All Topics  
Laurel wreath

 
Laurel Wreath

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Laurel wreath
 
 
  Topics Laurel wreath Topic Home

A laurel wreath is a circular wreath
Wreath

A wreath is a circle made of flowers, leaf and sometimes fruits that can be used as an ornament, hanging on a wall or door, or resting on a table....
 made of interlocking branches and leaves of the Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel

The Bay Laurel , also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10?18 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region....
 (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae
Lauraceae

The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 2000 species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and Brazil....
), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Apollo
Apollo

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
 is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head. In ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
 wreaths were awarded to victors, both in athletic competitions, including the ancient Olympics
Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of Ancient Greece....
, and in poetic meets; in Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 they were symbols of martial victory, crowning a successful commander during his triumph
Roman triumph

A Roman triumph was a civil religion and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publically celebrate the achievements of an army commander who had won great military successes, originally and traditionally, who had successfully completed a war....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Laurel wreath'
Start a new discussion about 'Laurel wreath'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Laurelwreathdk
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath
Wreath

A wreath is a circle made of flowers, leaf and sometimes fruits that can be used as an ornament, hanging on a wall or door, or resting on a table....
 made of interlocking branches and leaves of the Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel

The Bay Laurel , also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10?18 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region....
 (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae
Lauraceae

The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 2000 species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and Brazil....
), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Apollo
Apollo

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
 is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head. In ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
 wreaths were awarded to victors, both in athletic competitions, including the ancient Olympics
Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of Ancient Greece....
, and in poetic meets; in Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 they were symbols of martial victory, crowning a successful commander during his triumph
Roman triumph

A Roman triumph was a civil religion and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publically celebrate the achievements of an army commander who had won great military successes, originally and traditionally, who had successfully completed a war....
. Whereas ancient laurel wreaths are most often depicted as a horseshoe
Horseshoe

File:Horseshoes.JPGA horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or of modern synthetic materials, nail ed or Polymethyl methacrylated to the hooves of horses and some other draught animals....
 shape, modern versions are usually complete rings.

In common modern idiom
Idiom

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative language meaning that is known only through common use....
atic usage it refers to a victory. The expression "resting on one's laurels" refers to someone relying on their past success to cover up their current inadequacies.

Academic use

In some countries the laurel wreath is used as symbol of the master's degree. The wreath is given to young masters in the graduation ceremony of the university. The word "Laureate
Laureate

In English language, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize....
" in 'poet laureate
Poet Laureate

A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events....
' refers to being signified by the laurel wreath. The medieval Florentine poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri

Durante degli Alighieri , commonly known as Dante Alighieri, was a Florence poet of the Middle Ages. His Magnum opus, the Divine Comedy , is often considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature....
, a graduate of the Sicilian School
Sicilian School

The Sicilian School was a small community of Sicily, and to a lesser extent, mainland Italian poets gathered around Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, most of them belonging to his court, the Magna Curia....
, is often represented in paintings and sculpture wearing a laurel wreath.

At Connecticut College
Connecticut College

Connecticut College is a highly selective coeducational private Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in New London, Connecticut. It is located on the Thames River , on which the College's crew and sailing teams practice....
 members of the junior class carry a laurel chain
Chain

In most meanings chain is a sequence of connected links of some kind.Chain may refer to:* A physical, literal chain* Chain , unit of length...
, which the seniors pass through during Commencement. It represents nature and the continuation of life from year to year. Immediately following commencement, the junior girls write out with the laurels their class year, symbolizing they have officially become seniors and the cycle will repeat itself the following spring.

At Reed College
Reed College

Reed College is a Private school, Independent school liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a highly selective four-year residential college with a campus located in Portland's residential Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor style architecture-Got...
 members of the senior class receive laurel wreaths upon submitting their senior thesis
Thesis

A dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification....
 in May. The tradition stems from the use of laurel wreaths in athletic competitions; the seniors have "crossed the finish line," so to speak.

Architectural and decorative arts motif

The laurel wreath is a common motif in architecture, furniture, and textiles. The laurel wreath is seen carved in stone and decorative plaster work of Robert Adam
Robert Adam

Robert Adam was a Scotland neoclassicism architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him....
, Federal, Regency, Directoire, and Beaux-Arts
Beaux-Arts architecture

Beaux-Arts architecture denotes the academic Neoclassical architecture architectural style that was taught at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris....
 periods of architecture. In decorative arts, especially during the Empire period, the laurel wreath is seen woven in textiles, inlaid in marquetry, and applied to furniture in the form of gilded brass mounts. Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986....
 added a laurel wreath to their logo
Logo

A logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition....
 after they won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925 with the P2
Alfa Romeo P2

The Alfa Romeo P2 won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925, taking victory in two of the four championship rounds when Antonio Ascari drove it in the European Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and Gastone Brilli-Peri won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after Ascari died while leading the intervening race at Montlhery....
 racing car.

External links