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Folklore of Plants
 Plants have long been associated with folklore. And at this time of the year even more so. So lets delve into the beliefs and mysteries that surround many of the plants that we grow in our gardens or find around our countryside. First is the Elder, sambucus nigra. The was quoted by Archbishop Jacobus de Voragine as, the tree of shame and darkness, dark and without beauty. In the past men have been put to death on it,and in some parts of the country it is known as God’s stinking tree. It was often planted in graveyards and is said to smell of dead men. Superstition tells you never burn elder on your fire or the Devil will sit on your chimney, and perhaps even come down it. However it is a good native plant, and will thrive in almost any soil. A particularly striking variety is called ‘Black Beauty’. Next is the early purple Orchid, Orchis mascula, With names like, Devil’s fingers, bloody bones and dead mans hand it has a long and mystical history. The names derive from the long tubers that are found if you dig the plant up. (But please don’t try, as it is illegal to do so). One tuber is swollen ready for next seasons growth, while the other is limp after giving energy for the present years growth. The swollen tuber is said to promote lust, while the flaccid one is for dampening it, for obvious reasons. Devil’s Bit. The story goes that the Devil was in a rage with this healing plant, Succisa pratensis, and the good it was doing for many ailments such as the plague, fever and the bites of many beasties. So much so that he bit of the root. If you look at the plant’s root you will see that it is short and stumpy, But take care not to touch the end, as no amount of soap and water will get rid of the Devil’s breath. This is an easy plant to grow from seed and will spread quickly. With the next the Ragwort, dark forces suggest that the stems of the poisonous weed ragwort are used by fairies, witches, warlocks and the Devil himself as transport. It will grow in almost any soil, and has quite a pretty flower, but remember it is very dangerous and is harmful to livestock. The Mandrake, Mandragora officinarum is a plant shrouded in mystery and legend. The roots have long been used to prevent sterility in men and animals and to induce love. However it is said you must never pull the plant out of the ground. Folklore says the shriek it will utter will kill you instantly. Instead men used to tie a hungry dog to it with a bowl of food a few paces away, so in the attempt to reach the bowl if anybody died it would be the dog while the man would get the root. The Rue, Ruta graveolens, was hung in doors and windows at this time of the year in medieval times so that no evil spirit would dare enter the house. Rue was used to stop fleas from coming into the house by rubbing areas with the bitter, pungent juice released from a crushed stem. Priests would dip rue in Holy water and anoint people or bless a house to dispel evil. It was also carried in bunches on the waist to ward off witches which earned it the common name of witch bane. Rue needs a well drained soil and a sunny position. Some say it has an offensive smell while others like it, it’s a matter of taste, but take care as the sap can cause severe irritation if it gets on your skin.Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis was brought to England in the 14th century from the Mediterranean where it was hung in clusters over the cradles of infants to protect them from the evil eye. It was also called brides herb, and was believed to ward off evil on the wedding day. Burned with thyme and juniper, the smoke gets rid of witches and also cleans the air in a sick room. Rosemary is a herb that will thrive in a well drained soil in a sunny position. Yew was planted in churchyards as their roots were thought to grow through the eyes of the dead. This was said to stop them seeing into this world, and keep them from trying to return as spirits. In pagan times it was also a symbol of life itself, as when many other plants lost their leaves in winter, the dark evergreen leaves of the yew and its red berries told that life continued. Yew is an excellent plant for a formal hedge or grow it as a single specimen if you have the room. Sage, Salvia officinalis is a symbol of immortality. It was often planted on graves in days gone by as it was said to live forever, often thriving on neglect where other plants would fail and die, and it’s true that it is one of the easiest plants to grow as long as it is not in wet soil. Now every good witch knows that the best wands are made from Mistletoe, Viscum allnum grown on an oak. It also acts as a deterrent against demons. Mistletoe berries pushed into the bark of a tree, preferably a native like apple or oak, should germinate and you will be able to grow your own plant, and they will not harm their host. Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, also called the devils plaything or devils rattle, is used in spells and witchcraft. Cut the stem across and you will see the initials of your true love. Sow an ounce of yarrow picked from a young mans grave and place it under the pillow of the person you want to fall in love with you. Mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia or witchwood used to be planted in graveyards to stop the dead from rising, and for the same reason it used to be built into coffins. A branch hung over the door will protect your house from fairies but it is the bright red berries that are said to ward off evil. In Wales it is called Cas gangythraul, which means devils hate. Others to keep an eye on are Vervain, which will handicap witches. Never pick a Pansy with dew on it. It is said to cause the death of a loved one, and if you pick one on a fine day you will invite it to storm. Parsley is said to go down and back to the devil seven times, that is why it takes so long to germinate. Witches ointment is made from Aconite and Belladonna. They smear themselves with the extract which may give the sensation of flying due to the hideous poisons found in both of these plants. Fennel will keep witches away. It should be hung over doorways to protect from enchantment. There are lots of other plants associated with myths, and there are more than 50 common names for plants that are preceded by the word Devil. |
Halloween
 What would Halloween be without pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns and decorations? Although this is the plant most often associated with Halloween today, in the past other fruits and vegetables had strong connections to this holiday. In England and Ireland, Halloween lanterns were originally carved out of turnips and large beets. Faces of demons were cut into the vegetables then a glowing coal was placed inside. People carried these lanterns around the village or left them burning on doorsteps to frighten away evil spirits. When the Irish immigrants arrived in America, they found pumpkins abundant and much easier to carve than turnips. And thus, the tradition of turning pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns began. The custom of decorating with apples, pumpkins, cornstalks, and autumn leaves has its origin in an ancient Druid autumn festival called Samhain (pronounced SAH-win). The festival celebrated the end of summer and a successful harvest. Today apples also are used in a popular Halloween party gamebobbing for applesand are often given out to treat-or-treaters. But during the Victorian era, the apple was more than just an edible treat. It played a significant role in determining a young girl's future. By slipping an apple under her pillow on Halloween eve, she was sure to dream of her sweetheart. Apples also were used to foretell the identity of the man she was to marry. At midnight on Halloween, a girl would stand in front of a mirror and brush her hair three times while eating an apple. The image of her future husband would appear in the mirror over her shoulder. Once she saw his face, she peeled an apple in a single strip. She tossed the peel over her left shoulder using her right hand. The peel would form the first initial of his name. A popular rhyme at the time went as follows. "If your future hubby's name you wish to know, Over your left shoulder an apple peel throw. It will wriggle and coil, and you will see The first initial of who it will be. For the witches plot, and the hexes scheme On the mystic night of Halloween. Another way to learn about one's future spouse was to visit the cabbage patch on Halloween. Both young men and women followed this ritual, rushing into the garden to pick the first cabbage they saw. If the cabbage had a short stalk, the spouse would be short, a long stalk, the spouse would be tall. Dirt on the leaves meant the one who picked the plant would marry rich. If a young maiden couldn't choose between two suitors, on Halloween night she took a pair of hazelnuts, and giving each for one of her beaus, she then tossed them in the fire. The nut that burned the brightest or popped the loudest indicated which man was to be hers. In England, this night became known as Nutcrack Night. Throughout the years, other plants and herbs also were associated with this holiday. In Mediterranean countries, prior to the fourteenth century, rosemary was placed over the cradle of babies to protect them, not just on Halloween, but year round. It was often burned with juniper and thyme as a means of cleansing a room of witches and bad spirits. Rue was hung from doorways and windows to ward off evil spirits and prevent them from entering the house. Salvia, which is also known as meadow sage, was considered a symbol of immortality. When planted on graves in cemeteries, this perennial was believed to give the dead "eternal life." Happy Halloween! |
Halloween Plants
