Happy Winter Solstice

 

And merry Yule from us!

Storm Valkyrie 🎄🎄🎄

Magic fairy knot

Some of the most detailed knots are magical and ritualistic. The Celtic knot is one such main group of knot work magic systems. There are others too, including the Pixie knot and their associated with matted hair and disappearances, reappearances and bridle stirrups for riding. 

The fairy knots have been used in magic since ancient times. Even during the witch trials, in 1588 Alison Pierson was tried as a witch for using knot magic to heal a bishop of St Andrews. Then another woman named Jonet Morrison was executed for using knot magic to cure a sick baby, even though she cured the baby, she was still punished and died in 1662. Some have used the knot magical system for selfish reasons though. In the same year 1662, Isobel Gowdie was tried for witchcraft for being part of a coven that used magical knots to steal cows milk. 

Where did they get their knowledge from? According to Janet Trall, she learned about knot magic from fairies. She cured a sick man named Robert Soutar by using the knotted magical system. She let him go through a "hesp of yarn, and afterwards cut it in nine parts, and buried it in three lords' lands." Thomas Geace was a doctor who also used yarn to heal sick people and afterwards he burnt the thread. Many more people up and down the country have used knotted objects to cure the sick, and passing the illness to cats who became sick and died, while human patients were cured. Some of these knots were made with green woodbine. 

More info about this in the book A Darker Side of Faery by John Kruse.

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Holly, December flower

The flowers associated with December is the holly, including the blossoms, thorny leaves and the berries. Another name for the holly flower is Ilex aquifolium. The flowering period is during Spring when branches of holly twigs explode in tiny green and white flowers. They can resemble clumps of snow at a distance, and then by late in the year the red holly berries appear looking like rubies. They are mostly used as decorations during Yule and Christmas. 

Holly is evergreen. They can be found in many parts of the world, growing in different climates. They're mostly successful in temperate and subtropical places. 

While these plants look very pretty, they're not safe to eat. Consuming them will cause sickness and can be fatal for pets. The leaves and berries are poisonous. Certain exotic species of holly, the Yerba mate and the Ilex guayusa, Kuding and Yaupon, have had their leaves used to make tea. Berries have been distilled to make brandy, the eau de vie.

In ancient times, holly was believed to ward off evil spirits. Some say the holly protects from evil and people placed it around their homes. Also holly indoors was believed to protect fairies and make them kind to householders. Druids believed that holly symbolise immortality because it stayed green throughout the year, and holly was associated with eternal life. In Celtic myth, the Holly King appeared during half of the year from Midsummer to Midwinter. Christians believe that holly symbolises Christ. Witches believe holly is the perfect plant to make magic wands. Unmarried women placed nine holly leaves under their pillows to dream about their future husbands. Holly is associated with thunder gods, including Thor and Taranis, as the leaves are small lightning conductors, which is why people also kept holly. 

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