Flower magic and superstitions in Finnish folklore

Flowers have always been powerful ingredients in folk magic and Finland is not an exception. The habit of picking flowers and putting them into a vase was not something that regular folk did but the custom spread from the manors. Instead, flowers were turned into wreaths that were hanged above doors and windows to protect the cattle and prevent evil spirits from entering the buildings. Most of these spells were performed during Summer Solstice.

For those of you who do not speak Finnish, the Finnish language does not include prepositions (in, the, on) which can make my flower name translations sound a bit strange for those who are not used to it. Postpositions are more common and they are often included in the words (ending -n). Compound words are also very common.

Kielo/Lily of the Valley

Element: water, air
Planet: Mercury, Moon

Lily of the valley protects the spell caster from the evil eye and keeps unwanted suitors away. In the language of flowers, the Lily of the valley represents happiness and abundance. Be careful when picking them. Lily of the Valley is a poisonous (though very pretty) flower.

The Finnish name of the flower kielo refers to the tongue-shaped leaves (kieli-tongue). Other nicknames for kielo are lehmänkieli (cow´s tongue), lehmänkielheinä (cow´s toungue hay), kieliheinä (tongue hay), koirankieli (dog´s toungue) and lehmänkielenkukka (cow´s tongue flower). Cows did not eat lilies because they were (and are) poisonous but cows were very important animals in the past and they were sacred animals of women.

Kielo/Lily of the Valley is Finland´s national flower.

Kissankello/Bluebell

Element: earth
Planets: Uranus, Moon
​
In Finnish harebell/bluebell is known as kissankello the cat´s bell. According to the myth, a group of mice were afraid of a cat who was always chasing them. They decided to buy a bell and hang it to the cat´s neck so that they would hear when the cat was approaching. But none of the mice was brave enough to hang the bell to the cat´s neck. A fairy heard mice arguing and agreed to buy the bell from them. Mice sold the bell to the fairy who took the bell into the forest and turned it into a blue flower. After that mice could hear ringing inside the flower each time when the cat was near. Bluebell represents loyalty. If you want a loyal partner and loyal friends you can use bluebells to attracting them.

Spells and superstitions:
If you want someone to fall in love with you, slide a bluebell into their pocket.

Lumpeenkukka/Waterlily

Element: Water
Celestial: Moon

(Literal translation: Lumpeenkukka — the flower of the pond).
If you wish to cast powerful spells pick water lilies during the night of the full moon. They are excellent for fertility and attracting love- spells. ​

Maahumala/Ground Ivy

Elements: Earth, water

Ground ivy possesses positive energy that can be used for healing a broken heart. It´s a very protective plant. Keep ground-ivy leaves with you and you won't get lost in the Forest Blanket.

Metsäkurjenpolvi/Wood Cranesbill

These flowers were commonly used in love spells and especially by women who wanted to get pregnant. Wood Cranesbill was used to get rid of ghosts and demons.

Spells and superstitions:
If you want someone to fall in love with you make tea from wood cranesbill and give it to the one you desire.

If someone has put a curse on you wrap a wood cranesbill to the hand you use most often and you can prevent the curse. ​

Metsätähti/ Chickweed Wintergreen

Element: Earth
Celestial: Moon

Metsätähti means forest star and it is named after its star-shaped flowers. Other names for it are aamutähti (morning star), iltatähti (evening star) and sammaltähti (mossy star). Since these flowers grow deep within the forest in Finnish folklore they attract fairies and other forest folk. It is the flower of magic and mystery and can be used in spells that increase creativity and imagination.

Superstitions:
The flower is most magical late in the evening or very early in the morning. If you see forest spirits around them leave a sacrifice so that they know you are there with good intentions.

