FAIRIES
Folklord's guide on how to attract fairies to your garden.
No, this is not a euphemism. And okay, before we start, there is obviously a lot of folklore surrounding fairies and all you Romantasy freaks are going to come at me if I don't do them justice. So, for the purposes of this Creature Feature, we are talking about fairies as they relate to foxgloves.
Foxgloves are a colorful, bell-shaped flower that has a lengthy history in folklore and medicine. The digitalis plant has been used to aid against heart failure. And, like many plants that can help you, it can also kill you if used improperly! Perhaps this dichotomy spread to its association with fairies.
"Wee folk," "good folk," or "fairie fae" in British, Scottish and European folklore are inexorably linked to the foxglove, commonly known as the "fairy flower." Fairies were believed to reside inside them, wear them as caps or gloves. Cute, huh? It's said that if you plant them in your garden, you'll attract fairies! (See, I got there, didn't I?) If you see little white spots on the flowers, they are fairy fingerprints. "Agh! Fairies, stop touching my flowers, will ye?!" — Some old Scottish guy.
Beautiful as they may be, foxgloves can also be portents of bad luck, as it turns out. It's considered unlucky to pick them or bring them into the house, as this angers the fairies. And, their wilting petals may be the flowers bowing to the fairy folk as they pass by—which is why they bob and sway even when there is no wind. This might beg the question: Why are we so fucking scared of these little assholes? Well, in the Scottish borderlands, foxglove leaves were placed in cradles to protect babies from being stolen by fairies. And what happens if your baby is stolen by a fairy? It becomes a changeling, which then re-assimilates into human civilization and, Children of the Corn style, eventually kills you. So, one part protection, one part warning, the foxglove could be said to be our closest tie to the fairy world. And our own fingerprint on it.
See you out there.
