The Golden Ass

by

Apuleius

Roses Symbol Icon

Roses represent comfort, knowledge, and beauty—the opposite of life as a donkey. After Lucius gets turned into a donkey by the ointment of the witch Pamphile, the maid Photis advises him that the only cure for his condition is to eat from a rose. Though Lucius suffers many hardships as a donkey, then, roses are the hope that keeps him going. At a couple points in his journey, Lucius comes tantalizingly close to eating a rose, but he is stopped at the last minute. In one case, he comes across a plant that looks like a rose, only to realize just in time that in fact it’s just a poisonous lookalike—suggesting that the world contains counterfeit beauty, and one must persevere in order to find the real thing. Lucius, like many of the characters in The Golden Ass, is sometimes even tempted by suicide, but it is the promise of eventually getting to eat a rose that keeps him going for just a little bit longer. Ultimately, Lucius is able to eat a rose and turn back into a human with the help of the goddess Isis. In this case, the rose represents the rewards of loyalty to the gods. Such rewards have costs, however: in exchange for finally getting turned back into a human, Lucius must devote his life to the cult of Isis, as well as to the cult of her husband, the god Osiris. In spite of the difficulties, however, Lucius gladly accepts this responsibility, showing how the rewards of loyalty to the gods—symbolized by the beauty and comfort of roses—outweigh the burden of devotion.

Roses Quotes in The Golden Ass

The The Golden Ass quotes below all refer to the symbol of Roses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
).
Book 3 Quotes

Dawn, her rose-colored arm shaking the reins over horses decked out in scarlet medallions, had just launched her chariot into the sky when Night ripped me from peaceful sleep and turned me over to Day.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roses
Page Number: 46
Explanation and Analysis:

Helplessly surveying this new body, I saw I was not a bird but a donkey. I wanted to complain to Photis, but human voice and gesture had been taken from me.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Photis, Pamphile
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 4 Quotes

These, with their abundant leaves, look like laurels, and they produce, in the semblance of scented roses, oblong little cups, not quite up to scarlet in hue; they have no scent whatsoever, but in rustic parlance the untaught common people call them laurel roses. As food, these flowers are lethal to every kind of beast.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roses, Donkey
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 11 Quotes

Lo, I come to your aid, Lucius, moved by your pleas—I, the mother of the universe, queen of all the elements, the original off-spring of eternity, loftiest of the gods, queen of the shades, foremost of the heavenly beings, single form of gods and goddesses alike.

Related Characters: Isis (speaker), Lucius, Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon, shaved to the skin again, I went joyfully about the duties of this venerable priesthood, founded in the time of Sulla. I did not cloak or conceal my baldness, wherever I went and whomever I met.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis , Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 272
Explanation and Analysis:
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Roses Symbol Timeline in The Golden Ass

The timeline below shows where the symbol Roses appears in The Golden Ass. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 3
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...Photis panics but tells Lucius there’s a simple cure: he just has to eat some roses. She doesn’t currently have any roses, but she’ll rush out at dawn to get some. (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...They load Lucius down and hit him. As they go by one village, Lucius sees roses, but he realizes he can’t eat them, or else his human body will be crushed... (full context)
Book 4
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...bandits take some of the load off of Lucius. He looks around and finds a rose bush, which he rushes to eat. Right before eating, however, he realizes that the flowers... (full context)
Book 11
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...pity on Lucius and promises he’ll be greeted by a priest with a garland of roses. In exchange for the blessing, the goddess asks Lucius to devote the remainder of his... (full context)
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...music, and flowers in praise of different gods and goddesses. Lucius sees the priest with roses that Isis promised him would be there. He carefully takes a bite from the rose... (full context)