Minttu/Mint

Element: Air, Water, Fire
Planet: Mercury, Venus

Wild mint is best for spell casting, especially during the summer solstice. According to folklore evil trolls are afraid of mint. ​

Mäkikuisma/St.John´s Wort

The Finnish name of mäkikuisma (hill wort) refers to its growing place. It is an old witches plant and common plant of the summer solstice. It was used by shamans and witches in their spells and it protected the spell caster during the ritual. Nowadays St.John´s wort is endangered species in Finland and should not be picked.

Spells and superstitions:
Put St.John´s wort under your pillow in the summer solstice and your future love appears in your dream. ​

Nurmikohokki/Bladder Campion

Element: Water, Air

This flower is connected to the maiden aspect and is best suitable for spells performed by untouched young men and maidens. In the old times, the root of the Bladder Campion was used as soap to wash clothes.

Orvokki/Violet

Element: Water
Planet: Venus

Some wildflower violets in Finland are metsä-orvokki the forest violet and suo-orvokki the marsh violet. According to folklore, especially wild violets attract fairies. It was believed that violet had magical abilities and it was connected to other realms (fairy realm?). Violet was the flower of the lovesick and was used to attract true love. It provided protection from evil spirits. ​

Puna-apila/Red Clover

Element(s): Fire, Water

Planet(s): Uranus, Mercury

Morning dew collected from red clovers can bring beauty and charm. Tea made from red clover can be used as a love potion. Adding some red clovers into the sauna water was believed to bring wealth and money.

Spells and superstitions
Use a red clover as a boutonniere and all your business affairs go smoothly.

Take one of the petals and suck the mead from it. Kiss the one you love and they are eternally yours.

Päivänkakkara/Daisy

Element: Water
Planet(s): Venus, Moon

Daisies were often used in love spells and in romantic divination (loves me, loves me not…). Pregnant women used the same method to find out whether the child was a boy or a girl. Another romantic divination was to ask what was the profession of the future spouse (sailor, doctor, priest, blacksmith, tailor…). Since daisies were used a lot in divination all of it´s nicknames refer to that: ennustuskukka, arpakukka (divination flower), elänkuolenkukka (live die flower), juu ja ei (yes and no)…

Spells and superstitions:
Daisies that are picked on the Summer solstice remove negative energy from home.

Rentukka/Marsh Marigold

Element: Water
Celestial: Sun

Marsh Marigold represents youth and beauty. If the maiden washed their face in the morning of the summer solstice with milk that had marsh marigold leaves mixture, they would remain beautiful for the rest of the summer.

Superstitions:
Not very suitable for love magic because it might bring former lovers into your dreams (unless you want them back).

Ruiskaunokki/Corn Flower

Element: Air
Planets: Saturn, Venus
​
The literal translation of ruiskaunokki is rye beauty. Rolling in a field filled with cornflowers was believed to attract beauty, youth, happiness and suitors. Cornflower is a weed that grows in cornfields (rye fields in Finland). Having these “weeds” growing was considered a good thing and people believed that they brought fertility to the soil and helped the rye grow.

Rätvänä/Tormentil

Element(s): Fire, Air
Planet: Mercury

Tormentil is a witches flower and the shape of its petals is connected to a pentagram. It can be used for both protective magic and curses.

Superstitions:
Add tormentils to your flower wreath, wear it on the night of the summer solstice and you can turn yourself invisible.

Saniainen/Fern

Elements: Air, Water
​
Fern (Finnish: saniainen, sananjalka) is loved by the fairies and the forest folk. The folk tale tells that once fern grew beautiful flowers but one day there was an old woman in the forest who wiped their behind with fern flowers. This made ferns so upset that they refused to bloom during the day but only during midnight when it is so dark that no one can see their flowers. But if someone did saw fern flowers they became illusionist and they would learn the language of the birds. If one saw fern blooming in the night of the summer solstice they could find a treasure but only a brave person could do that because the treasure had to be dug up from the ground in the middle of the night when only light came from willow o wisps and the treasure was guarded by kratti, the treasure elf who would not give their treasures away just for anyone. Another Finnish name for fern is kuolleenkoura (fist of a dead person). When the ferns rise from the ground in the spring the young leaves look like fists.

