In British folklore, the magical fern with its elusive golden seeds has its ancient roots firmly embedded in the traditions of Midsummer’s Eve. Traditionally it was believed that brushing up against a fern’s leaves would be enough to turn a person invisible on this night. The tiny seeds are said to only ripen between midnight and one o’clock in the morning and when they fall to the ground they instantly disappear. This is why it is extremely important to catch them before they do. If you succeed then not only will you have the power of invisibility but you can also find any hidden treasure by throwing the seeds into the air so that they fall like a star onto the lucky spot. Fern seeds allow a person to be able to call on any living creature too. However, collecting fern seeds is a very dangerous task for the Devil could be waiting to stop you when the fern shines like gold on Midsummer’s Eve. It is also a tricky task because a fern leaf must not be touched with your hands but needs to be gently nudged with a forked hazel twig. The seeds can then be caught on a pewter plate or family bible.
‘Fern seed I sow, fern seed I hoe, in hopes my true love will come after me and mow.’
Young girls tried to gather fern seeds and scattered them at midnight to unveil the identity of their future husband. If a young girl succeeded in collecting fern seeds she was to run around a church three times as the clock struck midnight, looking over her shoulder to see the ghost of her future husband mowing with a scythe. In some areas, the above rhyme was not about fern seeds but hemp seeds or rose leaves (Somerset) instead. In the Scottish Highlands, nine fern stems were cut with an axe and made into a love charm. Bracken roots were also seen as a valuable ingredient in love potions. If a woman picked a fern leaf on St John’s Eve and put it into a man's left shoe, he would instantly fall in love with her.
‘Twas not the maiden’s matchless beauty,
That drew my heart nigh.
Not the fern-root potion
But the glance of her eye.’ (An Old Gaelic song)
St John's Hands or Lucky Hands were made from the roots of a male fern by trimming them to resemble a thumb and fingers. The roots were then smoked on the Midsummer fire before being hung up in the home or carried on a perilous night as a protective charm. Fern leaves were tied around horses’ ears in the belief that this would confuse witches and keep the Devil away. Country folk called the fern ‘Moonwort’ or ‘unshoo-the-horse’ because when horses walked over fern leaves the horse shoes would fall off. If moonwort was gathered by moonlight and pushed through keyholes it could unlock doors, loosen screws on hinges and turn quicksilver into precious metal. Fern was associated with thunder and lightning and was hung up around the house as a protection charm against thunderstorms. The seeds possessed protective powers as well. Burning Fern leaves could make it rain. In 1636, King Charles I visited Staffordshire and people were ordered not to burn any fern so as not to spoil his time there.
In Ireland, bracken is called Mary’s Fern because it was believed that Joseph used it for bedding; as such the fern was a blessed plant and nothing that slept on it would ever catch a cold.
The fern is also known as a fairy plant and in Ireland it was believed that ferns were banished fairy changelings in disguise. Fairies are very jealous of any human that manages to collect fern seeds and will do their utmost to stop them. If a traveller steps on a fern they will become confused and lost. In Staffordshire, ferns were called Devil’s Bushes and were not gathered or even touched. Bracken had many uses and in Ireland, a person could be fined if they cleared a whole field of it. Bracken was used for bedding in Viking Dublin, was an ingredient in ale and was used to thatch cottages in the Highlands of Scotland. In Ireland, fern was burnt on St John’s Eve and the nutrient rich ash was spread over soil and used to bleach linen and make lard soap.
‘Saint John's Wort, St John's Wort,
My envy whosoever has thee,
I will pluck thee with my right hand,
I will preserve thee with my left hand,
Whoso findeth thee in the cattle fold,
Shall never be without kine.’ (Carmina Gadelica)
Several herbs are associated with St John’s Eve and the most prominent one is St John’s Wort, also known as Chase Devil. St John’s Wort has to be picked before sunrise on St John’s Eve and smoked over the St John’s fire to strengthen its potency or to do this at the very least between this day and Old St John’s Day, also known as Little St John’s Day, on either the 29th June or the 4th July (dates vary due to the old calendar changes). Some folk believed that St John’s Wort was especially potent if it was accidentally found; ‘unsought and unasked’ today. The best place to stumble upon it was in a field where cattle or sheep grazed. This was a good omen for the farm and the herb would be tied in bunches and placed around doors and windows of homes and farm buildings to ward off evil spirits, death, the evil eye, witches and thunder and lightning. It was also nailed to the front door to keep fairies away. When St John’s Wort was placed under a pillow a person was said to be blessed with a visitation of St John in their dreams. In Scotland, people believed that St Columba always had some St John’s Wort on his person due to his devotion to the saint. People wore St John’s Wort under their left armpit and called it the Armpit Package of Columba. Women attached the herb to their bodices and men to their vests, buttonholes and hats. This ensured peace, abundance and a successful harvest. The roots were dug up at midnight and used as a protective charm.
