Herbal Magick - Small Farm, Permaculture, and Sustainable Living

Chapter 2:
Herbal Superstitions
A to Z
“Superstition is one of the mainsprings of human behaviour,
generating hopes of defeating the forces of evil, and of influencing
one’s own fate.” —Iona Opie and Moira Tatem, A Dictionary
of Superstitions.
Acorn c
It was once believed that an acorn placed on a windowsill
guarded a house against fires and damage caused by lightning
strikes. This superstition can be traced back to the old Norse
legend that the great god Thor once sheltered from a thunderstorm
under a mighty oak tree.
Adder’ d er’
s T ongue ue
The British once believed that adder’s tongue gathered
during the waning of the moon possessed the power to cure
adder bites and, according to David Pickering’s Dictionary of
Superstitions, countered “other evils associated with snakes.”
Agrimony g m
n
According to a rhyme found in a medieval medical manuscript,
“If it [agrimony] be leyd under a man’s head, he shall
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