Oh, no man knows
Through what wild centuries
Roves back the rose.
                      Walter de la Mare, All That's Past

Simbolis mawar udah dikenal dalam mitologi klasik: dewa asmara (oh cupid cupid...) menebarkan petal bunga mawar ke atas tempat tidur Mars dan Venus; menurut Virgil, Venus memiliki rosy neck, dan Achilles memiliki rosy hand; orang2 Yunani kuno mengenakan mahkota atau hiasan di kepala dengan buket mawar, dan pengantin wanita memasuki rumah suaminya dengan mengenakan rose wreath; saat festival, orang2 Romawi menganggap bunga mawar sebagai bunga sakral, yang memiliki purifying character; Lucius bercerita: @At that moment a man carrying flowers passed by. I saw that there were freshly gathered rose leaves [petals] among them. Without hesitating for a moment, I umped off the couch and ran to the flowers. My audience thought I was getting up to dance, but I looked through all the flowers in turn, picked out the roses and ate them. While the spectators were still watching in amazement, my beast-like form faded and fell away, the donkey was no more, and the Lucius concealed within my skin appeared, standing upright like a man." (Lucian of Samosata [attrib.], Lucius or The Ass, second century AD)