The belief that fern bloomed during the night of summer solstice was very popular so witches and shamans were very eager to get fern seeds to their hands. The Finnish name for fern, sananjalka (literally means; stem of a word) got its name from a spell that was performed during the summer solstice. In this spell when a person cut the stem of the fern, they would see the initials of their future spouse in them.

Superstitions:
Add fern leaves into a wreath, wear it and you can turn invisible.

Sleep with fern leaves under your pillow and you dream about the future. Sleep with fern-root under your pillow and you can find solutions to your problems in your dream.

Siankärsämö/Common Yarrow

Elements: Water
Planet: Venus

Finnish name of the Common Yarrow siankärsämö means pig´s snout. The origin story of the name is unknown but since common yarrow can be found in white and light pink..like baby pigs, that might explain the name. Sometimes yarrow was called lavantautiheinä (typhoid hey) because it was used to heal typhoid patients. In folk magic, yarrows were added into wreaths since they drew away demons and evil spirits. It was recommended to add pink yarrows into flower bouquets because they would attract love and romance.

Other names of the plant are connected to its usage. It was used to spice up beer and it was known as peltohumala, ketohumala (field intoxication, meadow intoxication). Yarrow was smoked as a cigarette ( tupakkikukka / cigarette flower). Sometimes names were connected to the growing place of the flower. It was also known as pellonvanhanen, pellonvanhin, pellonvanhus (oldest of the meadow) and pientarekukka (a flower that grows next to the road).

​Superstitions:
Wrap yarrows inside pink flannel. Slide them under your pillow and you can dream about the future.

Tilli/Dill

Element: Fire
Planet: Mercury

Dill is a protective herb. Carry dill with you and it protects you against evil spirits and jealous witches. Dill is most powerful in the “old” Juhannus-night (24–25th June). It can also protect you against mischievous forest spirits.

Valko-apila/ White Clover

Element: Air
​Planet: Mercury

White clover is a protective flower that drives away evil spirits. They can help you to find an honest spouse. If you dream about white clovers it means that love is coming your way.

Valkolehdokki/Fringed Orchid

Element: Water
Celestial: Moon

Powerful witches plant and works best in the spells that are performed in the middle of the night. Connected to Alinen (the underworld). In folk magic, a fringed orchid can turn a cat into a dog, old into young and ugly to a beauty. In Christian folk tales, flowers of the fringed orchid are connected to angels because the petals (according to some) look like angel wings. In (now day) Finland flower is protected in the whole country. Fringed orchid is especially famous for its enchanting scent.

Vanamo/Twin Flower

Element: earth
Celestial: Moon

​Vanamo/ twinflower is a common flower in Finnish forests. According to folklore, they attract fairies and forest spirits.

Bell-like flowers of Vanamo has given it nicknames like; harakankello (magpie´s bell) sirkunkello (singing bird´s bell).

Voikukka/Dandelion

Element: Fire
Celestial: Sun

Some people love it and others hate it and call it a weed. Voikukka translates as butterflower and refers to the yellow colour. Blowing dandelion seeds is a ritual when you can perform a wish. In the flower, wreath dandelions represent optimism, happiness, determination and positivity. Other nicknames for dandelion are keltakukka (the yellow flower) and ohrakukka (the barley flower) because it blooms around the time when barley is sown.

Vuokko/Anemone

Element: Fire
Planet: Mars

Valkovuokko the white anemone is a common flower of summer solstice because its blooming time is in the middle of June. The flower was used in love spells, especially those who were looking for short-time relationships…it´s not necessarily the best flower for someone looking for commitment. Nowadays White Anemone is a protected flower in northern Finland and Lapland.

Vuokko has some lovely nicknames as well like suvenihanainen (loveliest of the summer) keväänlempi (spring love) keväänesikoinen (first of the spring).

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Originally published at https://www.fairychamber.com.