New Range: Thistle Do

Loved H's name for the dragon and think it could become a new name and product line-it's in our logo and although I don't recall why it was chosen-it's such a long time ago, I just know that when we suggested changing it there was one all mighty uprising. 

I do remember the colour chat around the logo at the time with purple being about calm, wisdom and ambition. The green being about growth, renewal, rebirth, getting the green light and of course the blue being sky and sea along with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence. But can’t recall why the thistle (maybe because the flowers are made up of the different colours we had chosen).
 
Seemingly the thistle, or Onopordum acanthium, is part of the sunflower family and it certainly is recognisable and associated with Scotland.
 
Whatever the reason for choosing it, it does look like it wasn’t a bad choice because there is more to the thistle than meets the eye (quite apt to represent adult learning). Many legends surround the flower and we could write a lot, to explain it but we’ve left out the negatives in favour of the positives for the moment. Apparently, the thistle represents overcoming adversity and difficult situations. It’s also a symbol of resilience.

Here and in other Celtic regions the thistle represents devotion, bravery, determination, and strength. Also was one of the respected emblems of Lorraine, a region in north-eastern France. In the Basque region of France, the thistle is considered a symbol of protection. It is also called the “flower of the sun” and the “herb of witches”. It’s used as protection against evildoers because people believe that witches cannot look directly at the sun. The thistle is often seen on the front doors of the homes of the region. The flower’s pink and purple colours represent nobility and royalty (we must have missed that on the colour search).
 
Poems and books have been written to celebrate its power and meaning, first appearing on silver coins issued in 1470 during the reign of King James III and seemingly became an integral part of Scotland’s Coat of Arms in the 16th century. Which of us knew is what I wonder?
 
Adapted by different cultures around the world as an emblem of positivity, the thistle flower has unique stories about its past. 
 
According to Scottish legend, a slumbering group of Scottish warriors were unaware that their enemy, the Norse army, were nearby. Suddenly, one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle and cried out, giving away the surprise of the attack. As a result, the thistle was exalted for protecting the army and thus became an important national symbol.
 
Stories about the thistle are of legend from notes that say it’s bad luck to cut thistles before St. John’s Day, to burning thistles in the fire will prevent the house from getting hit by lightning, to burning thistle seeds will help ward off diseases caused by malevolent spirits.
 
We do know it’s prickly flower that is said to represents devotion and bravery, and now that we’ve read some more, we can see that behind its prickly façade lies countless benefits and that definitely chimes with adult learning, maybe less of the prickly/unfriendly outside.
 
All in all I think it’s definitely worth a thought for a new product line.