Love Spoons

There she is, the girl you’ve been eyeing for the past several months shopping with her family. You look away in an attempt to compose yourself before approaching her. Marching over you ask if she’d like to take a walk and you two go off away from the others. She has an expectant look on her face as you begin to pull out an intricately carved wooden spoon and hand it to her. She looks at it admiringly and relief washes over you as she reaches to give you a hug. 

Traditional Welsh love spoon with hearts, a wheel, and a lock. Public Domain.

Origins 

Spoons have been used for love traditions across Europe and Africa for hundreds of years. In France symbolic folding spoons made by a cooper would be worn in the hat or button-hole on the way to a wedding feast. Shepards in Spain would carve spoons with simple love symbols using their pocket knives. Portugal and Italy have similar traditions but the designs mostly center around the heart shape. In Austria a woman would receive an intricately carved love spoon but it was meant to be used as a drawer handle. Young couples in Sweden commonly received a carved love spoon on their wedding day. In Southern Africa two chain-linked spoons called “marriage spoons” carved from a single piece of wood were common for new couples to use as an expression of unity, using the attached spoons to eat from the same bowl. This tradition can also be found in Norway and Romania but is not as common. Parts of Africa also use spoons as symbols for good luck and fertility. 

Example of a Scandinavian marriage spoon. Public Domain.

The most widely known and utilized love spoons come from Wales. The earliest example of which dates back to 1667, but it is believed that the tradition is much older than that. The Welsh love spoon is based off of the “cawl,” or soup spoon which nearly every man knew how to carve. Early love spoons were just that, a spoon with the initials of the two lovers and a hole at the top to hang on a wall. Over the generations they lost their practical use and became more decorative with intricate symbolism. These symbols were important because at this time it was not common for a man to openly show his affection towards a woman, so he would instead try to disguise it with the symbols that he carved on the spoon. Young men would spend long hours carving these romantic trinkets, usually out of a single piece of wood, to give as a sign of affection towards their sweetheart. The spoon was also oftentimes used to make the intention of marriage known. If the intended woman accepted it then she would begin to show romantic interest in the man, this is where the term “spooning” comes from. This tradition was mostly practiced by the peasantry as it was an inexpensive way to make one's feelings known. This practice is also seen in some Scandinavian countries, Eastern European countries, and the by the Celts.

Welsh love spoon with a cross, knot, and a heart shaped bowl. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The symbols also acted as a sort of test of skill. Up until very recently practical skills were an incredibly desirable trait for a husband to have, and an intricately carved spoon would display to their love interest that they possessed such skills. Though not always, generally the more detailed a spoon was the deeper the man's love for the woman was. The spoon really acted in three parts as a declaration of love, a resume of skills, and a gauge of how deep the man's affection was. 

A quite intricate Welsh love spoon. Public Domain.

Meanings

Below is a list of common symbols seen on love spoons and what they mean. Note that these are mostly Welsh meanings, and while they are generally universal, other cultures may have a different meaning. 

Anchor: Security, wanting to settle down

Angel: Protection

Love spoon with balls in a cage. Courtesy of Cadwyn Gifts.

Balls in a Cage: The number of children desired, or possibly to show that a man is captive by his love 

Bell: Wedding, wedding anniversary, or joy in love

Birds: Lovebirds, or the idea of the two being lovebirds

Chain Links: loyalty, faithfulness

Comma/Paisley Shape: Soul, deep affection

Cross: Faith, marriage

Daffodil: National Welsh symbol, sign of growing love

Diamond: Wealth, good fortune

Double/More Than One Bowl: Can indicate the coming together of two souls, or the number of children desired

Love spoon with a daffodil. Courtesy of Welsh Love Spoons.

Dove: Peace

Dragon: Welsh national symbol, protection

Flowers: Affection

Harp: Traditional Welsh symbol 

Hearts: True love

Heart Shaped Bowl: Fulfilling life, happy life

Horseshoe: Luck, happiness

Key and Keyhole: Sharing a home, security 

Knot: Two lives tied together forever

Leaves: Love growth

Ring: Together forever

Stork: Newborn, or desire to have a baby

Twisted Stem: Togetherness

Wheels: Mutual support

Love spoon with a diamond, heart, and anchor.

Today

The love spoon tradition began to die out during the 19th and 20th centuries but has seen a revival in recent years. Craftsmen who are not willing to let the tradition die and tourists who often buy them as souvenirs being two of its biggest saviors. It has also helped that they are no longer exclusive to love and marriage. Love spoons are now frequently made and bought for anniversaries, birthdays, holiday gifts, and even just decoration. As their use expands and craftsmen continue to glean inspiration from them it is unlikely that the love spoon will go away anytime soon. 

A more modern and simple love spoon with a dragon and hearts. Courtesy of Welsh Gifts.

Personal Thoughts 

I learned about these pretty recently due to a project I am working on and began doing research on them, so I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone and make an article out of it. I think they’re a really cool tradition. Definitely a lot of room to add one's own customization and meaning. As someone who is interested in woodworking I’d kind of like to make one someday. 

Sources

https://www.adamking.co.uk/pages/history-and-meanings

https://www.welsh-lovespoons.co.uk/history

https://museum.wales/articles/2012-09-16/Welsh-lovespoons/

https://angelwoodcraft.co.uk/love-spoon-symbols/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/XQ4EgCU_QIqSfIMT14EzqQ#:~:text=The%20lovespoon%20tradition%20stems%20from,the%20Museum%20is%20dated%201667.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110707062315/http://www.lovespoons.250x.com/index.htm