In Ireland, St John’s Wort was one of seven herbs that could protect against anything worldly or otherworldly. The other herbs were vervain, speedwell, eyebright, mallow, yarrow and self heal. F.S Wilde in her book ‘Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland’ (1887) says that St John’s Wort should be harvested at noon on a bright day close to a full moon to be the most beneficial. To have some St John’s Wort meant that a person was prepared for anything and brought the wearer peace, good luck and prosperity. The herb was said to move away from anyone who tried to pick it. It was believed that if someone stepped on it they would be carried off by a fairy horse that rose from underneath them and be taken on a wild ride and dropped off in the morning miles away from home. The Devil could not approach within nine paces of a person wearing St John’s Wort.
‘St John’s Wort doth charm all witches away
If gathered at midnight on the saint’s holy day.
Any devils and witches have no power to harm
Those that gather the plant for a charm.
Rub the lintels and post with that red juicy flower
No thunder nor tempest will then have the power
To hurt or hinder your houses and bind
Round your neck a charm of similar kind.’
The Nine Herbs of St John refers to a collection of specific flowers and herbs that were gathered at Midsummer to be made into garlands and hung over doors or rafters. The plants’ purpose was to absorb evil influences such as sickness before being burned on a bonfire the following day. Some garlands were kept and burned at the Winter Solstice. The nine herbs were St John's Wort, mugwort, plantain, corn marigold, dwarf elder, yarrow, Ivy, vervain and orpine. There was also a traditional seven herb posy consisting of St John's Wort, cuckoo pint, marjoram, milk thistle, garlic, fennel and scabious. The dew on Midsummer’s Eve was believed to have the same healing powers as the May Day dew and was even added to cake mix before baking.
In some parts of Germany, thyme was picked on St John’s Eve and kept until Christmas Eve when it was mixed with the ashes of the Christmas fire for the purpose of fumigating apple trees on Christmas Day. Herbs were also picked on St John’s Eve and given to cattle with their winter feed to keep them healthy. Lilies were a popular choice for Midsummer decorations along with roses and birch.
Walnut was also closely associated with Midsummer’s Eve and was said to be the most magical if gathered today. The walnut tree was sometimes seen as a witch’s tree suggesting that it was an important tree for pre-Christian folk. In the 12th century, Pope Paschalis II ordered an ancient walnut tree to be chopped down on the Piazza della Chiesa del Popolo in Rome and afterwards built a church over where it once stood.
Mugwort was believed to have a magical piece of coal under its roots which can only be found on Midsummer’s Day at noon. If a young girl found it and placed it under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband. The ‘coal’ is not actually coal but a decayed part of the mugwort root. Across Europe, mugwort was used to make a protective belt called St John’s Girdle (Johannisgirtel, Ceinture de la Saint-Jean). Traditionally it was worn while dancing around the fire on Midsummer’s Eve before being burned at the end of the festivities; destroying any witchcraft or bad luck that it had attracted. In Somerset, there was a good luck ritual whereby flowers would be placed on the largest stone on a farm (possibly a relic from an ancient sacrificial rite). Mugwort was believed to possess purifying and protective powers against evil and had to be pulled up by the roots on St John’s Eve in the middle of the night. This guaranteed its usefulness throughout the whole year. It was smoked over the fire to purify and strengthen it before being made into garlands and hung over windows and doors of homes and byres. It was also burnt on the hearth to bring good luck and ward off evil influences. Wreaths made of mugwort were worn on the heads of animals and people and thrown onto the fire for good luck. Mugwort smoke was even inhaled as a cure. The Anglo Saxons believed that mugwort was one of the most powerful herbs against evil spirits.
In Ireland, the bulrush is known as the ‘Fairy Woman’s Spindle’. In Scotland it was believed that if a bulrush was gathered on Midsummer's Eve at midnight and wrapped up in a shroud that a person would be free of every illness for the rest of their life.
