The folklore of lavender

Lavender is native to the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, Russia, and Africa. It has been used cosmetically and medicinally throughout history.

Ancient Egyptians used lavender in their funerary rights, including it in their mummifying process, as well as for perfuming their clothing and themselves. They created Mummification casts that would last indefinitely by soaking linen in oil of lavender containing asphalt, wrapping the bodies with these and drying them in the sun until the casts were hard.

Cleopatra was reputed to have used lavender as one of her secret weapons for seduction (it worked on Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony, evidently).

The Romans loved lavender, and used it extensively in their elaborate bathing rituals, as well as for perfume, cooking and early medicines. It may have been from the Latin lavare, meaning ‘to wash’ that lavender found its more common name. However, its name also may have come from the Latin livendula, meaning bluish.

Greeks and Romans used lavender's stress-reducing properties to cure complaints of migraine headaches and insomnia. Lavender wasn't just used by the wealthy – commoners hung lavender above the door to protect against evil spirits and added it to the bath to drive evil spirits and demons from cranky children and to rejuvenate adults.

History states that the Romans brought lavender here to England. Lavender soon became entwined within English folklore. A lavender cross was often hung on the door to ward off evil spirits. During the Great Plague of the 17th century people would tie lavender bunches to their wrists to guard against infection. In the Victorian era Lavender symbolized love and devotion.
The folklore of lavender

Finnish folklore of grain

Pollen studies show that grain was first cultivated in Finland around 2000 years before the birth of Christ, and equally old or even older traces of it are found in the fell area of inland Finland as well as the river valleys of the coast of southern Finland.

In the festival connected with the beginning of the spring plowing, an old man represents the god of the sky and from an attic or a tree answers questions put to him by people who pray about health, the grain harvest, the weather, and other matters.

The " souls " of the dead have power of motion like those of the living. It is also believed that the souls of the departed may find concealment in the guise of other sorts of insects, this explaining the Cheremiss custom that whenever many caterpillars begin to appear in the grainfields, sacrifice is made to such of the departed as have died without leaving kinsfolk.

There were several customs regarding sowing and harvesting, which were aimed at showing proper respect to the spirits. The haltija of the field was called Pellonpekko or just Pekko (Pekka, Pikka), was probably originally the Finnish spirit of barley, and thus the spirit of beer.

Beer drinking promoted the growth of grain in the pre-Christian “Ukko’s Bushel” celebration held each spring; Ukko was the god of thunder. In Finland beer was enjoyed as a sacred drink at feasts such as the 'Ukon vakat'. Sacred beer consecrated with spells and mythical songs was brewed for the yearly festivities.

In Finno-Ugrian mythology, the sustainability and prosperity of the community were maintained by a Sampo pillar (navel of the sky). According to Kalevala, the smith Ilmarinen who are expert working the known metals of the time, including brass, copper, iron, gold, and silver managed to build a Sampo machine, which would grain fortune—flour, salt and gold—for the community into an unforeseen future.

He gives the machine to the mistress of a neighboring community beyond the sea as a gift in exchange for marrying her daughter. However, after receiving the Sampo, she did not give her daughter to Ilmarinen, who had to return to Kalevala.

Smith Ilmarinen gathered a group of fellow men and sailed to take the Sampo back, but it fell from their boat and broke into millions of pieces and into the sea. Ever since then, the Finns have been searching for a new Sampo wonder machine that would secure their wellbeing and prosperity.
Finnish folklore of grain

Parsley in folklore

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) has been a favorite culinary herb for centuries. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a natural breath freshener. Among the ancient Greeks, parsley was considered unlucky, because it was used to bedeck tombs.

In English folklore, there are various sayings about sowing parsley, which is notoriously slow to germinate. It must be sown on Good Friday before noon; its roots go seven times down to Hell and back before any shoots appear; it will only grow where the wife is boss of the household.

Transplanting it is thought to bring death or disaster, and some also say it should never be given away. English peasants refuse to give parsley away, lest evil should befall them.

A tea made of fresh parsley is supposed to be beneficial in epilepsy and some yarb doctors prescribe it for hysteria and other nervous disease. It is often said that parsley will stop an epileptic fit, but only in the light of the noon.
Parsley in folklore

Folklore of berries

The Northeast Native American tribes revered blueberries, and much folklore developed around them.

The blossom end of each berry, the calyx, forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star; the elders of the tribe would tell of how the Great Spirit sent ‘star berries’ to relieve the children’s hunger during a famine.

Blueberry juice was used for ‘old coughs’ and tea made from Wild Blueberry leaves was believed to be a good tonic to help purify the blood.

Bilberry

Bilberry also called the whortleberry or mulberry, was significant calendar marker in Ireland up to the present.

Festivals celebrating the Celtic summer feast of Lughnasa included climbing hills to gather bilberries who were eaten on the spot or saved to make pies and wine; after Lughnasa, the berries were said to lose their flavor.

Blackberries, which were scared to the goddess Bridgit, ripen in late summer and early fall and blackberry wines were made and dedicated to her.

In Ireland there was and still is, a folk taboo against eating blackberries after the autumnal equinox, but all berries made into wines for the goddess were permissible to use.
Folklore of berries