So a friend asked me “what does heather mean?” I told him to surf the damn web. I decided to go surf around myself some and found out some interesting facts.
Scottish Heather (UR – meaning “new.” Heather has a renewing property.)
Scottish Heather (Calluna vulgaris) grows in open moorland, hillsides, and heaths. Calluna is from the Greek word kallunein which means to cleanse. This is because heather brooms were used to sweep out cottages, in early Scotland. Heather was also used for rope, thatching, and aromatic bedding. The word heather is thought to have come from the Scottish word haeddre. Heather’s thin stalks are tough. They bear small purple (Callunas vulgaris), red, white (Callunus alba) and bluish flowers which give off a delicate aroma and bees love their pollen.
Heather is used medicinally to treat nervousness and cardiac palpitations. Walking through a heather-clad moor in the sunshine can brighten the spirits. Heather can alleviate migraines. The Picts brewed a potent ale from Heather. The is also a heather and honey brew. The Gaelic word Fraoch is the word for Heather, but it was also a man’s name, meaning “fierce and warlike.” Cuchulain had a son named Fraoach. Fraoch is the name of a popular ale in Scotland, and it is ditributed here in the United States.
Heather of all colors can be bunched together and polished to produce colorful and attractive brooches and badges. The stems are dried, and the bark is removed. Then they are dyed various colors using natural dyes. Then they are compressed together and cut into slices. They are then shaped in cabochon shapes and put into a bezel with silver settings. Many of the designs date back to the time of St. Columba and the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland.
Heather is found mostly on the moors of northern Europe. They are important to ecology in the highlands. Many animals and birds use heather for food and cover.
Carmichael’s Scottish Heather Cream (my personal favorite and in my own humble opinion BETTER THAN BAILEY’S) and Froach Heather Ale are both made from Heather.
and even wierder
NAME : HEATHER
GAELIC NAME : FRAOCH
LATIN NAME : Calluna vulgaris
COMMON / FOLK NAMES : Common Heather, Ling, Scotch Heather, Heath.
MEDICINAL PART : Flowering shoots.
PLACES OF ORIGIN : Ireland, Britain, and Europe.
HABITAT : Commonly found on poor soils and marshy grounds.
DESCRIPTION : Heather is an evergreen shrub. The prostrate, greyish, hairy stem grows up to 3 feet long and sends up branches 1 to 1.5 feet high. The dull green, sometimes gray, small, linear-lanceolate leaves grow in two overlapping rows.
FLOWER PERIOD : Branching spikes of light violet, bell-shaped flowers appear in August and September.
PROPERTIES : Antiseptic, Cholagogue, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Expectorant,
Vasoconstrictor.
USES : Some people find heather useful for insomnia, and it has also been recommended for gouty and rheumatic pains, stomach-ache, coughs, and facial skin problems. Heather contains compounds that act to constrict the blood vessels, strengthen the heart, and moderately raise blood pressure. They also stimulate the flow of bile and of urine.
Historical Uses: The Danes used to brew beer from the flowers of heather.
Preparation and Dosage -: Heather may be used fresh or dried.
MAGICAL PROPERTIES
GENDER : Feminine
PLANET : Venus
ELEMENT : Water
DEITY : Nechtan
POWERS : Protection, Rain-making, Luck.
OGHAM LETTER: U ura
MAGICAL USES
Heather is carried as a guard against rape, sexual assault and other violent crimes, or just to bring good luck. White heather is the best for this purpose.
Heather when burned with fern outside attracts rain. Heather has also long been used to conjure ghosts.
I find the magical uses to be my favorite new information i’ve found!
~heather
