Folklore, Myths &Legends
-
Preparing for Autumn: A Hedgewitch’s View
Autumn as a Hedgewitch’s Season Autumn has always been my favourite season. There is something in the shift of light, the deepening of colours, and the scent of damp earth that stirs both heart and spirit. The hedgerows grow heavy with berries, and the balance of day and night begins to turn. As a hedgewitch,…
-
Wharram Percy: A Deserted Medieval Village and the Fear of the Restless Dead
The Village That Vanished Hidden among the wolds of Yorkshire lies the medieval village of Wharram Percy. Today, only the ruins of St Martin’s Church stand tall above the grass-covered remains of homes, workshops, and farm buildings that once formed a thriving community. I have visited the village several times; it’s very tucked away, atmospheric…
-
What Is a Hedgewitch? A Solitary Craft of Land, Lore, and the Otherworld
Hedgewitchcraft is one of the hardest paths to explain, partly because it refuses to be neatly defined. Ask several hedge witches what a hedge witch is, and you will get several different answers! It was the author Rae Beth who brought the term hedgewitch to oir modern eyse, with her book Hedgewitch: A Guide to…
-
Mugwort: The Dream Herb of Witches.
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is more than just a common plant growing wild in hedgerows,across Europe. For millennia, it has been revered as a herb of protection, vision, and liminal journeying. For hedgewitches and herbalists, mugwort can be one of the most potent tools in the witch’s cabinet, rooted in ancient tradition, myth, and mystery. Mugwort…
-
Field Notes: The Language of Flowers
Victorian floriography, the language of flowers, developed in a society where emotion was often restrained by etiquette. Flowers became a quiet method of communication. A bouquet could express affection, refusal, grief, remembrance, or hope without a single word spoken. Each flower, and often its colour, carried a particular meaning understood by those who knew how…
-
Ragwort: The Witch’s Weed and Fairy Steed
Favoured by the Fae In fairy lore, ragwort has long been considered a plant of the Otherworld. It’s said the fae favour it, and not just for its colour. Some stories claim fairies ride their tall, hollow stalks like horses through the night. Other folklore says that carrying ragwort could help us mere mortals slip…
-
A Witch’s Garden: The Mystical Charms of Camellias.
Camellias stand out as a flower steeped in mystery and enchantment. These blooms are revered for their potent energies in wealth, abundance, and prosperity. With their dark evergreen, glossy leaves and a stunning array of colours, they are very striking. I added some to my own garden last year, and they are just starting to…
-
The Festival of Summer’s End: Celtic Roots of Samhain
Samhain is a shift in reality. The bright warmth of summer and the cold dark of winter never touched the Celtic people gently. They lived by the rhythm of the land; the boundary between summer and winter was sudden. At no other point in the year did life seem so fragile. During this time, a…
-
“Gentle Messages: How to Notice Signs in Everyday Life”
This post is being re-edited. 09/01/2023 Check out posts here! Hedgewitch-Journals
-
Apples, Otherworlds, and Ancient Magic
Apples are far more than a simple autumn fruit, they carry deep roots in UK folklore and mythology, echoing stories of magic, wisdom, and the veil between worlds. We all know the fairy tale of Snow White, the poisoned apple given to her by the evil queen. Apples have long carried that double meaning of…