Flower cushions were made by arranging flowers on top of a stool covered in clay which was then displayed on the street. The person who paraded the stool would collect alms to pay for their Midsummer feast. On the Isle of Man, a wreath would be made with walnut leaves, cornflowers and box leaves and then thrown onto the fire. Rowan crosses were made into protection charms and rowan sprigs were tied to horses’ bridles for the same purpose.
Strange things take place on Midsummer’s Eve around stone circles, such as the stones at Stanton Drew (The Devil's Wedding) or the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire. There are plenty of weird and wonderful tales of devils, fairies and witches associated with standing stones. Cornish witches are said to meet on Midsummer's Eve on a rock called the Witches’ Rock. The belief in fairies and witches is still strong today in Cornwall and at St Cleer a huge bonfire with a witch’s hat and broom on top of it is lit on a hill to warn witches to stay away for another year. Forty different varieties of herbs and flowers thrown into the flames were believed powerful enough to break any bewitchment. A sickle made from the wood of an oak tree was also thrown on the fire and guaranteed fertility for man and field. The feast of St John was also associated with water and many people made pilgrimages to wells that would have been especially decorated for the occasion. People danced, sang and played games around the wells too. In Scotland and Germany, people dowsed for water and buried treasure using hazel sticks. On the Shetland Islands, selkies who are bewitched humans were believed to shed their seal skins today and spent the shortest night of the year in their human form, dancing on the rocks before turning back to seals again.
The Dancing Trees was a tradition in Devon whereby a platform would be erected in a tree upon which people sat, feasted and danced. Examples of this tradition can be found in other places such as Dunsford, Lifton, Trebursye, Meavy and Moretonhampstead where a wooden platform would be put on top of coppiced trees. Other traditions that took place on St John’s Eve were Clipping the Church and the Porch Watch (I have talked about these traditions in previous posts). The veil between our world and the next becomes thinner on St John’s Eve and is a perfect opportunity for divination. One example was to put a black velvet cushion full of pins into a right foot stocking then hanging it up for the night to glimpse a look at your future husband.
The Irish traditionally ate a dish of white bread soaked in milk and flavoured with spices and sugar today which was then heated on the Midsummer bonfire. Children collected pennies for the bonfire and bought sweets to enjoy during the festivities. In Ireland, young folk would gather on the marshy ground near the River Deel and to pick the large leaf and strong stem of the ‘hocas fian’ as it was called in Irish (I have tried to find an English translation of this name and I believe it could mean ‘Giant Mallow’. If you speak Irish please let me know whether this is right!). The young folk lightly hit people with it which brought protection from illness and bad luck during the coming year. The plant was then thrown onto the fire. River swimming began on St John's Day as it was believed to be only safe to do so after having observed the festival. All danger of drowning was then banished. In Slavic tradition, no one swam in a lake or river before Kupala Night due to the dangerous otherworldly creatures living in the waters.
Wishing you all a lovely Midsummer’s Eve and for more folklore, divination, customs and charms associated with this time of year, please check out my Instagram highlight entitled ‘June Lore’. Many of these customs can be found across Europe especially in eastern Europe. If you have any customs or practices associated with Midsummer I would love to hear about them.
Brightest blessings,
Elissa
BIBLIOGRAPHY (Part 1 & 2)
Celtic Pilgrimages by Elaine Gill & David Everett (1997)
A Calendar Of Country Customs by Ralph Whitlock (1978)
A Year Of Festivals by Geoffrey Palmer & Noel Lloyd (1972)
Folklore And Customs Of Rural England by Margaret Baker (1974)
English Traditional Customs by Christina Hole (1975)
Maypoles, Martyrs & Mayhem by Quentin Cooper & Paul Sullivan (1994)
A Dictionary Of British Folk Customs by Christina Hole (1976)
A Chronicle Of Folk Customs y Brian Day (1998)
Winters In The World by Eleanor Parker (2022)
A Calendar Of Scottish National Festivals, Volume Two by F, Marian McNeill (1959)
The Year In Ireland by Kevin Danaher (1972)
The Celtic Calendar by Brian Day (2003)
Stations Of The Sun by Ronald Hutton (1996)
The Magical Properties Of Plants And Where To Find Them by Tylluan Penry (2018)
The Magical Lore Of Herbs by Marion Davies (1994)
Discovering The Folklore Of Plants by Margaret Baker (2021)
Ireland’s Wild Plants by Niall Mac Coitir (2008)
Ireland’s Trees by Niall Mac Coitir (2003)
Treasury Of Flower Lore by Josephine Addison & Cherry Hillhouse (1997)