Apple
Parts used: the fruits and bark
Gaelic: Ubhall
Latin: Malus sylvestris (crab apple), Malus domestica, Pyrus malus
Lore: Apples are associated with Avalon (Apple Land) and the Celtic Otherworld. An apple branch can take you to the Land of Fairy. To encounter Fairies, sleep under an apple tree at noon on Midsummer’s Day. Apple divination: cut an apple in half and examine the seeds. If they are whole it means good luck. If one seed is damaged it means trouble. If more than one is cut it means severe misfortune.
Birch
Parts used: the bark and fresh young leaves
Gaelic: beith
Latin: Betula alba
Lore: Plant a birch tree in the graveyard to guard the dead. Place a rod of birch in the child’s cradle or in the coffin as a protective charm.
Bog Violet, Butterwort, Marsh Violet
Parts used: the leaves
Gaelic: móthan
Latin: Pinguicula vulgaris
Lore: This most magical of Highland plants is worn in a golden amulet or as a charm to ward off evil and misfortune including; unrequited love, starvation, drowning, and the loss of a court case.
To make a love spell, a woman kneels on her left knee and gathers nine roots, knotting them together to make a “cuach” or ring. The woman puts the ring into the mouth of a girl who is seeking a lover, in the name of the Sun, Moon, and Stars and of the Three Worlds. When the girl meets the man she desires, she places the ring into her mouth and should the man kiss her while the ring is in her mouth, he will be bound to her forever. This kind of love spell does not guarantee happiness however, and just because a person is bound does not mean that they will love you or even like you!
Móthan is put under a woman in labor to ensure safe delivery and is carried by travelers as protection and can be secretly sewn into your clothing (women sew it into their bodice; men put it under their left arm). Feed the herb to an animal such as a goat or cow and then drink its milk to gain magical protection. Place it under the churn or milk pail to prevent Fairies and sorcerers from stealing the milk. Weave a hoop of milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), butterwort, dandelion (Taraxacum spp.) and marigold (Calendula officinalis) and bind it with three threads made from fairy flax (Linum catharticum) and place it under the milk bucket to stop ill-intentioned Witches and sorcerers from “stealing” or spoiling the milk.
Elder, Bourtree
Parts used: the roots, bark, young shoots, leaves, flowers, fruits
Gaelic: ruis
Latin: Sambucus nigra
Lore: Elder has a protective female spirit that will protect you against sorcery as long as profound respect is shown to the plant. It is very bad luck to cut down an elder tree or to burn her wood. Use only twigs, leaves and berries or a small section of her root and be sure to thank the Elder Mother when you take any part of her dwelling. Whip handles for hearse drivers were once made of elder to guard against ghosts. Dried elderberries picked on Midsummer’s Day are placed on the windowsill to prevent evil from entering. As with rowan, an elder cross is protective of the house and barn. Make one by binding two equal length twigs with red thread. Hang it over the door, place it by a window, or wear it on your person. The juice of the inner bark is applied to the eyelids to give someone “the Sight”. Stand or sleep under an elder on Samhuinn (Halloween) or Bealltan Eve (May Day Eve) and you will see Fairies. Wear a sprig somewhere on your person to ward off evil Spirits.
Heather
Parts used: the flowering herb, fresh or dried
Gaelic: fraoch
Latin: Calluna vulgaris, Erica cinerea, Erica tetralix
Lore: the Picts are said to have made ale from heather, without the use of hops (Humulus lupulus). Here is a recipe from Wilma Paterson of the Isle of Skye: 1 gallon heather tops, 2 lb. malt extract, 1 1/2 lb sugar (or 1 lb honey), 3 gallons water, 1 ounce yeast. Cut the heather when it first comes into bloom; simmer in 1 gallon of water for about 1 hour. Strain through a jelly bag onto the sweetener and the malt extract, stir until dissolved. Add the remaining water and when lukewarm, the yeast. White heather is especially sacred and magical and brings good luck. It grows only on the grave of a Fairy or on ground where no blood has ever been shed. Heather tops should be gathered at dawn for greatest magical potency.
Rowan, European Mountain Ash
Parts used: the berries
Gaelic: caorann, fid na ndruad (The Wizard’s Tree)
Latin: Sorbus aucuparia (note: while S. aucuparia has red berries, Sorbus Americana, American Mountain Ash, has identical properties and orange berries. They can be used interchangeably)
Lore: possibly the most ubiquitous magical plant of the Highlands, every house once strove to have a rowan tree nearby. Twigs, wreaths and crosses of rowan were placed in the home and barn as protective charms and furniture, cradles, boats, tools, carts, and houses were made of rowan wood to bring luck and protection from evil sorcery.
“The Hags came back, finding their charms,
Most powerfully withstood,
For Warlocks, Witches cannot work,
Where there is rowan tree wood.” (Laidley Worm, Traditional)
Rowan twigs bound with red thread were tied to an animal’s tail to protect it from the Evil Eye.
“Rowan tree and red thread gar the Witches tyne their speed”. (make, lose) (Traditional)
Put a sprig of rowan on your hat for luck or sew a tiny equal-armed Solar Cross of rowan, bound with red thread, into your clothing. Carry rowan to ward off rheumatism.
Rowan berries are said to be the food of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the Fairies) which is why they are often seen near stone cairns and circles in Scotland. Rowan wood was once used to make the cross-beam in the chimney called the “rantree” (rowan tree). The churn staffs, the distaff of the loom, the pin of the plough, and parts of the watermill, were all made from rowan to bring magical aid and protection. Rowan was planted near the house door and trained to grow in an arch over the barn door or the farm gate, to keep evil from entering. At the Fire Festivals, a rowan wand was placed on all the door lintels and a piece in every pocket. Rowan wood was used to build the ritual fires upon which bannocks were baked on holy days. Coffins were made of rowan wood to prevent the dead from returning to haunt the living. Make a wooden knife or athame of rowan wood to use in your rites and ceremonies. It will protect your circle from all harm. Why use a metal athame or knife when the Fairies despise iron?
(Excerpts from Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore, Pendraig Publishing, CA, 2011)