Beneath the Petal
Flowers Said to be Sacred to the Faerie

The Faerie Folk are connected with all plants, and mysteriously influence the way they grow. Below are sayings and old stories about the natures of a few flowers said to have more under their roots than soil...





FOXGLOVE digitalis purpurea ~ The foxglove is a widely recognized faerie flower. It's appearance is unique and its interesting flowers do not make it difficult to connect with the also strange faerie folk. The foxglove is one of my favourite plants and comes in a variety of colours, from white to pink, to yellow and two-toned flowers. It is a mostly shadey plant, but has thrived in an extremely sunny spot in my garden.

It has many folk names, including Witches Thimbles, Our Lady's Glove, Fox Bells, Witches Bells, Fairy Fingers, Fairy Petticoats, Little Folk's Glove (for it was said the faerie wore the blossoms atop their heads as hats or wore them as gloves).

"Another name often attributed to the flower is "Goblin's Thimbles." Not, perhaps, inapt, considering that foxglove contains digitalis, a heart stimulant and source of wild, dark excitement that Goblins bring." ~ Faeries, Brian Froud & Alan Lee

The foxglove is mainly a protective flower, and it can be planted in the garden to guard.





PRIMROSE primula vulgaris ~ The primrose is a feminine plant and sacred to the goddess Freya. it will attract faeries in the garden, and can attract love when carried by a woman. It is also said consumtion of these flowers will give one the second sight~ or the ability to see the Faeries.





RAGWORT senecio ~ It was said the faeries uprooted them in the night and rode them as 'make-shift horses.' Later, witches were said to ride them at midnight during the Witch Trials. According to John Aubrey 'Horse and Hattock' were the magical words used to make the stems fly.





BLUEBELL campanula rotundifolia ~ Also known as the harebell, I have found the English and the Scottish varieties to be the versions described. "Another popular flower which is filled with danger is the bluebell. The scottish name for the plant is 'Deadman's Bells' for to hear the ring of a bluebell is to hear one's death knell. The bluebell is one of the most potent of all faerie flowers, and a bluebell wood is an extremely hazardous place to be- a place of faerie-woven spells and enchantments." ~ Faeries, by Brian Froud and Alan Lee.





STRAW ~ Straw was thought to attract faeries, for it was said they lived within them.





GORSE Ulex europaeus ~ Also known as Goss, Prickly Broom, and Frey, gorse is thought to ward off evil and protect one from faeries. It was grown in hedges thought to be unpenetrable by the Faerie Folk in Wales.





HAWTHORN crataegus oxacantha ~ The hawthorn is has been deeply connected to both faeries and witches throughout the centuries. It can protect a house against lightning and storms and prevent evil ghosts from entering. "In the past most witches' gardens had at least one hawthorn hedge.

"The hawthorn is sacred to the faeries, and is part of the tree fairy triad of Britain: 'Oak, Ash, and Thorn,' and where all three trees grow together it is said that one may see faeries." ~ Scott Cunningham, The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.




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