an idle question...

[iridium]

i picked up an old folder of writing and found a bit from somewhere in the summer of 1999, written apparently during the security stand-down at Los Alamos. there's a brief reference to "the mythological history of espionage and why the rose is symbol for it," but no further details.

i could go hunting around the internet, but i should really get out of the house and moving. so instead -- any ideas? theories? stories?

tell me a story. it can be true, it can be flimsy, it can be made up out of thin air on the spot. but tell me a good story about roses and spycraft.

*grin*

Comments

[l-stboy.livejournal.com]

The rose was the symbol of Sir Francis Walthingham, spymaster to Elizebeth I, and its use in signifying spycraft continues to this day in the emblem of Her Majesty's Secret Service, MI5.

It is significant that two years after his death, The Rose theatre was opened in Bankside, a childhood haunt of Sir Francis'. It was the theatre in which Shakespere's plays were originally performed and, as you know, William Shakespeare was the nom de plume of Sir Francis. Inbetween long sessions of torturing her queen's enemies, he would amuse his children and those of the assistant torturers and executioners with tales of mis-taken sexual identity, young love, comic farces, and long histories of the ancient kings of England and Scotland. These were written down in dramatic form before his death, and one of the secret agents run by Sir Francis, one Kip Marlowe, opened the plays one at a time over a period of several years. You will find a reference to a rose in every one of Shakespeare's dramas and comedies, a subtle reference to the author of the pieces.

[nacht_musik]

Roses is the product of years of a carefully orchestrated canine breeding program. She is the ideal stealth pup! Acts like a cat, looks carefully patient when being sniffed by other dogs (and pretty much never deigns to sniff another dog). Sedatives with four legs, she glides silently into your presence, and before you know it, you're feeling mysteriously calmer and more tranquil.

More story later, hopefully. :-)

[iridium.livejournal.com]

the reminder of Roses made me laugh. she's a sweet dog, indeed.
more story!

[tyratae.livejournal.com]

i thought it was b/c of rose windows & compass roses & umberto eco stuff. :)

[iridium.livejournal.com]

something like that. :) but the story's the important part...

la rosa

[vagabonda.livejournal.com]

The rose had been sacred to Bacchus, god of wine, as well as to Venus. At banquets for these gods, wealthy Romans would lay on couches spread with rose petals. Around their necks they wore garlands of roses. Chaplets of roses crowned their heads. Reclining on their beds of roses, they ate, drank, and gossiped. Anything said under the rose - the rose garland hung on the wall or the rose chaplets on their heads - was sub rosa. This Latin expression meaning "under the rose" is still a common way of describing something to be kept secret.

Re: la rosa

[iridium.livejournal.com]

i like that one. thank you!