Herbal Magick - Small Farm, Permaculture, and Sustainable Living

28 Herbal Magick
Druids to both bless and curse) invited the devil into one’s
home. However, hanging elder over the doors and windows
works to keep him out.
Holly (once known as the “holy bush”) and yews were
frequently planted near houses and in churchyards during the
Middle Ages in the belief that they kept the devil and his
legion of demons well at bay.
In Fenland (a community in the East of England), monkey
puzzle trees are often found to have been planted in or
near graveyards. Said to be disliked by “Old Scratch,” these
trees are believed to prevent the devil from gaining entry to
hallowed burial grounds and claiming the souls of those being
laid to rest.
While monkey puzzle trees may not be to the devil’s liking,
nuts, on the other hand, are something of which he is said
to be quite fond. According to an old legend, the devil goes
“nutting” every year on “Holy-Rood Day” (September 14 th ).
In the year 1670, the following was published in Poor Richard’s
Almanack: “Let not thy son go a nutting on Holie-Rood day,
for fear he meet a tall man in black with cloven feet, which
may scare him worse than a rosted [roasted] shoulder of mutton
will do a hungrie man.” Legend also has it that if a person
goes to gather nuts on a Sunday, he or she will have the devil
as a companion.
Herbs s Associated AAssociated A i ia a with wwi
i
Supernatural tura Creatures Cre Creatures Creat at
s
The following is a list of plants, beginning with their
common names or botanical names (in italics), and followed
by their nicknames relating to fairies, dragons, and other mythological
and supernatural creatures.