Hi Fearn,
I agree with what you have said. However, you have previously stated that there are no 8 petaled flowers .... if it was a literal interpretation of a flower then it must be incorrect. Assuming that it was not a mistake then we could asume that the Fleur-de-lys is also not a 'literal' interpretation either.
Irrespective of this ....why are two symbols associated with the tree of life, together on the cup
It seems that this and the serpentine rapier display similar symbology ....coincidence
Regards David