In this episode of Flowers & Folklore, we step into the shadowy world of the hellebore: a flower with rich history and many contradictions - the light and the dark.

We explore how this moody bloom has been linked to Christianity and witchcraft in equal measure, how it was used to create some surprising “magical powers”, its role in some juicy ancient goss and also there’s some goats eating things they absolutely shouldn’t.

To fully explore this little flower’s backstory we fall down more than one rabbit hole, but all of them bring us to the same conclusion - you’ll never look at The Christmas Rose the same way again.

Books, Art & Poetry

* The Language of Flowers by Odessa Begay

* “How to do the flowers” by Constance Spry

* Floriography by Jessica Roux

* Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker

* Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels

* The Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa Dietz

* Thanatos by Henry Kirke White

* Lyrics from Speyer service book from 1599

Artworks

‘Arts & Crafts Hellebore’ by Margaret Light

Click here to view the full article about Margaret’s gorgeous work.

Inspiration

* Hellebore and moth tattoo by Eleanor Gander (@eliluciitattoos)

* Winter arrangement by Constance Spry

* Hellebore arrangement by The Floral Coach

Have your own floral stories or lore about hellebore? We’d love to hear from you! We’re accepting reader submissions, so if you have a flower story, (about any flower) please share it with us! Comment below or email us at flowersandfolklorepodcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the episode!

Keeley & Sarah

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Find Keeley online: Instagram | Substack

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