...and how about we begin with daisies, or more specifically Ox-eye Daisies (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)?
They have been known by a litany of folk names: Bachelor's Buttons, Bull's-eye Daisy, Butter Daisy, Dog-blow, Dutch-curse, Dutch-cuss, Herb Margaret, Horse Daisy, Maudlin Daisy, Maudlinwort, Midsummer Daisy, Moonflower, Moon-penny, Poverty-weed, Rhode Island Clover, Sheriff-pink, and Whiteman's-weed, for example.
In magical circles, daisies are associated with the planet Venus, their element is water, and they are considered feminine. They are sacred to St John, and are an important part of the decorations for Midsummer's Night festivities. In the spring they have been used to signify the southern portion of a circle, as well as to decorate an altar.
Daisies are an emblem of fidelity, and have been used in love spells and divination. Does "She loves me, she loves me not," ring a bell? Another little ditty, "This year, next year, sometimes, never," predicted when marriage would come.
Another daisy-related marriage prognostication in England went like this: with eyes closed tight, a girl pulls a handful of grass; the number of daisies in her fistful of greens tells her when she will be married.
In keeping with that love motif, it was once said that whoever picked the first daisy of the season was filled with ... well, put politely, that person was filled with "a spirit of coquetry." ("Psst. Sailor. Yeah. You. Feelin' lucky? I just picked me th' first daisy of th' season, and I's feelin' a bit randy...")
It was also believed you increased the chances of a wayward lover's return if you slept with a daisy root under your pillow. (...might confuse the Tooth Fairy, however...)
In Victorian times, it was said that if you stepped on seven daisies at one time, you knew that summer had arrived. (You also had big feet, and probably weren't the first person asked out onto the dance floor.)
Daisies were once an herb dedicated to Artemis, the Goddess of women, and considered useful in treating women's ailments. But the association was removed, and bestowed upon St. Mary Magdalen, when Christianity became fashionable. Hence 'Maudlin Daisy.'
"Myth and Folklore: Daisies" (c) 2004 Gregg M. Pasterick - All Rights
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