Ivy Faerie: available as cards or prints, ideal for the festive season!

www.magic-myth-legend.co.uk

Apart from being one of the plants brought in for the Christmas decorations the ivy has some interesting folklore surrounding it.

This is taken from my book Faerie Flora;

"This plant brings good luck, fun and happiness, and growing some over the outside wall of your house will deter misfortune.

If you have a house plant of ivy and it dies this might signify that financial problems may be looming.

Ivy is the symbol of fidelity and it used to be customary to hand a wreath of ivy leaves to newly weds. The bridesmaids would also carry some mixed in with their bouquets as it was believed to aid fertility and bring good luck. Wands entwined with ivy are still used in nature fertility rites and in spells for love magic.

For a woman to dream of her future husband she must collect some leaves and recite the following:

Ivy Ivy I love you

In my bosom I put you 

The first young man who speaks to me

My future husband he shall be"

We decorate our houses with greenery at Christmas as did our Roman and Teutonic predecessors as part of their winter festivals.

In some areas it is believed to unlucky to bring Holly and Ivy in before Christmas Eve and all the boughs must be taken down before Twelfth Night.

Faeries and goblins come in with the greenery to shelter against the winter cold; in return for this they would behave and cause no mischief. This is why the boughs must be removed otherwise the more malicious kinds of faeries will be encouraged to stay.

New Faerie Dolls, perfect for Christmas!

Perfect for Christmas Pressies,
 yes, it is that time of year again!
Handmade in Somerset and available from my website
 www. magic-myth-legend.co.uk
please contact for overseas shipping costs

 Beatrice the Faerie Bookworm

 Zelda

 The Green Man

Granny

Seeing the new moon through glass...!

It is supposed to very bad luck to see a new moon through glass. One old lady that I have heard of became very ill after after seeing it through a window, ever since then to avoid a re occurance of this illness she has her sister lead her out blindfold into the garden where her eyes are uncovered and she can view the moon safely. To guard against ill luck turn over any silver that you may have in your pocket.
If you look closely, with one eye shut and looking the other way there is supposed to be the image of a rabbit on the moons surface. The Moon Rabbit lives on the moon and spends his time pounding with a pestle and mortar to create the elixir of life.
In a  Buddhist   tale a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on the day of the full moon, believing a demonstration of great virtue would bring them great rewards.
When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected fish, while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into a fire the man had built. The rabbit, however, was not burnt. The old man revealed himself to be Sakra and, touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire.
your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.
Bad Luck: To see the new moon for the first time through glass. Upon seeing the new moon you should turn whatever silver you have in your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.

your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.

Bad Luck: To see the new moon for the first time through glass. Upon seeing the new moon you should turn whatever silver you have in your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.

Great review from Fae Nation

 Had a lovely review from Bryony Whistlecraft at Fae Nation, a big thank you to you!

Fae Nation

Your Virtual Portal to Faerie…

• ABOUT

Faerie Flora by Elizabeth Andrews

August 16th, 2013

Faerie Flora is the newest book created by illustrator and author Elizabeth Andrews. A delightful follow up to Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles, Faerie Flora collects a wealth of lore, legend and traditional herbal uses of numerous native plants. Organised season by season Faerie Flora also contains recipes for food and remedies and some spells for those who’d like to include these magical plants in their work. Each plant is lovingly rendered with detailed botanical illustrations and accented with charming faerie paintings which bring the tales to life.
Faerie Flora (paperback, 162 pages)  is £9.99 and available to buy direct from Elizabeth’s website, A World of Myth, Magic & Legend.

Summer and roses...

Now the summer is well and truly here, hurrah!, my roses are in full bloom and the faeries in my garden are absolutely delighted for they adore roses.

As I have mentioned before if you wish to attract faeries o your garden 

grow loads of roses!

 And if you need a love spell sprinkle rose petals under your feet and dance 

on them while asking the faeries for their help in winning the one you love, 

and they will give their blessings on your magic.

Roses are also extremely useful in medicine; rose hips are a good source of 

vitamin C and according to Culpepper a decotation made with red rose petals

 and wine is a good remedy for headaches. 

Is that the hair of the dog remedy I wonder?

While the faeries use the roses themselves...

a faerie can make her self invisible by eating a rosehip and spinning 

anti clockwise on the same spot three times. To become visible again the faerie 

must eat another rosehip and spin again, but this time clockwise, three times.

I also have another love charm if anybody needs one...

Take three roses, white, pink and red.

wear them next to your heart

for three days

Steep them in wine

For three days more

Then give them to your lover

When he drinks, he will

Be yours forever.

Faerie Flora 2013

Delivery..

My delivery waiting to be put on a boat in Hong Kong!

Faerie Flora has landed!

At last my package has arrived from China!

I was in the garden planting some lettuce seedlings when the DHL driver rang the doorbell so I scampered to the door covered in dirt, wearing wellies and brandishing a trowel. 

And it looks great.. I am so relieved, I was imagining all sorts of horrors.

The only thing that I am going to have to change is the thickness of the cover, it's too thin at the moment and the corners have started to curl already on the sample they sent to me.

  The order has to come by boat from China and will take about a month so I am hoping it will arrive in time for me to start selling it at the Witches Market, Glastonbury in June