 It’s that night when strange creatures are abroad and all manner of dark deeds are possible. Witches, wizards, ghosties and ghoulies lurk in the shadows, not to mention the trick or treaters. Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, the last night in October when the veil between this world and the next is thinly stretched, and who knows what might slip through? It's the night when spells and incantations, magic potions and rituals are at their most effective. Our ancestors, fearful of things they could not explain, blamed witches for all their ills, and turned to nature to protect them against evil. Trees and plants have long been humankind's greatest ally in the fight against disease and illness. So as they have fed and clothed us why shouldn't they also protect us against the unseen forces of evil as well as make themselves useful in spells and incantations to bring us luck and love? Hollies, rowan, oak, hawthorn and elder trees planted near your house all give powerful protection against evil spirits and witches and by extension, it was seen as bad luck to cut down any of them. An elder tree was believed to be the resting place of a witch who would ward off any other evil spirits near your home. But if you were rash enough to burn the tree down, you risked coming face to face with the Devil. Best leave elders alone then! Little sprigs of rowan (always regarded as a sacred tree), holly an oak nailed above the windows should keep out most ghosties and ghoulies while a piece of holly bound around with ivy is a potent good luck charm. And here's a tip for the chaps, tuck a few holly leaves and berries in your pocket (carefully) , and women will find you irresistible! The universal symbol of Halloween these days is the pumpkin Jack o' lantern. Commercial growers do a roaring trade in the large, brightly coloured F1 hybrid pumpkin 'Mars', which weighs about 61b, and is just the right shape and size for scary carving. In the old days swedes and turnips were the traditional 'lanterns' designed to play witches at their own game by scaring them away. But America has given us the pumpkin which is, admittedly, easier to carve and looks more dramatic. Witches have had a bad press over the centuries. Any witch worth her salt would be able to tell a young woman at Halloween how to find out her future lover, and keep him, using plants. The simplest ritual was the careful peeling of a large apple and throwing the peel over your shoulder to see what letter it made as it fell to the ground. Or you would select some nice plump hazelnuts, give each one the name of a potential suitor and place them on the edge of the fire. Those that exploded and flew back into the grate were good prospects according to the rhyme: If you love me pop and fly; if you hate me burn and die!" If you could still get hold of a marigold at Halloween you would place it carefully under your pillow in the hope of seeing the man of your dreams as you slept. Once you'd decided on the lucky chap, you had to attract him, and keep him. The witch would mix you a potion of honeysuckle, lavender, lemon balm (also a potent aphrodisiac), mistletoe, rosemary or achillea. She would know exactly how much of the plant to use, you didn't want to bump him off by mistake! Slip the potion in his drink and he was yours for life. Even the deadly henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), the plant whose poison was used to such ghastly effect by the celebrated murderer Dr Crippen, was mixed in minute quantities in love potions. It's a powerful narcotic sedative, said to produce interesting hallucinations. But witches with grudges to settle at Halloween would use their favourite revenge plant, the beautiful but deadly monkshood or wolf's bane (Aconitum napellus). Its cowled flowers, mostly in shades of deepest blue, are lovely in October as the chill hand of winter approaches. But it is not called 'wolf's bane' for nothing. Not only were wolves finished off by its virulent poison but there are tales of whole villages being wiped out in medieval times when enemies doctored their water supply with monkshood. Witches keen to contact the 'other side' would use minute quantities of aconitum mixed in with other plant material to put themselves in a trance. Then there’s the Devil. Believe in him or not, you can't ignore him. There are people who steadfastly refuses to buy the lovely red Crocosmia 'Lucifer' because it's named after Satan. Perhaps they should buy a Rose of Sharon or any other member of the St John's Wort (hypericum) family, its old name of 'Devil chaser' reveals how it warded off evil spirits. Folklore tells of young women wearing it under their frocks to protect against satanic molestation. In revenge, the Devil was said to have pricked the plant's leaves with a needle. Sure enough, if you hold a leaf up to the light, you'll see the tiny perforations. But the most powerful plants in the fight against Halloween’s dark forces are our old friends, herbs. Lavender, which contains strong antiseptics, was used to cure headaches and give a good night's sleep. Thyme and marjoram are both said to dispel negative energy and give you plenty of get up and go while a pillow stuffed with thyme will ward off nightmares. Rosemary is a memory improver and sage contains healing oils said to help you reach a ripe old age. We grow yarrow, or achillea, to brighten our borders but our witchy friends would have been chucking great chunks of it into the cauldron as they brewed up spells to give courage and energy, see into the future, heal all manner of ills and make powerful love potions. Makes you think, doesn't it? I'll be well prepared for the big night with good strong holly, elder, hawthorn and rowan bushes in the garden. There are plenty of apples (you never know your luck) and I might brew up a herby drink just to get rid of any negative energy.
(Taken from an article by Annie Bullen in Amateur Gardener).
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