There are several flowers associated with fairies in British and Irish folklore: foxgloves are used by the Little People as hats, gloves, thimbles, and various other garments; while primroses growing on a doorstep are thought to attract the fairies, who will look after the house as long as the flowers are well looked after. When they grow in large patches in the woods, primroses, bluebells and foxgloves are said to mark gateways to Faerie. Passers-by must be extremely careful at these spots, as hearing bluebells and foxgloves ring is also said to be an omen of death or calamity.
You can read more about the folklore of flowers in The Green Issue. Our new Beltane issue is now shipping worldwide, and in it you’ll find vegetation spirits, numinous forests, holy and unholy trees, and a parade of folkloric and literary characters associated with the colour of vegetation, fertility and renewal.
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