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Ferns
- Elves and pixies shelter in ferns so it is thought important not
to crush them or speak close to them of secrets that may be carried
to the four winds. In Russia it is said that, when ferns bloom golden
at Midsummer, a handful of the seeds should be cast in the air and
where they fall will reveal hidden gold.
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) - the ultimate fairy flower,
the plant has long and deep association with fairy folk. The Welsh
called it 'fairy's glove' and the Irish 'fairy bells'. The name
fox is a corruption of the word 'folks' - the flower was the 'folk's
glove' or 'the glove of the good folk', the good folk being the
fairies.
It was said that the fairy folk would smile favourably on any gardener growing the foxglove very tall so that it would nod in the garden - the taller and the more nodding the plant, the happier they would be. They should, however, be grown from seed and never transplanted as they may well be a home for a fairy.
It was said that the foxglove possessed the ability to tell when it was in the presence of a supernatural being and that it would bend its tall flower spike to pay homage and respect to any such person.
The flowers provided hats for elves and resting places for fairies but it was also said to protect mortals from fairies.
An ancient belief that children could be stolen by fairies engendered a method of 'testing' whether an ill child was real or had been replaced by a fairy child - 3 drops of foxglove juice would be placed on the child's tongue and three drops in his ear, it would then be sat upon a large shovel and swung in the doorway of the family home 3 times while being challenged if it were indeed a fairy, to leave; if human, then the healing process would begin.
In Welsh homes a large black cross would be etched in juice on the kitchen floor to keep evil spirits away and deny a witch or devil access.
In Northern legends, wicked fairies were said to put the flowers on foxes' paws so they could prowl in chicken runs unheard, and the marks on the inside of the blooms were said to the elves' fingerprints.
Garlic - used in healing for thousands of years, it is also
used as protection against a whole range of both physical and metaphysical
evil influences. It was believed to possess occult magic and in
ancient China was used to ward off the evil eye, while in many other
traditions it was hung in strings from roofs of houses and sterns
of boats to prevent attack by witches, sorcerers, demons and evil
spirits. In Homer's Odyssey it was garlic that Hermes recommended
to Ulysses to protect him against the sorceress Circe who turned
men into swine. It was dedicated to Hecate, the Greek goddess of
witchcraft and the Ancient Greeks used to place garlic on piles
of stones at crossroads as supper for her. There is a Mohammedan
legend that says 'when Satan stepped out of the Garden of Eden after
the fall of man, garlic sprang up from the spot where he placed
his left foot and onion from that where his right foot touched.'
Geranium (Geranium robertianum) - otherwise known as 'Herb
Robert' this is the member of the geranium family which is most
associated with fairies. The name is thought by some to be a reference
to the folklore character Robin Goodfellow, better known as Puck
- a household sprite often depicted as mischievous and sometimes
fiendish.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng) - Ginseng and its other Chinese names
are all different transliterations of the same Chinese ideogram
meaning 'essence of the earth in the form of a man' or 'man root',
so-called because the root of ginseng resembles that of the mandrake
and has a human form.
Lady's slipper (Cypripedium pubescens) - A native American
legend tells of a little Indian princess who, while out playing,
encountered a rabbit which had injured its foot and could not get
home. The princess took off her moccasins and gave them to the rabbit.
On her way home her feet began to get sore and bleeding from the
stones that had hurt the rabbit's feet and exhausted from the pain
she sat down and fell asleep. A bird flying past spotted her and
implored the Great Spirit in the sky to help her. When the princess
awoke she found hanging on stems by her side the most beautiful
pair of lady's slipper moccasins she had ever seen. They fitted
perfectly and she continued home. The red-purple spot and scarlet
lines inside the flower are said to be the marks left from the princess's
feet.
Lily (Lilium candidum)) - it was said that if you plant lilies
in your garden it will keep your house free of ghosts and other
unwanted intruders. Oberon, king of the fairies and elves was said
to carry a lily as a magic wand. Each lily is said to have its own
elf, who is born with it, lives in it and dies with it.
Lily of the Valley - are said to form ladders that fairies
can climb to reach the reeds from which they plait their cradles.
Marigold, Calendula - considered a magic plant. It was said
that if you wore marigolds you could see who had robbed you. It
was also used to protect against evil influences and disease including
the plague. In folklore it was said that marigolds would help you
see fairies dancing in front of your feet.
Mistletoe (Viscum album) - revered as a sacred plant by many
ancient peoples of Europe and associated closely with magic and
medicine.
Mugwort - was considered connected to the emotional world
of women, enhancing clarity and inner strength as well as to world
of psyche and dreams. It was used in making dream pillows which
were slept upon to gain visions of the future and important spiritual
insights. It was believed to be a magical herb and used as a talisman
against tiredness. Pliny in his Naturalis historia recommended travellers
to carry mugwort with them. It was also said to be a powerful herb
for warding off danger and evil and used in spells against a whole
range of mortal dangers including evil spirits, sunstroke, poison,
wild beasts, fire and illness. It was placed in the entrance to
houses to keep away infections, and inside the house to stop lightning
from striking.
In the Middle Ages mugwort was called St John's girdle as it was said that John the Baptist wore a girdle of mugwort while in the wilderness. It was traditionally worn on St John's (midsummer's) eve as a garland round the head or waist when dancing round the fire. Afterwards it was grown on to the fire to protect the wearer from danger and sickness in the following year.
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