Are you bewitched?

 In the 16th century girdle measuring was a common practice for 
wise women to see if evil spirits or faeries have invaded a persons body. 
Any unexplained weight gain especially after an illness was considered 
very suspicious. Their girdle or belt would be measured and if  the wise 
woman believed it to have increased in size charms and incantations 
would be said over it. Then the belt would be measured again and if it did
not show a reduction in size it would be chopped into bits and buried. 
This was supposed to be a sure fire way of getting rid of unwanted possesions.

Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles

I have found another remedy for those bewitched dating from 1683- Doctor Lilly's Last Legacy
Take two horseshoes, heat them red hot and nail one on the threshold of the 
door but quench the other in the urine of the party bewitched; then set the 
urine over the fire in a pot or pipkin and put the horseshoe into it. Make the 
urine boil, with a little salt unto it., and three horseshoe nails until it is 
almost consumed: what is not boiled away cast into the fire. Keep then your 
horseshoes and nails in a clean cloth or paper and use the same manner three times.
 It will be the more effectual if it be done at the change of full of the moon.

Hairy Meg the Brownie from Scotland

A hundred years ago Hairy Meg lived in the farmhouse at Achnarrow near Glenlivet Scotland. As per usual she did all the work and was regularly rewarded with a bowl of milk and a piece of oat cake.

After a particularly bad year on the farm, the crops failed and the animals died, the farmer decided he couldn't afford to keep the rest of the servants so he sacked them all much to Hairy Meg's disgust. She was so upset that she went on strike refusing to do any of the chores and throwing pots and pans around the farmhouse.

Hairy Meg made such a nuisance of herself that the farmer had to relent and give all the servants back their jobs and immediately Hairy Meg regained her temper.

You can tell she was happy!

( she reminds me of my old history teacher!!)

Aberdeen Brownies have no separate toes of fingers while in the Scottish lowlands they have a hole instead of a nose while others have no mouths just huge noses.

Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles 2006

Pics from the Wytch Market Glastonbury Oct 2012

This was first thing in the morning before the doors were open, after that it wasn't possible to see the tables for the crowds of people. Another enjoyable day in Glastonbury and usual we had a really fun day meeting lots of great people.

The Lavender Witch is now available in paperback

Now available in paperback from Amazon or www.magic-myth-legend.co.uk

While I was researching my book Faerie Flora I came across the strange but true tale of Hannah Henley, a well known witch from Devon whose bruised and bloody body was found hanging over a branch of a tree near her home. It was believed by the villagers that she had been taken by the devil even tho there was glass and blood inside the cottage. It was the strangest tale and started me thinking how this could have happened so I stopped FF ms for a while and wrote The Lavender Witch.

The Lavender Witch is a chilling ghost story based on the strange but true events surrounding the death of Hannah Beamish, accused of being a witch by a wealthy farmer in a small remote village where she lived in the early 1800’s.

One hundred and seventy years later these strange events, only now remembered by a few, come to light when Kitty and Gordon move back to the Devon village where they were born, they buy an old orchard from a farmer and build a small house. All is fine until they move in and Kitty spends her first day alone in their new home.

Over the course of their first week in the house chilling apparitions appear and events spiral out of their control bringing the past and present together until the truth emerges as to what really happened on Castle Hill.  Was Kitty and Gordon’s return to the village a coincidence? And what secrets are the elderly sisters Sybil and Queenie keeping?  To save their home and their sanity they must finally put the ghosts to rest

And yes this strange tale is based on fact!!

Wytches Market Glastonbury 2012

Off to the Wytches Market on Sat, my doesn't the year move on! 

I will be taking my usual artwork and print plus Faerie Dolls etc.

This year I will have a selection of beautiful mirrors created 

by artist Steven Shipp.

Great event and one we look forward to all year.

Hope to see you there.
All goods are available on my website.

Fearie Flora

Finished my new book Faere Flora at the beginning of the year, it explores the myths and legends surrounding our most common flowers and plants of Britain.

Just toying with the idea of publishing it myself, we found the Ali Baba site and were looking at the section for chinese printers, there are hundreds to choose from so perhaps in the new year that the direction that I will go in...

Devil's Nutting Day

The 14th  of September is Holy Cross or Holy Rood Day and is 

the beginning of the nutting season. 

It is also called Devil's Nutting day. 

The hazel nuts which are collected today have

 magical properties, if you can find a double nut 

this will ward off rheumatism, toothache 

and the  spells of witches.

But do not pick them too early as the hazel is a 

powerful tree, it's wood is used for divining rods 

and to gather its nuts unripe is unlucky or even dangerous.

All the hedgerow trees and bushes are beginning to fruit, 

a heavy crop presages a hard winter.

Many Hawes, many snows.

The rowan is the most powerful of all plants against evil and witchcraft. 

Hang it above your door or plant in the garden. It will protect against the influence of witches  and faeries: while rowan wood used in coffins will prevent the dead from walking.

Rowan tree and red thread

Hold the witches all in dread

The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore