Most people at some point will have experienced the pain of a nettle sting. I once managed to fall hands-first from a fence into a whole patch of nettles. So it’s hardly surprising that people consider them unwanted or unloved plants. The stinging nettle, or common nettle (Urtica dioica) is Europe’s most common nettle. Other […]
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Celandine Folklore: A Remedy To Keep Away Witches?
Plants often become unwanted plants when they’re especially prolific. Celandine is one such plant, quickly spreading to fill an area with its glossy green leaves and dizzyingly bright yellow flowers. But celandine is also a confusing plant, since the two varieties with the same name are unrelated. The greater celandine Chelidonium majus is a member […]
Dandelions in Folklore: Making Wishes and Wetting the Bed
Dandelions are cheerful little splashes of colour in lawns and borders. They flower longer than any other plant, providing food for early pollinators. Sadly, not everyone loves them as much as I do. They’re often considered weeds, and are somewhat unwanted plants. But remember. Weeds are just flowers that grow where we don’t necessarily want […]
Let Them Eat Cake: Cakes to Bring Love and Ward Off Witches
According to the Venerable Bede, what we call February was called Sol-Monath by the ancient Britons. This translates to ‘Month of Cakes’ and the people gave cakes to the gods as offerings (Gazur 2022). I don’t know about you, but that’s a practice I could get behind. It’s worth bearing in mind that what we […]
Why does a London pub hang hot cross buns in the bar?
Go to Devons Road in London in Bromley-by-Bow and you’ll find a pub with a net of hot cross buns hanging above the bar. I know, it’s pretty weird – even for a pub. But a legend has grown up around The Widow’s Son. Every year, a sailor arrives on Good Friday and places a […]
Bread Folklore: Medicine, Divination Tool, and Love Magnet!
You wouldn’t think something as humble as bread would have so much folklore attached to it. Yet many of us encounter bread folklore when we’re young. I’m sure we’ve all heard the old wives’ tale that eating your bread crusts would make your hair curly. My primary school had a particularly draconic dinner lady whose […]
