Greco-Roman myths also mention the lily. According to their mythology, Hercules' mother accidentally sprayed some of her breast milk as she was nursing him. Lilies sprang from the drops of milk which reached the earth and the rest became the Milky Way. It is also said that Venus, jealous of the lily's chastity, tried to destroy its virginal appearance by giving it a pistil that looks like a donkey's penis. The lily in His mouth symbolizes His divine mercy and his perfect judgments.
Lilies are a symbol of death, especially in the Far East where white is the color of death.
In some legends, lilies mysteriously appear at the death of a holy person. Matthew Henry considers the gathering of lilies to be comparable to the divine gardener's taking of a believer to heaven through death. It was believed to have been given to King Clovis by an angel when he was baptized around 496 A.D. as a token of the gifts received in Christ. It is an attribute of kingly saints and the Queen of Heaven. All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible.