November 6th, 1883.

Introduction

“FLOWERS are the friends of all, and we look with amazement at the person who cannot find some amount of pleasure in their study. Children love to gather them as they take their country rambles or return from the village school ; the sick are always delighted when a bouquet is brought into the chamber of suffering ; mothers love to place them on table and in vase both for the sake of their beauty and their fragrance ; the wealthy spend fortunes on conservatories and greenhouses ; while the peasant cottager feels that something is wanting if he has not a few pots in his window or a border in his garden set apart for their cultivation. Here we are concerned, not with the cultivation of plants and flowers, but with their history and names, with the curious uses to which they have been applied, and the legends which cluster around them,—in fact, with anything that legend, poetry, fancy, or imagination can supply of interest in connection therewith. But though the present work covers a great deal of ground, it does not by any means claim to be exhaustive. [pg,1] …

“During my residence in Devonshire I took great delight in studying the local names of wild and cultivated flowers and plants. In collecting these and preparing them for publication, I soon found that the people had a great deal of information to communicate respecting their favourite plants, and as much of this was novel and interesting, I made careful note of everything I heard. While I have embodied a great deal of this information in the following pages, my note-books still contain many other facts and fancies of not less interest, some of which deserve to be placed on special record here. Thus, while the garland woven for the fairies is somewhat elaborate, it does not claim to be exhaustive. In Sussex and Kent—my own native and adopted counties—we find remnants of fairy influence in the names of places and plants which linger amongst us still. I have shown how Pixy and Puck have become confused, and how they sometimes appear as good, at other times as bad characters. So in these counties the same confusion in name seems apparent, for while the wild Geranium {G. Robertianum) is in some places claimed by Robin Hood, the seed vessel of this plant, noted for its sharppoint, is known as Pook-needle, or the needle employed by the fairies, just as the Scandix is called Puck-needle in Hants. In Ireland again we hear of tufts of grass which bear the name of Hungry-grass, because it grows up where people have sat down to eat, and have left again without paying their respects to the fairies by leaving them some portion of the food. This will remind us of what has been said in the following pages about Clouties Croft and kindred subjects. The following recipe for obtaining a sight ofthe fairies was written about the says : “ We have a precious ungent, prepared according to the 1600, and will perhaps prove interesting in connection with “ The Fairy Garland.

“The writer receipt of a celebrated alchymist, which, applied to your visual orb, will enable you to behold without difficulty or danger the most potent fairy or spirit you may encounter. 

“This is the form of the preparation:—R. A pint of sallet-oyle, and put it into a vialglasse ; but first wash it with rose-water and marygolde water the flowers to be gathered towards the East. Wash it till the oyle becomes white ; then put it into the glasse, and then put thereto the budds of hollyhocke, the flowers of marygolde, the flowers or toppess of wild thime, the budds of young hazle, and the thime must be gathered neare the side of a hill where fayries use to be j and take the grasse of a fayrie throne ; then all these put into the oyle into the glasse ; and sette it to dissolve three dayes in the sunne, and then keep it for thy use.” It is worthy of note that while the curious, tangled, brush-like growth which one often sees on Rose-bushes is called Donnerbesen on the Continent, and Old-man’s Beard in the West of England, it elsewhere bears the name of Elf-rod. Here again Puck, the Old Man, the Thunderer, and the Elf are brought into close connection. At Wrexham we find an old Oak-tree sometimes known as the Fairy Oak, but usually this tree is claimed by Thor, Jupiter, or Perun.

Puck

“The association of Puck or the devil with plants is much more extensive than one would at first imagine. Nor is this the case in England or Europe alone. The Malays place thorns on the floor to keep out demons when a child is born ; the Hindfis regard the Garlic and Ocymum as capable of expelling and even destroying evil monsters; while in China, if a person is troubled with evil spirits a trailing plant, known on account of its unpleasant smell as the Fowl-dung Creeper, is employed for purposes of exorcism. Among the names which pass current on the Continent we find the Datura or Thorn-Apple {Stramonium) called Herbe du diable and Pomme du diable. Among the Little Russians the Artemisia and Hemlock alike play their rdle in connection with diabolism.

“Respecting the Virgin, I have recently found the country folk in one part of Oxfordshire retaining an interesting legend which [pg.5]connects the name of her ladyship with the spotted Persicaria. It will be remembered that in consequence of the dark spot which marks the centre of every leaf belonging to this plant, popular tradition asserts that it grew beneath the cross, and received this distinction through the drops of blood which fell from the Saviours wounds touching its leaves. The Oxonian, however, says that the Virgin was wont of old to use its leaves for the manufacture of a valuable ointment, but that on one occasion she sought it in vain. Finding it afterwards, when the need had passed away, she^ condemned it, and gave it the rank of an ordinary weed. This is expressed in the local rhyme “ She could not find in time of need. And so she pinched it for a weed.”’

“The mark on the leaf is the impress of the Virgin’s finger, and the Persicaria is now the only weed that is not useful for something. In Bucks the White Lily {L. candidum) is dedicated to the Virgin under the name of Lady-lily, while in some parts of Prussia the Holy-grass {Hierochloa), which is held to be sacred, is consecrated to her. I may also mention that in addition to the names for the Foxglove given in the chapter on “ The Virgin s Bower,” the French call it Doigts de la Vierge. In the “ Mytholocrie des Plantes ” will be found a number of other facts respecting the flower-lore of the Virgin which cannot be here adduced. During a recent visit to the West of England, I found that the name of Virgin Mary’s Nipple was applied by the people in some parts ° Somerset to a certain plant noted for the milk-white sap which flows from it on being gathered. It is not a little curious that this plant, which belongs to the Spurge family, should in some places be consecrated to the devil, but so it is; and a number of other plants will be found to fall into similar categories. ^ , I have not by any means exhausted the subject of Brida Wreaths and Bouquets” in Chapter IV. A Royal wedding hastaken place in England since that chapter was written, and an op portunity was then afforded us of seeing what part flowers had to play in the interesting ceremony. Speaking of the approaching marriage of Prince Leopold the papers published in April 1883 said :—“The dresses of the bridesmaids are of white moird antique, trimmed with white satin, the head-dresses being composed of clusters of violets, primroses, and white heather blossoms, the tout ensemble being extremely tasteful in design.” I have quoted in one chapter (p. 489) some lines from a lately deceased author, in which the name “Seven-years’ Love” is mentioned as designating a common flower in the West of England. The Rev. H. Ellacombe has kindly informed me that he has often seen the country bridesmaids in Gloucestershire and other parts bringing the double-flowered Yarrow {Achillea Ptarmica) to the hymeneal altar under this very name, which certainly is most expressive.

[pg.7]

“The custom of presenting bouquets to distinguished personages on every occasion of interest seems to be on the increase. If the Princess Beatrice happens to keep her birthday at Baveno the good people send flowers—veri fiori Italiani, as Her Majesty calls them—in honour of the occasion; if the Princess of Wales visits some provincial town, bouquets are the order of the day. Does a general land on his native shores after an exciting campaign, then flowers greet him, too. The pretty custom of sending wreaths for the coffins of deceased friends is also growing, and it is certainly a delicate, expressive, and touching method of paying tribute to their memory. The Queen and Royal Family have set us an example again and again in this matter, and it is an example which wehave not been slow to imitate. By this I do not mean to say that the custom is new, or originated with ourselves, for I have proved the contrary in the following pages, but the life of the ancient custom, so far from dying out, seems to be reviving under the influence of kindlier feeling, cultivated taste, and fuller knowledgeboth of human nature and of the world of nature. …

[pg.8]

CHAPTER I. THE FAIRY GARLAND.

“ Trib, trib, fairies : come : and remember your parts. Fairies use flowers for their charactery.” Shakspere.

“IN the good old times ” people betieved in the existence of fairies as firmly as they believed in their own. In the secluded villages of Fair Devonia, whence I write, ‘you will still frequently meet with people whose faith iin the good folk is as unshaken as ever. The heathery moors -and verdant dales of Devon and Cornwall are not more romantic • and attractive than are many of the tales which still pass current : among the peasantry, respecting the fate of some pixy-led mortal a traveller who has found himself at midnight trespassing in [pg, 17] Fairyland, and has been overcome by a spell which he could not break, until he had been led to dance with the pixies, or travel to some remote spot, where he would ultimately find himself after the magic influence had passed away. It is, however, but fair to say, that at least some of these romantic stories have a not very fairy-like foundation, for, under the influence of cider or some other kind of drink, a man will often be seen turning out of the village inn, late at night, too stupid to be able to direct his steps homeward, and if in the morning he is found lying on the village green, or clutching the brushwood by the stream, it may be needful for him to invent a story to account for his strange position ; and it is in this way that many of the tales relating to pixy-led individuals in these and other parts haveoriginated. But setting this sad corruption of the simple faith of our ancestors aside, there is something enchanting in the stories we were all familiar with in our youth, connected withthe tiny fairy or ell. For the romance I must ask you to turn to other works in connection with this subject, or to the volumesto which reference is made in our bibliography: our presentconcern is not so much with fairy tales, as with the flowers andplants which are supposed to have a connection in some wayor other with the mythic creatures that figure in them Regarding fairies as “ the fair ones ” and as taking upon themselves miniature human forms, we shall be prepared to find that their name stands connected with flowers of delicate textureand fair complexion. Everyone knows the wild, rambling Stitchwort which clambers up our country hedgerows and peeps out between the prickly branches and delicate blossoms of hawthorn and brier. Children know the flowers under the more familiar names of Snappers, Snapjacks, or Allbones, but in Devonshireanother name is familiar. We have said that people still believe in fairies here, but they know them by the name of Pixies or [pg. 18]Pisk-ies. Now if you were tp ask a lad in some parts of Devonshire the name of the Stitchwort, his ready answer would be, “ Us calls en Pixies.” Whether it is their delicate white form which has secured them their name, or a supposition that fairies are particularly fond of them, or whether it is because of their curious nabit of popping out their heads between the dark leaves of Jie hedgerow, we cannot say ; but the fact remains that the Stitchwort helps to form the Fairy Garland, This flower mustnot be gathered, or you will certainly be pixy-led. Nor is this the only plant claimed by these tiny beings. In the northern counties of England there is a plant called Fairy Butter. It is what we call a Fungus, and receives its namefrom the supposition that it is made in the night, and scattered about ^ by the fairies. This is a very different thing from the fairies butter which we read of in connection with mines, and concerning which a friend thus writes The labourers in the mines have stories respecting sprights of small people, as they call them; and they used to say that when the damp rises up from the underground vaults, they heard strange noises, like people knocking and hammering. These damps render many lame,^ and kill others outright, without any visible hurt upon them. Shakspere addresses the ‘Elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves ; ’“and we may conclude that fairj butter was not known in his time, but was a later superstition. Pennant, however, mentions that t ere is a substance found at a great depth in crevices of limestone ^ ks in sinking for lead-ore, near Holywell in Flintshire, which IS called Menjm Tylna {Tylwyth) Teg, or fairies^ butter. This is a substance of nature’s own churning, but it affords a proof how strongly the ‘little people’ have kept their liold on the imaainations of miners as well as others.” [pg. 19].•

“Halliwell remarks that “although the fairies have nearly disappeared from our popular superstitions, a few curious traces of them may be found in provincial terms. Fairy Butter, a fungus excrescence sometimes found about the roots of old trees, or a species of tTemclla found on Furze and Broom. Fairy circles. Fairy rings, or Fairy dances, circles of coarse green grass often seen in meadows and downs, and attributed to the dancing of the fairies.” These fairy rings are familiar to us all. It often happens that in the neighbourhood of these rings youmay find large numbers of Mushrooms and Toadstools, which,together with their quick growth during a single night, wouldeasily lead people to imagine that the fairies had somethingto do with their production. Although Shakspere does notmention Fairy Butter, it is easy to prove that the superstition respecting the connection of fairies and fungi existed in his time. The common Toadstool {Marasmius oreades) is in someplaces called Pixy-stool, and a broad species of fungus, probablythe same as that called Fairy Butter in some parts, is in othersknown as Pixy-puff. In Shakspere’s “Tempest” we find areference to pixy-rings, and the superstition that the elves make Mushrooms:

“ You demi-puppets that By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make, Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime Is to make midnight Mushrooms, that rejoice To hear the solemn curfew.” ’

“In Pope’s “Rape of the Lock” (i. 3O. we read Of airy elves, by moonlight shadows seen, The silver token and the circled green.”

“Only the other day it was related to me by a person living in Devonshire, that these rings were still believed by some to becaused by the fairies catching the colts found in the fields, and [pg. 20]riding them round and round, Michael Drayton, reterring to these circles, says of the fairies : “ They in their courses make that round, In meadows and in marshes found. Of them so call’d the fairy ground.”

“And, once more, Browne, in his “Britannia’s Pastorals” (1613-16) describes “A pleasant mead Where fairies often did their measures tread, Which in the meadows made such circles green. As if with garlands it had crowned been. Within one of these rounds was to be seen A hillock rise, where oft the fairy-queen At twilight sat.”

“Mons. de Gubernatis has the following note on the German words : “Elfenkraut, Elfgras {herbe des Elfes).— ^\iQw, on a clear night, under the lime-trees, the elves dance in a ring around the meadows, they trace there green circles, in which the plants which their aerial feet have touched will spring up with marvellous vigour. There is one of these, however, which in particular receives the name of Fairy-plant (I’herbe des Elfes)-v\z., the Vesleria mrulea, which owes its name to its circular form.”

“One writer tells us that when the damsels of old gathered ’ May-dew on the grass, which they made use of to improve their complexions, they left undisturbed such of it as they perceived on the fairy-rings, apprehensive that the fairies should in revenge destroy their beauty; nor was it reckoned safe to put the foot within the rings, lest they should be liable to fairies’ power.

“The fact that fairies are frequently spoken of as “the folk,” “the little folk,” or “the good folk,” has led to an ingenious, but we believe false, interpretation of the name Foxglove. In the Language of Flowers ” (F. Warne & Co.) we read : “ The Foxglove also holds a deadly poison in its exquisite cap-like cups. [pg. 21]It is a Fairy plant, as its true name proves— Folks’-glove, not Foxglove. By the ‘Folks,’ or more commonly ‘good folks,’ our ancestors meant the fairies. The shape of the flower doubtless suggested the name. In France it is called. ‘ Gant de NStre Dame’, or ‘Our Lady’s, the Virgin’s, Glove.’ Wethink, however, that the Irish name, ‘ Fairy Cap,’ is more in accordance with its beautiful blossoms, lined as it is with such delicate point lace.” Thus it appears that the Foxglove does really enter into the FairyGarland, even if we donot admit that the nameis a corruption of Folks’-glove. I shall not hereenter into a discussionrespecting the interpretation of the name justgiven, but it may bewell, for the sake of guarding against error.KOXUl.ovic {^Digitalis purpurea’), a, b, plant ; c, corolla (in section) ; d, calyx and pistil ; e, /, sections of fruit to State that we find no record of such a word as Folks’-glove.In the Anglo-Saxon lists we find Foxes glofa and Foxes glove,but nothing which would lead us to suppose the word to be acorruption of Folks’-glove. Dr. Prior says that the name Foxglove is so inappropriate to the plant that many explanations of ithave been attempted, by means of which it might be made to appear that it means something different from the glove of [pg. 22]fox. Its Norwegian names, which teach us that the English syllable fox is not a corruption of folks, mean fox-bell and fox-music. Here we have a possible explanation of our ownname, which may formerly have been foxes-gleow, or “ fox-music.” Gleow is connected with our word “glee,” and has reference to a favourite instrument of earlier times—a ring of bells hung on an arched support, a tintinnabulum ; which this plant, with its hanging bell-shaped flowers, so exactly resembles. Quite recently we have seen in nurseries and toy-shops bells of this description for the amusement of children, hanging exactly in the form of the flowers on the foxglove stem, and this explanation of the name is both ingenious and suggestive. We shall speak of this flower again.® The delicate little Ground-flax or Mill-mountain is also a Fairy plant, being known on account of its tender form as Fairy-flax and Fairy-lint. In his » Wreck of the Hesperus ” Longfellow uses the former of these terms, but probably in reference to another plant {Linum pere7ine“ ‘Blue were her eyes as the Fairy-flax.’

Fairy Shape Shifters

“Let me here introduce a passage which is full of interest in connection with this subject, from a most enjoyable book, Mrs. Whitcombe’s “Bygone Days in Devon and Cornwall The pixies are said to have the power of assuming various shapes, but their dress, whether belonging to an aristocratic elf or one of less pretensions, is always green.’* The fairies established their kingdom for a time in Devonshire ; however, the pixies proclaimed war, and a terrible battle ensued. King Oberon was dethroned, and his antagonists declared the conquerors; but previous to the battle we may imagine the banquet took place of which Browne in his ‘Britannia’s Pastorals’ gives so pretty a description: [pg. 23] 

Fairy Garland

‘A little mushrome, that was now grown thinner,
By being one time shaven for the dinner,’“

served for a table. The dainty covering was of pure white rose- leaves ; the trenchers of ‘ little silver spangles ’ ; the salt, ‘ the small bone of a fishe’s backe’; the bread,

‘the milke-white kernells of the hazell-nut ’ : “ ‘ The cupboard, suteable to all the rest, Was, as the table, with like cov’ring drest The ewre and bason were, as fitting well, A perriwinckle and a cockle-shell The glasses, pure and thinner than we can See from the sea-betroth’d Venetian, Were all of ice, not made to overlast One supper, and betwixt two Cowslipps cast.’

“ And then we read of a little fairy, who, ‘ cladd in a sute of rush,’ a ‘ monkeshood flower serving for a hatt,’ and under a ‘ cloake of the spider’s loome,’ brought in the bottles—every bottle was a ‘ cherry-stone ’ : “‘To each a seed pearle served for a serewe. And most of them were fill’d with early dewe ; Some choicer ones, as for the king most meet. Held mel-dew, and the honey-suckles sweet’ “

“The fairies had even their musicians, whose hautboys were of syves (i.e. chives) :“

‘ Excepting one, which pufte the player’s face,
And was a chibole, serving for the base ;
Then came the service. The first dishes were In white broth boylde, a crammed grasshopper
A pismire roasted whole ; five crayfish eggs ; The udder of a mouse ; two hornett’s leggs ;
Insteed of olyves, cleanly pickl’d sloes ;
Then of a batt were serv’d the petty-toes ;
Three fleas in souse ; a criquel from the bryne
And of a dormouse, last, a lusty chyne.’ [pg.24]”

Fairy Banquet

Truly a very dainty banquet : “ ‘ The first course thus serv’d in, next follow’d on The faierye nobles, ushering Oberon, Their mighty king, a prince of subtill powrc, Cladd in a sute of speckled gilliflowre. His hatt, by some choice master in the trade. Was (like a helmet) of a lilly made. His ruffe, a daizyie, was soe neately trimnie, As if, of purpose, it had growne for him. His points were of the lady-grasse, in streakes. And all were tagg’d, as filt with titmouse beakes. His girdle, not three tymes as broade as thynne, Was of a little trout’s selfe-spangled skinne. His bootes (for he was booted at that tyde) Were fittly made of halfe a squirrell’s hyde ; His cloake was of the velvett flowres, and lynde With flowre-de-lices of the choicest kinde.’

Fairy Concert

A description of the concert then follows; but we have perhaps gleaned from the choice and racy poem enough to show that fairies in those days knew how to enjoy life, and could turn their Garland to good account. In her interesting Letters to Robert Southey, now published under the title of “The Borders of the Tamar and Tavy, Mrs. Bray tells some interesting Devonshire pixy stories, one of which relates to flowers, and admirably illustrates our present study. It runs as follows :—“ Near a pixy-field in this neighbourhood, there lived on a time an old woman who possessed a cottage and a very pretty garden, wherein she cultivated a most beautiful bed of tulips. The pixies, it is traditionally averred, so delighted in this spot that they would carry their elfin babies thither, and sing them to rest. Often at the dead hour of the night a sweet lullaby was heard, and strains of the most melodious music would float in the air, that seemed to owe their origin to no other musicians than the beautiful tulips themselves ; and whilst these delicate flowers waved their heads [pg. 25] to the evening breeze, it sometimes seemed as if they were marking time to their own singing. As soon as the elfin babies were lulled asleep by such melodies, the pixies would return to the neighbouring field, and there commence dancing, making those rings on the green, which showed, even to mortal eyes, what sort of gambols had occupied them during the night-season.

Fairy-Haunted Tulip-Bed

“At the first dawn of light the watchful pixies once more sought the tulips, and though still invisible could be heard kissing and caressing their babies. The tulips, thus favoured by a race of genii, retained their beauty much longer than any other flowers in the garden ; whilst, though contrary to their nature, as the pixies breathed over them they becameas fragrant as roses; and so delighted at all this was the old woman who possessed the garden that she never suffered a single tulip to be plucked from its stem. “ At length, however, she died ; and the heir who succeeded her destroyed the enchanted flowers, and converted the spot into a Parsley bed—a circumstance which so disappointed and offended the pixies, that they caused it to wither away ; and indeed for many years nothing would grow in the beds of the whole garden. But these sprites, though eager in resenting an injury, were, like [pg. 26]most warm spirits, equally capable of returning a benefit ; andif they destroyed the product of the good old woman’s garden,when it had fallen into unworthy hands, they tended the bedthat wrapped her clay with affectionate solicitude. For theywere heard lamenting and singing sweet dirges around her grave nor did they neglect to pay this mournful tribute to her memoryevery night before the moon was at the full ; for then their high, solemnity of dancing, singing, and rejoicing took place, to hail the queen of the night on completing her silver circle in the skies.. No human hand ever tended the grave of the poor old womanwho had nurtured the tulip bed for the delight of these elfin creatures, but no rank weed was ever seen to grow upon it the sod was ever green, and the prettiest flowers would spring up without sowing or planting, and so they continued to dotill it was supposed the mortal body was reduced to its original, dust.”

“This tale, among others, was gleaned from the chat of the simple folk which still retain those unsophisticated and interesting manners which have for so long a time distinguished the peasantry of the West of England.

“In many countries it is believed that mortals are transformedinto fairies by eating of Ambrosia or some peculiar kind of herb.®’ When I was living in the East I once visited a celebrated spot, on which it was reputed that such a plant had grown in former times, and in connection with which my Chinese pandit told methe following legend. You will perhaps see the same tradition: in other books at some future time, differing from the present account in some of its details ; but I have copied the story froma translation which I made at the time when it was told me, andshall leave you to compare it with other versions when you maymeet with them. The legend states that a certain Emperor of China was on one occasion taking a quiet walk on the hillsides.[pg. 27].in the neighbourhood of his palace, when he unexpectedly cameacross two females of very different ages, one apparently very young, the other quite an old dame, He was startled, moreover, by observing that the young woman, as she appeared to be, was severely chastising the aged matron ; and, puzzled to knowflow such a thing could happen in a land where reverence for the aged is one of the first lessons the young are taught, he demanded an explanation. The reply was that she who appeared as a youthful maiden was in reality the mother of the aged lady she was chastizing ; that, in fact, the mother was correcting her daughter. His curiosity was thus still further excited, and he forthwith questioned them respecting the cause of the mother’s youthful appearance. In reply they informed him that she had eaten of the plant which makes mortals into fairies or genii : in China called Sht, and derived from the words for man and mountain ; perhaps because the elves were supposed to prefer mountain abodes.® The Emperor naturally inquired if the plant could still be obtained, and Wcis told that such a thing was possible. After gleaning all the necessary information he departed, and forthwith despatched a faithful servant in search, telling himthere were many difficulties in the way ; but that if his mission were successful, he should be abundantly rewarded. The servant took ship, attended by a number of followers, and after a tedious voyage reached the neighbourhood in which the Ambrosia grew, and to his joy saw that the hill was covered with the plant he sought. He laid in a good supply, and made preparations for a speedy departure, that he might convey to his royal master the much-wished-for herb. On arising next morning, however, he found that the plant which he had gathered had withered: he therefore resolved to eat it himself, and search for more, whoseroots should be better supplied with the nourishment required for keeping it fresh during the voyage home. But lo ! when he went [pg. 28]in search the second time all had disappeared save one small plant, and that was down the side of a dangerous cliff. For the purpose of securing this one remaining root, none of his retinue would risk their lives ; so the faithful servant himself went down, and as he went, suddenly his hold gave way and he fell, to all appearance a lifeless corpse, to the bottom of the rugged mountain, and was lost in the valley beneath. But just at that moment a large white bird, a stork, regarded among the Chinese as a symbol of immortality, was seen to rise on the wing and soar away. It was a messenger from the genii world, come to bear him away to enjoy the blessing he had sought for his lord. Tothis time the anniversary of the day is kept by the simple and devoted people, and large numbers annually flock to the hillside to bathe in the waters which ripple in the valley below, and sa seek to be participators in his bliss. They also show you the traditional plant, but do not now claim for it any mysterious powers. It is only in Eastern lands that you can still feel the beating pulse of the old life which supports itself on legends like these ; in England we have the fossil remains of the past, but the life is already almost extinct. A knowledge of such facts as these, however, will enable us in imagination to resuscitate the skeleton which is still our heritage, and picture to ourselves the kind of feelings and actions which made up so great a portion of the daily life and worship of our simple-minded . ancestors.

“I presume there is scarcely any boy or girl in England who does mot know the Wood Sorrel. Sometimes it is called Bread-and- ( Cheese in country places, or Cuckoo’s Meat. The plant is easily : recognised in the spring-time by its three delicate leaflets on a rather long stalk, and by its lovely white flowers, which at first -sight resemble those of the wood-anemone, except that they are smaller. These tiny white flowers, with their delicate purple [pg. 29]•veins, are called by the Welsh Fairy-bells, and the people used to believe that the merry peals -which call the elves to “ moonlight dance and revelry,” were sounded forth by these miniature bells. You will thus see that those mysterious beings are not destitute •of that music which hath charms. It is curious here to notice that the idea of flower-music frequently comes out in the namesof plants. We have alreadyseen that the word Foxglovemay have meant Fox-music,and now have learnt that in Wales the fairies have their bells ; whilst in Ireland theFoxglove is also devoted to their use for musical entertainments, and called, as theWood Sorrel is in Wales,Fairy-bell. Everyone againis familiar with the Harebell,and if the fox has music, whyshould not the hare ? The name Campanula also has reference to bells, but is givento those plants wh )se flowersare bell-shaped, and does notrefer to fairy music. The same may be said of Bluebell, where thecolour and shape of the flower are the points indicated by thename This connection between bells and flowers, which I haveagain referred to in the notes to this chapter, is also brought•out in connection with the word Squill. In Italian (as Dr. Priorreminds us) the word squilla is now used to denote the smallvesper-bell which is rung in the Campanili for evening service ; but it is doubtful whether the plant was called by this name on [pg. 30]

account of its likeness to a bell, as the word Harebell, which is applied to the Squill, would lead us to suppose ; or whether the bell was called squilla on account of its resemblance to the flower. It is enough that we here see how easily people might come to regard fairies, and animals which are often connected with fairies, elves and witches, as possessed of bells and music in the shape of flowers. Among the Danes a fairy is called Elle, and : this seems to have been I the source of some con1 fusion respecting the names of plants The I Elecampane, for example, is known sometimes ;as Elf-wort and Elfdock. The latter half of the second name applies to the broad leaves which characterize the plant; and , harebell. possibly on account ^ of the first syllables of Ele-campane being confused with the Danish Elle, the term Elf was employed to denote the kind t)f dock. Here the fairies seem to have come into possession t>f a plant by stratagem,—taking advantage of a similarity in he sound of words,—and so gaining another plant for their :jarland, which by right was never intended for them. Perhaps [pg. 31]something similar to this will account for the Alder-tree beingcalled Elletroe, Elle or Fairy-tree, where the original name of the Alder would be easily confused with the word for an elf or fairy.’It is a Danish belief that he who stands under an elder-bush attwelve o’clock on Midsummer eve will see the king of the elvesgo by with all his train. It will naturally be asked by many who read these pageswhether other people believe in fairies ; and if so, whether theydedicate flowers to their use ? We can reply that in this matteralso the “ whole world is kin ” ; and what one people believesand practises, others do also. To take one illustration, and thatfrom a country where the people are generally regarded as doingeverything as differently from ourselves as possible ; I mean China. At the time of the Chinese New Year, which falls a month or six weeks houses, as we do at Christmas, with flowers and shrubs. The custom observed by us is originally the same as that observed by the “ Heathen Chinee.”

Daffodil and Narcissus

Among the flowers which are in blossom at this season is one choicely-scented little Daffodil, with flowers about thesize of a butter-cup, the whole plant often being no more than sixinches high. The people go into the markets and buy theseplants, carry them home, and place them in a shallow dish filledwith pebbles and clean water. Here they grow after the fashionof hyacii^hs in English windows, and require very little attentionafter having been once planted. It is the pride of every cottagerto have one of these flowers in full bloom at New Year’s tide, andmany of the children have plants of their own as well. And nowfor the name of this pretty little plant : it is called in CantonShui Sin Fd, which means “ Water-Fairy-Flower,” so that weat once see the same connection between flowers and fairies inthe East as we have at home. The foregoing remarks are the result of my own observation in China itself; but since writing them I have come across the following passage in a valuable work on Botany, which will fully bear out what I have said. “The Chinese call this species of xNarcissus (viz., N. Tazetta) S/mey seen fa, and it is used by them for religious purposes at the New Year. The bulbs are sent every year from Chinchew, emg only kept at Canton during the time of their flowering’ They are planted in pots made to retain water, filled with sand or small stones.” I may add that the Balsam is in Canton called Fd, or “ Phoenix-Fairy-Flower.” These illustrations must suffice, as we should soon fill a volume if we allowed ourselves to ramble about among the luxuriant flowers and foliage of tropical climes. ^ I must now cull attention to some more of our com.non tngltsh flowers of which the Fairy Garland is composed. Weuve spoken of Fairy Butter; but those fortunate little sprites tave not only butter, but cheese as well. It is interesting to clh r V! »’ of the Mallow are called Fairy Cheeses, .so that we may be assured that they do not go hungry. But then they are not supposed to be able to cat oflT the ground as the uncivilized people in some parts of the world do, so in Cheshire and North Wales we find that they ter they have been thus supplied with cheese, butter and ables, they eat with their fingers or no,, on the principle’ Tat ngers were made before knives and forks, we are n^t auUiori!ed to say , bu certain it is tha, they have fingers, aye, and gloves who ev« hllrd ‘T””‘’ Ptoscl’tly see. And then, they should’ ° ”’to these being penniless? Or if shl 1 , on their money at the th’cir pur el oottaiiily they ought to be able to turn P >es in their pockets! In Lincolnshire we find that a [pg. 33]i-ind of fungus like a cup or old-fashioned purse with small objects inside is called a Fairy purse, and we presume that the “ small objects” represent their cash.

Fairy Bath

Our little heroes and heroines are supposed to require a dip in the sparkling liquid sometimes for the sake of maintaining both a cleanly appearance and fair features, hence we hear in some places of a plant {Peziza coccined) being called Fairies’ Bath ; and since they would present a very bald appearance to English eyes without a proper covering for the pate, the good people in Jersey provide them with a wig, and call a certain flower {Cuscuia Epithymum) Fairies’ Hair.

Apple Harvest

“We have now to notice another fact in connection with elves.  Let us go down into Cornwall, and we shall there find lingering still the remnants of an old superstition and corresponding custom. When the full crop of apples has been gathered in. It is unlucky to pick any odd ones that may be found remaining afterwards. They are the property of the pixies or elves, and on no account should these creatures be robbed of their due. Originally it was customary to leave a few apples on the trees purposely for their use, it being supposed that they would thenexert their influence on behalf of a good crop for the nextyear. In Devonshire it is still said to be unlucky to gather fruit out of season. We had a few raspberries growing on our busheslate one autumn, after all the other fruit had been gathered. I one day brought several into the house, when the servantremarked that it was very unlucky. The pixies did not like to be robbed of the fruit which they regarded as their own.Similar beliefs exist in most parts of England, and almosteverywhere abroad. In some old dictionaries, and dictionariesof provincial and obsolete words, we find such words as Fix, Pex,Pixy-word. Thus Pix or Pex means—“ To pick up fruit, as apples or walnuts, after the main crop is taken in Pixyword is a provincial expression for Pixy-hoard— le pixy’s [pg. 34]

More about Foxglove and Fairies

The Foxglove has already been referred to ; but at the risk of repeating a few words, we must quote what Mr. Henderson says respecting this flower in his “Folklore of the Northern Counties…. [pg. 35]was in high favour with the witches, who used to decorate their fingers with its largest bells, thence called ‘witches’ thimbles.’ Hartley Coleridge has more pleasing associations with this gay wild flower. He writes of ‘the fays, “ ‘

“That sweetly nestle in the foxglove bells, ’and adds in a note : ‘ Popular fancy has generally conceived a connection between the Foxglove and the good people. In Ireland, where it is called Lusmore, or the Great Herb, and also Fairy-cap, the bending of its tall stalks is believed to denote the unseen presence of supernatural beings. The Shefro, or Gregarious Fairy, is represented as wearing the corolla of a Foxgloveon his head, and no unbecoming head-dress either.’ ”

“Now, taking it as an established fact that our word Fo.xglove has in itself nothing to do with fairies, are we to leave that plant to be the delight of those tiny creatures in Wales andIreland alone, without ourselves making it a Fairy flower also That can never be. In fact, our popular names, as employed in various parts of England, abound in proofs that the Foxgloveis worthy of a place in the Fairy Garland. In Cheshire, for example,that flower is known as Fairy Petticoats. It was remarked abovethat the elves were supposed to dress in green, but evidentlythat applies only to their outside apparel, and there seems to beno reason in the world why they should not have as gay petticoats as their fair rivals who ransack our drapery establishments to find material sufficiently gaudy As tlie Welsh call the Woodsorrel by the name of Fairy Bell, so the Irish apply the same name to the Foxglove, and in the same Emerald Isleanother name and yet another is given it. Fairies, even if theyhave hair, cannot expose themselves at night, as we have already seen, without a caj) ; but then their tiny fingers must be gloved [pg. 36] to match, and so of the foxglove they may make Fairy gloves in Ireland. In their quieter moments the elves are industriousenough to mend their own clothes, and in the Foxglove we haveagain the Faiiy thimbles, and even the Fairy fingers, which areso dexterous and nimble. This latter name for the FoxgloveIS in use in various parts of England as well as in Ireland,but in the latter place yet another name is given the plant, which, if less poetic and romantic, still proves the strong holda belief in fairies has upon the people, for it is called Fairy Weed.In Wales the Foxglove flowers are called Menyg ellyllon, or Elfgloves. Fairy gloves.

“We are told that among the Portuguese the Rosemary wasdedicated to the fairies under the name of Alicrum or Elfin Plant; and in Spam, where it was worn as an antidote againstthe “evil eye,” its magic properties were believed in up till quite recent times. With respect to the Irish belief in fairies of which they distinguish several kinds, we are reminded that the Ragwort is also dedicated to them. It is known in Ireland as the Fairies’ Horse; and just as witches delight to ride on the broom or the thorn, so the fairy gallops about at midnight on this golden-blossomed flower. Mr. Henderson writes respecting the St. John’s Wort thus; “Of the St. John’s Wortthe following little notice has reached me from the Isle of ManPeasants there say (or did say, before the incursion of visitors drove away all the individuality of the place), that if you tread on the St. John’s Wort after sunset, a fairy horse will rise from the earth and carry you about all night, leaving you in the morning wherever you may chance to be at sunrise.” In Ireland ” May-day, or rather May-eve, is a great day among the good people or fairies” (says Mr. Kinahan in the fourth volume of the Folklore Record), “and just before sunset a sprig of the mountain ash, or of the willow, must be stuck over every door [pg. 37]and in each field, to preserve the inhabitants, the cattle, and the crops. There are certain hills on which the fairies hold their meetings; these in Irish are called ‘ cnocksheeaun,’ which is now in general half corrupted and half translated into ‘ Sion Hill ’ by the English.” Among the Slavs the fairy is called Rusialka (or Rtisdlka, which also means “ water-nymph ”) and has its due complement of flowers and plants, its own fairy garland—as we learn from the following invocation addressed to a company of nymphs ; “ O Rusialki ! Rusialki ! virgins of tlazzling beauty, touch not our crowns. . . . O fairy virgins, you liave Jlo’iuers in the ineadozvs, leaves in the forest. O Rusialki, couch not our crowns.”®

“In Shakspere’s picture of the equipage of a fairy we find the following among other charming lines:“ Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut. Made by the joiner squirrel, or old grub, Time out of mind the fairies’ coach-builder.”

“Another poet thus speaks in the name of the elves : “

‘Upon a mushroom’s head
Our table we do spread : A corn of rye or wheat
Is manchet which we eat ;
Pearly drops of dew we drink.
In acorn cups fill’d to the brink.” [pg. 38] …

Nymphs, Dryads Druids

“While the nymph dwelt in the water or on land, the dryad (receiving its name from the root of … “a tree”) was regarded as the inhabitant of trees, groves, and forests. From the same word we are said to get the name of a religious sect once possessed of great influence in England, the Druids. “The name is usually derived from the word… (tree or oak), because the Druids lived in forests, where they also had their principal sanctuaries.”^® These dryads or tree fairies have often, according to popular tradition, inflicted injuries upon people who havepresumed to touch the trees in which they reside. Until quite recently in England, Scotland, and Scandinavia people refused to cut down the Elder and some other trees, fearing lest they should offend the Tree-mother; and if they were forced to putin the axe, they first sought forgiveness of the elf. The readers of Norse stories are aware that in Denmark, also, it is thoughtthat there dwells in the Elder-tree a being called Hyldemor, orElder-mother, who avenges all injuries done to the tree. It is therefore considered unsafe to have movable articles madeof that wood, and the tale goes that when an infant had onone occasion been placed in a cradle made of Elder, the elf continued to pull it by the legs, and molest it till it was taken out. In Lower Saxony, when the Elder has to be cut downthe following formula is repeated three times with bended knees and folded hands:

‘Lady Elder
Give me some of thy wood.
Then will I give thee some of mine.
When it grows in the forest.’

Few plants were held in so much honour in ancient Germany [pg. 39]as the Elder, probably because so often found about bogs and marshes, wliere the VVill-o’-the-Wisp abounded. Even within this century it was a plant which none dared destroy. Its German names (Hollunder, Holler, Ellhorn, Holder—whence our ‘ Elder’) indicate its association with Hulda, the good mother of northern mythology, whose offspring are the ‘ elves.’ She was known by as many tender appellations as the Madonna who succeeded her—Helle, Hilda, Bertha, Spillaholle Spindle Hulda), ‘ Frau Rose.’ The varieties of superstitions connected with the plant correspond to her varied helpfulness; and as she had rites performed in her honour in the Venusberg, near Eisenbach, so late as the fifteenth century, it is not surprising that the superstitions concerning her should still be very strong. In Denmark the name of the Elder is Hildemoer (Elder Mother), and Hilda herself was once supposed to dwell wnth her elves near its roots. It is yet much planted by w’alls, and an ancient Elder-tree is often pointed out as having a mysterious history. Thorpe mentions one in a court in Copenhagen which is said to move about at dusk and peep in at windows. The idea that the elves resent any injury done their favourite plant is carried very far. One must not cut it down without saying, ‘Elder, Elder, may I cut thy branches.^’ He will then, if no rebuke be heard, spit three times and proceed.”” Evil has been thought to follow woodsmen in other lands wTen they have felled certam trees, the elves being revengeful and malicious. “In the Hindu legend respecting Savitri, we are told that the young Satyavant, wlien engaged in cutting down atree, was seized with faintness and sweating, under which hefell down exhausted and died. A Tuscan story relates how a man is overtaken by death in the same way; while in the Germanic legend which Mannhardt relates, it is a countrywoman who, in a forest of Eir- trees, endeavours to uproot one [pg. 40]of the stumps, when she becomes so weak, as to be scarce able to walk. No one is able to say what has happened to her, until a kind of magician informs her that she has wounded an ef. If the dryad recovers, she also will get better: but if the elf should die, she will meet with the same fate. The fear of the magician is more than justified. The stump of the tree was the dwelling-place of a fairy or elf, and as it languisied so did she, until eventually both died at one and the same time. Among tlie Esthoiiians it is believed that the timid elves, in order to avoid the effects of thunder or lightniim. get down several feet under the roots of the trees beneath wiich they dwell. In reference to the Fees, however, it is said at they not only abstain from injuring people who do not offend them,-they will even do them a kindness, and initiate t tern into some of their secrets. One may therefore well be on Iguard, as A. de Gubernatis remarks, against injuring a tree ipossessed by an elf. He says that these little imps L afraid lln the P’*”‘ sn anti-fairy agency. In the mythology of the north we find the Oak gather,1 Jl airyland around its roots, so that the Elder did not enjoy the .r:„d ::r iamonv l ? ‘^”P^’-stition among the people that the holes found in oak trees are the ames pathways; a belief similar to that found in India, where people will tell you that they are the doors through wh”h he pecal spirits or dryads of those trees pass in “and out. * t il c”” ‘T’ hands or out he was*^d*”^ ”Barded as the habitation of a ‘Bjarniand,’ arml !! ” ‘hurch-bells. It is said that ; tmtocer °f – b’-W- he an oa sapling. I„ a churchyard at Heddinne [pg. 41]Seeland, are the remains of an Oak wood declared to be thesoldiers of the Erl-King, assuming the forms of armed men at night.” Very different from the German legend already quotedrespecting the fairy and the fir-tree stump, is that which Thorperelates from the Norse mythology. “The hill of the Harz called Hubinchenstein, covered with holy Firs, amidst whicha village nestles, has two explanations of its existence; according to one it was flung by a giant out of his shoe as a grainof sand which hurt him, while the other states that the mountainfloated there during the Deluge. However that may be, thereare beautiful fir-cones found there, which are wrought into various ornaments.

Gubich King of the Dwarfs

ZOn one occasion the wife of a poor and sick miner went to gather cones, to sell them as a last resource againstthe starvation of her family. €he met a little man in the forest,with a long white beard, who told her where she could get thebest cones. When she arrived at the point indicated, the cones fell so thickly that, being frightened, she ran away. Nevertheless, the cones had fallen into her basket, and this basket, asshe went homeward, grew constantly heavier. Well it might the cones turned out to be pure silver.

“The next day she wentto the wood, and found the little man of the snowy beard again,who, laughing at her fright, told her he was the Gubich, or kingof the dwarfs, and to the wealth which he had bestowed uponher, he added some plants which restored’her husband to health.The now wealtliy miner preserved one of his silver-cones, whichit is said, may be found in the Grund to this day.”

“Although the Anemone is generally associated traditionallywith Venus, it has also by some been made a Fairy plant, theelves having been credited with the work of painting the crimson veins in its petals. The flower is a natural barometer, andindicates the approach of the niglit season or of a shower, bycurling over its petals in a tent-like fashion. This was supposed [pg. 42]also to be done by the fairies, who nestled inside the tent of fair leaves, and pulled the ‘curtains round them. Crocus was once a beautiful youth who fell in love with the nymph Smilax. He is said to have been turned into the golden spring blossoms- on account of his impatience.

The author of the “ Language of Flowers” justly remarks that the Cowslip is also a Fairy flower^ “ ‘ The five small drops of red In the golden chalice shed,’ “are said to possess the rare virtue of retaining for youth its- beauty, or even of restoring it when lost. Shakspere will tell, you the reason why ; he is speaking of the fairy queen : “ ‘ And I serve the fairy queen, To dew her orbs upon the green : The cowslips tall her pensioners be. In their gold coats spots you see Those be rubies, fairy favours In those freckles live their savours.’* It must be remembered that there is a great difference betweenI poetic fancy and popular superstition. Yet if Shakspere makes 1 the Cowslip a Fairy flower, a brother poet speaks of the same 1 plant as though he, too, regarded it as such, and says ; “ .Still thou ought’st to have thy meed. To show thy flower as well as weed. Though no fays, from May-day’s lap Cowslips on thee dare to drop ; Still doth nature yearly bring Fairest heralds of the spring.”

“From these lines we learn that the Cowslip sometimes contained fays m its petals, though on May-day, for some reason they were incapable of dropping on it.*’” It should be borne in mind that in Lincolnshire the Cowslip. {Primula veris) is actually regarded as a Fairy flower, being [pg. 43]known under the name of Fairy Cups. “ Many a fair legend•is connected with this wine-producing flower. The ‘ tiny people ’ —as legends tell—love to nestle in the drooping bells, with their•crimson drops. Hear you not soft music pealing from them,when the moon shinesbright, and dew glitterson the grass; sweet voices,too, singing the praisesof that sheltering flower,wherein they can awaitthe passing by of showers,when clouds and moonbeams alternate } The poet’s eye discerns, it may be, the hurrying o ffairy crowds when pattering raindrops begin to fall; their gossamer robes—now light, now dark,as leaf shadows fall upon them, and their anxious tiny faces looking wistfully through the bladesof grass for some friendly Cowslip. In a momentthey are seen clambering•up the stalks, rushing each one into the nearest bell ; and then a symphony of soft sweet voices is heard proceeding fromthat same tuft of Cowslip ; and he who listens, may hear, per–chance, a melody of Fairyland. …

‘Before I turn to the next chapter, however, there is one other  point to which I should like to refer—viz., the Rev. S. Baring •Gould’s interesting description of a curious oil-painting preserved at Lew Trenchard House, Devon, representing the merry- making of pixies or elves. The account is from Henderson’s Folklore of the Northern Counties,” pp. 276-7, and is as follows: in the background is an elfin city, illumined by the moon. Before the gates is a ring of tiny beings, dancing merrily around what is probably a stump candle….In the foreground is water, on which floats a pumpkin with a quarter cut out of it, so as to turn it into a boat with a hood. In this the pixy king and his consort are enthroned. [pg. 45]while round the sides of the boat sit the court, dressed in the•costume of the period of William of Orange, which is the probable date of the painting. On the hood sits a little elf, witha red toadstool as an umbrella over the head of the king and queen. In the bow sits Jack-o’-Lanthorn, with a cresset in his hand, dressed in a red jacket. Beside him is an elf playing on a Jew’s harp, which is as large as himself; and another mischievous red-coated sprite is touching the vibrating tongue of the’harp with a large extinguisher, so as to stop the music. The water all round the royal barge is full of little old women and red-jacketed hobgoblins in egg-shells and crab-shells ; whilst some of the imps who have been making a ladder of an iron boat chain have missed their footing, and are splashing about in the water. In another part of the picture the sprites appear to beilluminating the window of a crumbling tower.” Fairy life, if we may judge from the pictures drawn by fertile imaginations, must be very enjoyable ; at any rate it is usually innocent, and we donot think that our simple-hearted forefathers were altogether tobe pitied for being able to pass so many pleasant hours in chats about fairies and “ the Fairy Garland.” [pg. 46]

CHAPTER II. FROM PIXY TO PUCK.

“Leaving the magic haunts of the fairy we come ….According to Prior •it is not far from Pixy to Puck, for in his valuable work we •find the following Pixie-stools, a synonym of ‘toad- ‘ stools and ‘paddock-stools,’ the work of those elves ‘“Whose pastime Is to make midnight mushrooms,’ “and a name of some interest, as showing the identity of the ^king of the fairies…. [pg. 47]

“But as the toad was an impersonation of the devil in popularopinion, perhaps the word may once have had the same meaning as Pixie Stool, and have referred to their origin from the devil frequenting the place where they are found.^ Everyone knows the puff-balls which grow in our fields about the time [pg.48] when mushrooms are in season ; they are frequently known as Puck-fist ; and since Puck ‘and Devil are often regarded as one and the same, we find that the same plant is called Devil’s Snuffbox, or Old Man’s Snuft-box; where the name “Old Man” is probably only a more polite and euphemistic form for “ Devil.” In “ Piers Plowman ” and other old works. Puck was regarded as the same as Satan, but he came afterwards to be looked upon as the king of fairies, and given to coarse, practical jokes. Manyof the plants which bear his name have a meaning which point to this fact, although it has been necessary to disguise it in some instances on account of the vulgar character of the words employed. The tendency to employ vulgar names for plants was remarked by Shakspere w’ho speaks of “ Long- purples That liberal shepherds give a grosser name.” In reference to the term Puff-ball, as applied to thIn reference to the term Puff-ball, as applied to the fungus sometimes called Devil’s Snuff-box, we think it perfectly natural and appropriate ; but it is stated by some -.vriters that Puff is a mere corruption of Puck or Pouk. The Irish name is said to be Pooka-foot. The curious little old-fashioned flower which you will often find still in cottage gardens, and which goes by such names as Love-in-a-mist, Prick-my-nose, or Garden Fennelflower, is also associated with the Evil One, and called Devil in a-bush on account of its horned capsule peering from a bush of finely divided fringe or involucre. We are all familiar with the plant (Truoma) which has a flower growing on a tall stalk and presenting the appearance of a poker just taken out of the fire. This plant is often called Red-hot Poker on that account; but in Devonshire and in some other places it goes by the name of Devil’s Poker. It would be difficult in many cases to account these apparently capricious names, but they frequently have [pg. 49]..

Cloutie’s Croft

“In the first chapter I remarked that the fairies or pixies laid claim to a certain share of the crop of fruit which grew every year in the orchards of Devonshire and Cornwall. It appears that the devil also puts in a similar claim in Scotland, and we shall find that the custom of allotting him his share of the good things of life exists in one form or another universally. It seems that the custom originally came into use in connection with the worship of spirits or ancestors, and it will be remembered that there is still a good deal of confusion in the minds of most superstitious people respecting the proper character of spirits, ghosts, elves, fairies, demons, pixies, good-folk, the [pg. 54]gudeman, puck, and the devil. This being borne in mind, it will be easy to understand how they have got mixed up to-gether in popular customs and observances, and how what is considered as the right of the ancestral spirit or house-spirit in one place, is appropriated to the Pixy in another, and to Puckor the gudeman in another. Thus, “ In Scotland green patches may still be seen on held or moor, left uncultivated as ‘the gudeman’s croft,’ by which it has been hoped to buy the goodwill of the otherwise evil-disposed devil or Earth-spirit; and it is doubtless from a similar fear of showing neglect or disrespect, that Esthonian peasants dislike parting with any earth from’ their fields, and in drinking beer or eating bread recognize the existence and wants of the Earth-spirit by letting some dropsof the one, and some crumbs of the other, find their way to the floor. The instances of Esthonian superstitions are taken from Grimms collection in the ‘ Teutonic Mythology.’ Their date is 1788. The same interest attaches to them from an archaeological point of view, whether they exist still or have become extinct.” So writes Mr. Farrer in his valuable work on “Primitive Manners and Customs,” p. 309, and we find that his remarks are abundantly confirmed. In Mr. Henderson’s “ Popular Rhymesof Berwickshire” we read that “Cloutie’s Croft, or the gudeman’s field, consisted of a small portion of the best land, set apart by the inhabitants of some Scottish villages as a propitiatory gift to the devil, on which property they never ventured to intrude. It was dedicated to the devil’s service alone, being left untilled and uncropped, and it was reckoned highly dangerous to break up by tillage such pieces of ground.” Now on the Continent we find the same custom under various forms. Grimm says that down to late times the house-spirits and dwarfs had their portion set aside for them by the superstitious people of some places. But in other places the habit has not died out [pg. 55]even yet. The same writer relates that ears of corn are set apart and offered to Woden on the Continent, as elsewhere the same offerings are made to elves and spirits.

