mind, body and soul, which come together only in mankind.
The company I work for one of the brands (bras) is called Lily of France, the logo is the fleur de lis. Many of my friends use this symbol on their business cards and their websites. In fact my paper towel holder in my kitchen is the fleur-de-is!
The most probable origin: So although the legendary origins of the fleur-de-lis have caught imaginations down the centuries, and are still to be found in heraldic textbooks, Nisbet's casual comment is worth more than later writers have allowed it. The lily, now called an iris, still grows along the Lys in lands drained by the Franks. When pressed and dried it reveals clearly the shape of the stylised heraldic charge. This is, on balance, its most probable origin.
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