I think the flower in volume 1 that's shown being hit by a raindrop right before Guts' encounter with the traveling priest and his daughter, Collette, is a harebell. Here's some pictures of harebell flowers and their leaves for comparison:
If the flower in the manga is a harebell, then I find that interesting because according to the language of flowers, which is a way of communicating using flowers, some meanings for the harebell are submission and grief. Guts submits to his dark side when he decides that he doesn't care if something bad happens to the priest and Collette and it certainly ends in grief for everyone involved.
There is also some interesting folklore about the harebell. It was believed that it could assist people in seeing into the realm of fairies, but that it could also reveal and even attract evil spirits, so it was regarded as bad luck by some and was called Aul Man's Bells, the “Aul Man” being a reference for the devil without the danger of actually invoking his name. Another name for this flower was Dead Men's Bells because it was thought that to hear them ring was an omen of death. Not sure how you hear flowers ring, but I guess if you do it means you're in trouble.
I wonder if Miura was hinting at the woe to come by using this flower at the beginning of the story. I like to think he might have been.
P.S. I'm working on gathering info for a Skullknight and roses post. As far as the language of flowers goes, the meaning of the rose seems to be mostly tied in with its color. Does anyone know what the color of the rose on Skullknight's shield is? I guess with the manga being in black and white it might not be known, but thought it couldn't hurt to ask. I looked through my manga volumes (at covers and inside foldouts) and my Berserk Illustrations File, but couldn't find a color work of SK where his shield was shown. The emblem on it looks like it's a darker color because of the way it's shaded, so I at least don't think it's white, yellow, or a lighter color like that.
Sources:
language of flowers - http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/language.html
more info: http://www.twocrows.co.uk/kaleidescopes/text-pages/scottish-bluebell-text.html, http://www.alchemy-works.com/campanula_rotundifolia.html, https://www.virtualheb.co.uk/harebell-blue-wildflowers-western-isles/
If the flower in the manga is a harebell, then I find that interesting because according to the language of flowers, which is a way of communicating using flowers, some meanings for the harebell are submission and grief. Guts submits to his dark side when he decides that he doesn't care if something bad happens to the priest and Collette and it certainly ends in grief for everyone involved.
There is also some interesting folklore about the harebell. It was believed that it could assist people in seeing into the realm of fairies, but that it could also reveal and even attract evil spirits, so it was regarded as bad luck by some and was called Aul Man's Bells, the “Aul Man” being a reference for the devil without the danger of actually invoking his name. Another name for this flower was Dead Men's Bells because it was thought that to hear them ring was an omen of death. Not sure how you hear flowers ring, but I guess if you do it means you're in trouble.
I wonder if Miura was hinting at the woe to come by using this flower at the beginning of the story. I like to think he might have been.
P.S. I'm working on gathering info for a Skullknight and roses post. As far as the language of flowers goes, the meaning of the rose seems to be mostly tied in with its color. Does anyone know what the color of the rose on Skullknight's shield is? I guess with the manga being in black and white it might not be known, but thought it couldn't hurt to ask. I looked through my manga volumes (at covers and inside foldouts) and my Berserk Illustrations File, but couldn't find a color work of SK where his shield was shown. The emblem on it looks like it's a darker color because of the way it's shaded, so I at least don't think it's white, yellow, or a lighter color like that.
Sources:
language of flowers - http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/language.html
more info: http://www.twocrows.co.uk/kaleidescopes/text-pages/scottish-bluebell-text.html, http://www.alchemy-works.com/campanula_rotundifolia.html, https://www.virtualheb.co.uk/harebell-blue-wildflowers-western-isles/