According to mythology, the Rose was originally white, and some of the prettiest ideas of ancient poetry are in connection with the origin of the red rose. The blood of Venus, the blood of Adonis, and the blood of Cupid have been severally credited with originat-ng this beautiful flower. Theophrastus seems to be the authority for the Adonis version. "Venus, looking through the woods for Adonis, ran a thorn in her foot, and from her blood entering the ground around a white rose bush, changed the whole to red." This is the story which seems to attract the greater number of modern believers, in so far as there are believers in these ancient stories.

Another story is that Venus, irritated at the mischief Cupid was continually making in the world, gathered a rose branch and whipped with it the mischievous boy. She whipped him till the blood came, and red roses sprang from these drops of blood, but the incorrigible little rascal still pursued his pranks.

The white rose is dedicated to silence. Cupid, forgetting the castigation Venus gave him, was caught by Harpocrates toying with a nymph. With some dread of another whipping, Cupid offered him a white rose in order to engage him to keep the flirtation quiet, and thus to this day Harpocrates is represented holding a white rose which he presses to his lips.