Columbines & Jester's Caps
appearing a fool
Hello Friends,
One of my favorite flowers is columbine. I find it audacious and jaunty with its long, tail-like petals. They look like fireworks or shooting stars when dancing carefree in the spring and summer breeze.
Columbine symbolism is varied, but in Victorian flower lore they symbolize foolishness because their petals resemble a court jester’s cap. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia addresses members of the royal court, giving each of them flowers, heavy with meaning:
“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.
Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies,
that’s for thoughts. . . .
There’s fennel for you, and columbines…”
The columbines in this instance represent foolishness, flattery or ingratitude, and are given to King Claudius as a rebuke for his actions.
But columbines can also mean fortitude, and are sometimes gifted when, for example, someone starts a new job, symbolically giving them strength and courage to do well.
Reflecting On
appearing foolish
So often I begin a project, be it creative in nature or otherwise, and half way through I think, “This was a crazy idea.” Or I chat about my projects, dreams, and wishes to someone in hopes of encouragement, and receive the opposite, sometimes in the form of a subtle, questioning look.
I recently read an internet meme that said: “The life you want is on the other side of the shit you don’t want to do.” I laughed out loud, then saved it to my phone so I could look at it whenever I felt daunted by life’s challenges.
Sometimes getting to the other side of “the shit” means appearing a fool. Pinning all your hopes and dreams on something that may never come true might seem foolish to some people. And yet it’s those fools who invent things, discover things, or create things such as Marcel the Shell. Who would have thought this tiny, unassuming shell with shoes would be able to impart such longing, heart, and joy? In my opinion Marcel was truly plucked from the dreamland and brought to life by a creator unafraid of appearing foolish.
The Heart of It
Through contemplating the symbolism of the columbine flower The Fool myths start to resonate more deeply, shining a light on how important they are to understanding ourselves and others on our journey through life. The fool archetype appears as a trickster or jester, and is meant to teach us wisdom through our mistakes and follies by spinning us around. What we thought was up becomes sideways, and down doesn’t even exist in the land of the fool. That’s because the fool is naive, and not afraid to take risks, challenge authority, or blaze a trail. The fool is joyful and resilient, and understands there are many ways to view a problem. The fool teaches us to be humble.
In Closing
The columbines in my garden seem to wink at me as they nod in the sun. They are resilient, and spread their unique beauty easily, season after season. They wear the jester’s cap proudly. In many stories and myths the fool is often known as The Wise Fool, and his message becomes wisdom the King has missed.
My takeaway from contemplating the humble columbine is simply to embrace the fool inside, and don my jester’s cap free of the fear of judgement.
Until next time,
Jan
*Photo of yellow columbine by Jan M. Alexander
*All writing on this Substack is original by Jan M. Alexander. © 2025. All rights reserved.
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Research Links:
Journal of Experimental Botany
Illustration of Columbine from:
Shakespeare’s Flowers
*purchased at Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon
Pavilion Books Ltd
26 Upper Ground
London SEI 9PD