In the book, the Dictionary of Symbols, the idea that rose is a symbol for rebirth is acknowledged and emphasized. Its characteristics of love and sacredness are significant to its meaning as well. In the book, the sacredness that a rose beholds is shown by the demeanor and courage the grey- eyed goddess, Aphrodite, displays. According to the book, "when Aphrodite's lover Adonis was mortally wounded, the goddess, running to his help, pricked herself on a rose thorn and her blood tinged the flowers sacred to her" (814). This old belief demonstrates the significance a rose obtains: true love and sacredness. The rose is also a signifier of rebirth; in the Dictionary of Symbols, the belief that a five leafed rose embodies a pure beginning of a new cycle is elucidated. Rose is in relation to compassionate love as well. The book remarks, "Rose becomes a symbol of love, and more strongly still, of the offerings made by love which was pure" (815). The amount of significance the rose has attained throughout history is an abundance; it represents rebirth, love, compassion, and sacredness. The rose sustains its symbolism and stands as a spiritual, divine, and benevolent figure.