HERBAL FAIRY MAGIC AND THE MAGICAL TREASURE TROVE: Books by Eleanor Coombe

Herbs and plants were believed to have magical qualities. Here are some old love spells that use plants.

(In days of old, people used to believe in these old spells.)

Dream Of your Lover Spells.

Hawthorn: Find a naturally broken branch of blossoming hawthorn that still hangs from the tree. Leave it during the night and bring it home first thing the next morning. Hang it over your bed. Then you will see your lover in a dream.

Holly: Go out on a Friday and gather nine holy leaves. You must not talk as you go or make a sound during your travels. Tie the nine leaves in a three cornered handkerchief. Tie the handkerchief with nine knots. Put the handkerchief under your pillow. Your future love will appear in a dream.

Rosemary: Put a sprig of Rosemary and a silver sixpence under your pillow. You will dream of your true love.

WHEN WILL I MARRY SPELLS?

Hawthorn: Collect a bunch of hawthorn flowers and walk home. Do not speak to anyone from the time you set out till the time you get home or you will not marry for more than a year.

St John’s Wart: To be married within the year spell.

Gather St John’s Wart in the very early morn of St John’s Eve. You must do this while you are fasting. The plant must be covered in dew. Sleep with it under your pillow.

Peas: Gather several friends together. Fill a bowl with Peas. Take turns in eating one pea at a time. The person who eats the last pea will be the last to marry.

LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT SPELLS.

Does your love, really love you back?

Daisy: Pick a daisy. Carefully pull each petal from the flower. As you pull each petal say: Loves me/ loves me not. The last petal on the daisy gives you the answer.

Acorn: Take two acorns. Name one for yourself and one for the person you love. Drop both acorns together into a bowl of water. If they float together you will be happy. If they float apart, beware!

Apple Pip: Put an apple pip on a grate before a fire. Name the pip for the one you love. Then say: If you love me bounce and fly. If you don’t, then lie and die. If the person loves you, the pip will bounce and fly. If the person doesn’t love you it will sit there and shrivel up. If the pip bursts, then your true love is true indeed.

Also: Stick some apple pips on your cheek. Name each of them with the name of someone who you like. Sit quiet and still and wait for the pips to fall off. The one that stays the longest is the one who loves you too.

HOW TO MEET YOUR TRUE LOVE.

Sage leaves: Pluck 12 sage leaves at midnight on Mid-summer’s Eve. You must pull one leaf for each note of a striking clock. Do not break the leaves off. (you must pull them off.) Do not break the leaves. You love will appear by the next day.

Ash Leaves: Find an ash leaf with equal divisions on either side. Then say: Even, even ash. I pluck thee off this tree. The first young man/woman I shall meet, my love he she shall be. Then put the leaf in your left shoe and wear it hidden under your foot.

Ivy: Take a leaf from an ivy plant. Put the leaf against your heart. Wear it there. Say: Ivy, Ivy, I love you. In my breast I put you. The first young man/woman who speaks to me, my future husband/wife he/she will be.

Orange: Take an orange and prick it all over in the pits of its skin with a needle. Sleep with the orange under your armpit. Next day give it to the person you love. If they eat the orange they will return your love.

THE IRIS PAINTERS.

Prism, the rainbow fairy was the Fairy Queen’s messenger. He wore a rainbow uniform and carried a golden wand. He also helped the other rainbow fairies, if they had a problem painting the flowers that grew in fairyland.

One morning,Prism was called to the Fairy Queen’s throne room. When he arrived, he was surprised to see a dirty little fairy standing beside the Fairy Queen.’ Prism also noticed the fairy’s clothes were ripped and torn.

‘Prism,’ said the Fairy Queen, ‘this poor fairy was once a rainbow fairy, but as you can see, she no longer sparkles with rainbow colours.’

‘What happened?’ asked Prism, very politely.

The Queen turned to the unhappy fairy. ‘Please, tell Prism your story.’

‘It was my job to paint the Iris flowers that grow near the Dragon River,’ said the fairy, sobbing as she remembered her ordeal. ‘But, as I flew near the flowers they roared and growled and snapped their heads. Suddenly, one of them grabbed my wings in its mouth, and shook me so hard all my paint spilled on the ground. Then, the Irises rubbed me in the paint and painted me until I went brown!’

‘Isn’t that shocking,’ sighed the Queen. ‘I’m very worried. Prism, I want you to find out what is wrong with the Iris flowers. Normally, Irises are dear little plants and they love to be painted. If the Irises aren’t friendly they won’t give us their roots for scenting our clothes and making toothpaste.’

Prism obeyed the Fairy Queen and flew to the Irises, which grew beside the Dragon River. Prism didn’t fly too close to the flowers, because the pale plants were growling and hissing. He noticed that the Iris flowers had lumps in their stalks. When they hissed their breath smelled awful. One of the flowers had hiccups and another was bent over with cramp. Prism also noticed that the Dragon River was muddy-brown and frothy, when it should be crystal clear. He realised the river was making the Irises sick.

Prism decided to fly upstream and investigate why the river was so dirty. It wasn’t long before he heard a raspy voice, singing loudly:

‘Hi Diddley hum plum bum

Doing the washing is so much fun.’

In the river, surrounded by sudsy bubbles, sat a plump green dragon with a big scrubbing brush. The dragon was rubbing and scrubbing off centuries of dirt and rust from old suits of armour and mounds of gold and jewels.

‘Please Mrs Dragon,’ cried Prism. ‘You’re ruining the river and making the Irises sick.’

‘Poofff,’ said the dragon, as she poured a packet of detergent into the pool and continued to scrub her jewels. ‘Go and tie your wings in knots.’

Prism realised the dragon was not going to worry about anything but her jewels. So, he waved her magic wand and said,

‘Mrs Dragon, you want colours bright

But, dirtying the river isn’t right

So, here’s something to give you a fright,

Let the jewels’ colours disappear from sight!’

Faster than a blink, Prism’s magic began to work. As the dragon scrubbed her treasures, the colour washed off. One by one her jewels looked like glass. The more she scrubbed the more the colours faded. Even the dragon’s scales turned white. ‘Now that is clean!’ smiled Prism.

The dragon soon stopped scrubbing. Her face crumpled in horror. She wailed,

‘My jools, my treasures, my life’s desires

Where’s your beautiful, colourful fires.’

‘Do you want the colour back in your treasures, or will you continue to ruin this river?’ asked Prism.

‘I wants me jools,’ sobbed the dragon. ‘Make ‘em beautiful again.’

‘Then you will have to clean up your mess,’ said Prism.

The dragon didn’t have to be told twice. She carried her bleached treasures back to her cave. She returned to the muddy pool and looked sadly at Prism. ‘How do I fix ‘em up the muddy poo?’ she asked.

In answer, Prism waved his magic wand and a large bucket appeared beside the pool. ‘You will have to carry away all the dirty water,’ he ordered. You will have to put it where it won’t hurt anything and you will have to make the river clean again.’

The dragon growled angrily and flapped her wings, but she did as Prism ordered. Bucketful by bucketful, she took the dirty water out of the river. She flew the dirty water to a volcano and poured it into the fires. The fires turned the water into steam, which made clouds. The clouds grew bigger and bigger and they began to rain.

Soon, clear water flowed into the Dragon River. When the dragon had finished her work she returned to Prism.

‘Can you makes me jools pretty, now?’ she asked, grumpily.

In reply, Prism waved his magic wand and said,

‘Dragon’s treasures sparkle bright

No longer pale and white.’

The grumpy dragon flew to her cave to inspect her treasures. She was in such a hurry she forgot to ask Prism to put the colour back into her scales.

It wasn’t long before the Irises stopped snapping and snarling and began to smile once again. The rainbow fairies returned to their work and painted the irises all the colours of the rainbow.

Later, Prism visited the dragon, who was holding her jewels up to her eye, one by one, inspecting their beauty. ‘Good day, Dragon,’ said Prism, cheerily. ‘I came to check that all was well with your treasures.’

‘Treasures is fine,’ growled the dragon. ‘But me scales is woeful, thanks to you and your tricks.’

‘If you like,’ replied Prism, ‘I could paint your scales every colour of the rainbow. Then you would be the most beautiful dragon in the world.’

‘Why would you do that?’ asked the dragon, suspiciously.

‘I would do that,’ said Prism, ‘if you promised to look after the river.’

‘I’d suppose I could do that,’ she said, sourly.

‘Then I will start painting you straight away,’ replied Prism.

Prism took out his rainbow brush and began work. ‘Ha aah! Haa aa,’ chuckled the dragon. ‘Fairy brush tickles me.’ As Prism painted each colour, yellow, blue, green red orange and violet, the dragon laughed louder and louder. The dragon laughed so much, and for so long, she forgot how to be rude and grumpy. When Prism finished, the dragon glittered brighter than a rainbow and was the happiest and prettiest dragon in the world.

As a reward for all Prism’s cleverness, the fairy queen gave him a golden crown and the fairy queen also made the dragon the official guardian of the Dragon River.

How To Make Orris Potpourri with Leaves And Flowers

Pick the flowers and leaves you wish to have in your potpourri.

All the flower and plant ingredients should be dried before you make potpourri.

To dry the ingredients of your choice collect them and place them on a single layer of muslin stretched over a frame.

Leave them in a warm dry place until they dry. (keep them out of the sun.

When they are dry and crisp, put the ingredients in jars with tight fitting lids.

Over each layer of plant matter sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of Orris root powder.

Screw on the lids and label them. Store them in a dark place for three weeks before use.

Fairy Flower Potpourri

2 tablespoons of Orris root powder

6 tablespoons of lavender flowers

4 tablespoons of rose petals

4 tablespoons of carnation petals

2 tablespoons of camomile flowers

2 tablespoons of violet flowers

1 teaspoon of oil of lavender

2 tablespoons of salt.