Spirits Take the Form of Birds
Offerings for the Fairies

“In the Black Mountain the house-spirits are supposed to wander about as Will-o’-the-Wisps, or even to take the form of birds, which perch on the tops of trees and watch for the offerings of the pious. These are made in the form of fruits and food, and so lead us to understand the meaning of the ancient custom of the Brahmans in India, known as Kakasparga. This consisted in exposing {spargd) a ball of rice to be eaten by crows {kdka). So the Buddhist priests in Canton to-day, after chanting a short grace, bless a small portion of their rice and place it at the door of the refectory to be eaten by the birds which con- gregate there. The houses of the Chinese are all provided with little places on which to lay offerings of flowers, fruits, and food for the use of their departed ancestors, who in the form of housespirits frequently come back to visit their friends and look for expressions of thoughtful provision for their wants. I cannot go into further details, as we have already been led rather awayfrom our main subject, although by an interesting and justifiable excuse. In the subjoined notes the student will find a number of references by means of which he can trace for himself the whole history of the subject from the present custom of worshipping ancestors, and making offerings of fruits andflowers, as still practised in China and elsewhere, down to the Hindu and Slavonic custom of regarding the spirits as birds, a very natural transition, seeing that spirits are supposed to be capable of flight,—and then on to the Scotch and English custom of consecrating certain portions of the crops to the fairies, pixies, or gudeman, or of setting apart certain trees or plots of ground for their exclusive use.^ The large variety of names by which in various places the [pg. 56]devil is known makes it almost impossible for us to gather upall the scattered notices of him which may be found in connection with plant and flower lore. One who had not studied mythology or philology would scarcely expect to find in the Troll-flower a testimony to the popular belief in the existence of Evil spirits. Yet this name, which is applied to the Globe flower {Trollms europcetis), is by some connected with the word Troll in the Scandinavian mythology, meaning a malignant giant-bemg.

The Globe Flower

The Globe-flower is possessed of acrid, poisonous qualities, from which lact it seems to have derived its name. To enter into a discussion of the philological questions here raised would be out of place, and though other explanations of the name have been given, it may be remarked that the Swedish language contains more than one name for flowers derived from or compounded with the word Troll. For example, Herbparis or Truelove is known by the Swede as Troll-bar or Puck’s berry, while another plant {Byssus bombicina) is honoured with the title of Troll-kbtt. Further, we frequently find that the flowers which in Scotland are dedicated to witches are among the people on the opposite coasts regarded as the property of evil spirits. Thus Prior, in speaking of tlie name Troll-flower, says that it corresponds to the Scotch name Witches’ Gowan ; and we may add tiiat wliile the Roimd-leaved Bell-flower {Campanula rotundifolia) is called Witch-bells in Scotland, and Lady’s rhimbles in some parts of England, in Sweden it is knowna s arebial, or the bell of the n’\<^ht-7uare, which is regarded as a malignant spirit ; a view which is entertained by people as far separated as the Chinese and the Shetlanders.

Witch’s Butter

Yet one other example. There is a peculiar species of fungus of very rapid growth {Exidia glandulosa), which among ourselves goes by the name of Witches’ Butter. This is called by the Swedish people iroll-smor. Troll’s or Devil’s Butter.

Loki’s Oats – Sowing His Wild Oats

In Jutland the plant [pg. 57]Polytrichum commune goes by the name of “ Loki’s Oats,” andwhen there is a shimpering motion in the air the remark is made that “ Loki is sowing his oats.” Loki, being the nearest approach to the devil in the mythology of the North, is sometimes spoken of as sowing weeds among the good seed. This is possibly theorigin of the phrase, “ He is sowing his wild oats.” Mr. Kingsays : “ The wild oat (Avena fatud) of the English proverb is the ‘ dwarf’s grass ’ of Northumberland ;

The Dwarf

but in this case the dwarf is the savage ‘ brown man of the moors,’ and no playful Robinet. He has taken the place of Loki, the Evil god of thenorth; and the wild oat is still called ‘Loki’s hair’ [perhapsthrough the meaning of haver or hafra (oats) being confusedwith that of the word har ox haar\ in Jutland, where the proverbtouching a careless scapegrace runs ‘ Loki is sowing his seed in him.’ The Danish saying is so far better than the English, that it distinctly recognises the tares as the sowing of the ‘ enemy’.” So in the Bible we read “An enemy hath done this,”

Loki was Malice – the Deceiver

We havealready seen that the Globe flower is consecrated to the Trolls; and it must be observed that in Scotland, besides being known as Witches’ Gowan, it is also called Locken, Lucken, or Lukin Gowan,where it is quite possible that the influence of Loki is to be traced, although the interpretation of the name as given by some writers does not recognize this. Loki was the personification of malice  and subtlety combined, in which particulars he exactly corresponds with the devil of the Semitic and European races. Thelife of Loki as set before us in the Eddas presents several striking points of coincidence with the history of that early deceiver. For a time he is in favour with the ./Esir, is, in fact, the foster-brother of Odin himself; but he undergoes a changeof disposition, and becomes the enemy of all goodness and the destroyer of Baldur, who represents that quality. It is he who beguiles Idun, the possessor of the apples of immortality; he [pg. 58]isthe parent of the great serpent which encircles the world He, too. is the parent of Hel or Death, but is now regarded as bound in chains till the last day, when he will break forth from his imprisonment and lead on his confederates in warfare against the gods. In addition to the plant called Loki’s Oats, there is. another which in Jutland is known as Loki’s Purse.^ This is- what IS usually known among ourselves as the Yellow Rattle Gubernatis remarks that

Lupine – Wolf

In the Scandinavian mythology the demon Loki is the enemy of oats ; and it is said that he is able at will to take the form of a wolf. It must be observed that in many instances where the name of Wolf occurs in connection with plants It IS but a synonym for demon, devil, or Evil spirit. In the old classics of India %ve often meet with the devil under Hiis form, and in Germany a prominent figure in plant mytholovy IS a demon called Graswolf. Our well-known name of Lupine iterally means ’womsh,’ and it is not a little remarkable  Wolf’s Bean. In Swedish the name is Vargiii„a, ,he meaning of which is exactly …    Wolfs Milk. But when we get into the region of these plants and pant names our study must needs become mythological and philological; and as I do not wish here to show how the wolf may possibly be regarded as a representation of some mytholical creature, it will be sufficient that I have indicated the possible connection of that creature with the Evil One just as in Germany and Japan and other countries foxes and fairies are intimately related. To come back to the subject more ‘ rrr H “fr r- mi J .”u

Millet – & Other Devil’s Food

Germany. Millet (which. It is said, will not be .eaten by birds if sown er sunset), was much used in ancient German festivals. The ragon (lightning), who, wlien fiery-red, dropped gold some-[pg. 59] where on the ground, and when blue betokened plenty of grain, was said to be fed on millet in his earthly form (the serpent) and so it was said that millet, eaten on the first day of the year,would make one rich.” In some parts, the Fern seed which•ensures good luck is in the keeping of the devil, and can onlybe obtained from him at midnight of St. John’s Eve.

Mandrake Devil’s Food

So ofthe Mandrake it is popularly believed in some places, that thedevil is perpetually watching over it, and if it be pulled up at•certain holy times, due attention being given to the repetitionof proper invocations, Satan will aid the person who makes use ofthe plant for magical purposes. One of its names is Devils Food. …

“…in Germany the name ofDevil’s Eye {Teufels-Ange) is applied to the Henbane.® Ihename of Devil’s Band or Devil’s Riband {Teufcls-Band) is appliedto the small Toad-flax; a strange fact, when we remember thatan both France and Germany it was dedicated to the Virgin.The same name was also applied to the Snapdragon or CalvesSnout {Antirrhinum), while the Alpine Anemone is called Devil’sBeard. This reminds us of another important fact. Ihe Houseleek has long been known as Jupiter’s Beard, but Jupiter andThor frequently exchange places and share each other’s luck.Now in Denmark, when the people speak of Old Thor they mean the devil and he was popularly believed to preside over [pg. 60]storms and thunder. The Houseleek, being dedicated to Thor, Jupiter, or the Devil, was therefore supposed to be efficacious in guarding the house on which it was placed from the power of thunder as well as of evil spirits. I shall have to speak of this fact again by-and-by, when we come to consider the other names of plants devoted to Thor and Jupiter.

The Fig Tree – The Devil’s Tree

“The Poplar-leaved fig-tree is called the Devil’s Tree {Teufels-Baum)^ and many are the superstitions which cluster around this and other trees of a similar nature, referring either to the Devil himself, or to Judas, his personification.

Deadly Nightshade

The berry of the Deadly Nightshade is known as the Devil’s Berry, which reminds us that the whole plant has something uncanny attaching to it. It is sometimes called Death’s Herb, and was formerly known under the name of Dwale, the fruit being called Dwaleberry— torpor or trance berry, from the Danish word {dvale\ meaning a trance or dead-sleep. This is the explanation givea by some writers, though it is only fair to say that others connect it with the French word {deuil) meaning grief or mourning,, but for what reason we cannot say, except that it caused those people to mourn whose friends ate the berries and died. But the testimony of the Danish dvcilc bosK, or trance-berry, is in favour of the former suggestion. In Chaucer’s time it was employed for sleeping-draughts—hence his remark that “There needeth him no dwale.” But the name was also applied to other plants possessing soporific qualities. The Belladonna is, we are told, in Bohemia esteemed to be a favourite plant of the devil, who is supposed to watch over it. He may, however, be drawn from it on a certain night in the year by letting loose a black hen, after which it is supposed he will immediately run. The name Belladonna refers to an ancient belief that the Nightshade is the form of a fatal enchantress. Closely connected with this plant are sever d others, which by thdr [pg. 61] poisonous qualities have gained the distinction of being consecrated to the devil and his confederates.

Hecate

The Greek goddess Hekate was supposed to preside over the lower world ; she was said to know the names of all the herbs, and to teach herdaughters their specialqualities. In consequenceof this, such poisonous plants as the Belladonna and Aconite, with the Mandrake, Cyclamen, Azalea,Mint, Sesamum, and a variety of others, were sacred to Hekate.

Bindweed [Morning Glory]

…
Indigo – Devil’s Dye

“Indigo bears in Germany the name of Devil’s Dye. When first introduced into Europe, it was mixed with woad to brighten its colour ; but by degrees the quantity of woad was decreased, and indigo took its place. The woad cultivators naturally opposed this intrusion, and prevailed on several governments to prohibit the use of the foreign article. In Germany an Imperial Edict was published in 1656, prohibiting the use of indigo, or “ Devil’s Dye ” as the learned counsellors chose to designate it ; a fact which strongly reminds us of the expressions still used in Chinese documents to-day when reference is made to opium, and even to less objectionable articles….

Clematis – Devil’s Thread

Even the Clematis or Virgin’s Bower, of which we shall speak in the next chapter, is claimed for :he Evil One, and called Devil’s Thread ; and the Plantain, which A^e call Soldiers, Hard-head.s, or Fighting Cocks, is Devil’s Head n Germany. Where so many plants (and I have given but a few) are dedicated to Puck, we shall not be surprised to find Tiany different kinds of plant-demons. This is the case in Germany to a remarkable extent. [pg. 63] …“

Grain

Thefield spirits which figure so largely at the present day in thesuperstitions of the Russian peasantry, linger in Germany in thenotions concerning the grain, straw, etc., which were at an earlierperiod believed to be each under a guardian. In Iceland thefarmer guards the grass around his field, lest the elves abidingin them invade his crops.

Ceres

[“Ceres was a Roman goddess of agriculture, fertility, grain crops, and motherly relationships” Google ai
“Demeter was the Greek counterpart to the Roman goddess Ceres.” Greek ai]

Bertha was the Ceres of German Mythology

In the word ‘ cereal ’ we have the record of the faith in the relation of Ceres to the grain, which madethe temple of that goddess at Rome the tribune of the democracy.The torches with which she searched for the lost seed, carried off by the winter frost, and raised it to its flower again, are still burning on our altars. Bertha was the Ceres of the German mythology; and all such winds and clouds as affect the crop swere believed to be arranged by her. In the Odenwald, nearRodenstein, the ruined castle of the Wild Huntsman, there isa weird rock called the Wildes Weibchenstein, believed to be the haunt of a little woman who comes forth when someoneislate in harvesting, and cuts the corn and binds it into sheaves behind the reapers with astonishing celerity. This is Bertha [pg. 64]again.

Corn Spirits

She protected the grain so formidably that children were warned that they must not go into a field where it was growing, for fear the Wehr-wolf (Were-wolf) should seize them. On the contrary, in Schleswig one is safe from the Wehr-wolf in a cornfield.” Mr. Ralston, in his interesting sketch of the contents of some of Mannhardt’s works says “Nearly allied to the Tree-spirits, according to primitive ideas, were the Corn-spirits which haunted and protected the green or yellow fields. But by the popular fancy they were often symbolized under the form of wolves or of ‘ buckmen,’ goatlegged creatures, similar to the classic Satyrs. When the wind blows the long grass or waving corn, German peasants still say ‘The Grass- wolf’ or ‘ The Corn-wolf is abroad’; in many places the last sheaf of rye is left afield as a shelter for the Roggenwolf, or Rye-wolf, during the winter’s cold, and in many a summer or autumn festive rite that being is represented by a rustic, who assumes a wolf-like appearance. The Corn-spirit, however, was often symbolized under a human form.” We find that among our own peasantry a similar superstition once existed, and the Kirnbaby was supposed to dwell in the ears of English wheat.

Good and Bad Plants

“Plants have been divided into good and bad, or useful and injurious, and it was long held that while the former were the work of the good spirit, the devil had the credit of producing the latter. Among the Persians, the bad were the work of Ahriman, the good of Ahuramazda or Ormuzd. “ All the herbs and all the plants which are gloomy, inauspicious, cursed, or haunted, belong to the devil. But there are some among them which enjoy the special privilege of bearing his proper name. In India the Sorcerer’s herb {Linapis racemosa), which may be used by the magician, and perhaps also to avert his power, is called Asurt, which is the name for a demon in female form. [pg. 65]

Tobacco Plant – The Devil’s Pharmacy

“Among the Little Russians the Tobacco plant is regarded as belonging to Puck.“ Several plants also which have taken their names from the serpent or dragon ought to beranked among the devil’s pharmacy,” says a recent learned writer, and many examples might be adduced. The names ofseven or eight suchplants are collected from Indian works aloneby Mons. de Gubernatis,and one might easilyexpand the number.In China one name forAsparagus is Lung-suts’ai, or “ Dragon’s Beard,” and the well-known Eastern fruit ofthe Longan tree (Diviocarpus) is the “ Dragon’s Eye,” for suchisthe meaning of Longan. But there are still many plants whichbear the immediate name of the devil to which I have not yetcalled attention. In England, for example, besides the many namesalready noted, we hnd a kmd of Ranunculus called Devil-one [pg. 67]  …

Plants that Repel Evil –Good Plants – Archangel

“The Evil Ones, or Spirits of Darkness, hate the light, neither will they come to it lest their deeds should be reproved. Another of these plants is the Archangel, which may have received, its name from its being in blossom on the day of St. Michael the Archangel, and thence supposed to be a preventative against evil spirits and witchcraft. We are told respecting Herb Bennett,, or the Blessed Herb {Herba benedicta), that » where the root in in the house, the devil can do nothing, and flies from it ; wherefore it is blessed above all other herbs.” Perhaps, as Dr. Prior suggests, the name of Avens, as applied to the same plant, has-[pg. 75]

Four-Leaved Clover

some reference to this superstition. The four-leaved Clover, ofwhich more will be said by-and-by, is, in consequence of its being in the form of a cross, supposed to be endowed withmagical virtues, which render the person who has a piece of it -on his person, capable of detecting the presence of evil spirits.

“The Jews in some places hang Aloes over their thresholds tokeep away the evil spirits, just as the Chinese employ Moxa.Garlic, and other plants. The Black Hellebore or ChristmasRose, called Winter Rose in Devonshire, was used by theancients to purify their houses, and to hallow their dwellings.They also had a belief that by strewing or perfuming their [pg. 76]apartments with this plant they drove away evil spirits. This ceremony was performed with great devotion, and accompanied with the singing of solemn hymns. In the same manner they blessed their cattle with the Hellebore, to keep it free from the spells of the wicked. Thus Virgil, in his Pastorals, sings “ What magic has bewitched the woolly dams. And what ill-eyes beheld the tender lambs?” For the purposes above described, the plant was dug up with many religious ceremonies. Sometimes a circle was first drawn around the plant with a sword, after which the person would turn to the east and pray to Apollo and ^sculapiu.s. (the god of medicine) for leave to dig up the root. Even till this day the stables in Italy are preserved from the power of demons and thunderbolts by means of a sprig of Juniper, just as our own stables and houses used to be preserved from the power of witches through the magic horse-shoe. [pg. 77] ..

.CHAPTER III. X==

E have already said that the Clematis, or Old Man’sBeard as it is often called, is also known as Virgin’sBower, and will now try to ascertain in this chaptersomething about the flowers and plants to which the Virginlays claim. Before we go too far, however, it may be well torake note of one or two importa.it matters. It must not besupposed, in the first place, that every plant which has the