Happy Walpurgisnacht!

The time for cleaning up the garden is in full swing!

For more views on the local Heathen flavor of this holiday via the Urglaawe perspective, please see the post on Urglaawe.net titled Hallichi Walpurgisnacht... adder Hallichi Wonnenacht!

The Nine Sacred Herbs of Braucherei and Urglaawe

The Lacnunga describes the nine herbs sacred to the Anglo-Saxons, but what is not as well known is that the Deitsch have their own sacred nine, Neine Heiliche Gegreider.

Three come from wood (Dogwood, Elder, Wintergreen). Three come from the fields (Fimffingergraut or Cinquefoil, Catnip, Ground Ivy), and three from the garden (Horehound, Sage, and Thyme). In Urglaawe, these herbs are gathered after 15. Wonnet (May 15).

Those that come from wood can include many parts of the plant.

Wood

Dogwood (Deitsch: Hundsholz): Cornus florida

Elder (Deitsch: Hollerbeer): Sambucus nigra but also Sambucus canadensis

Wintergreen (Deitsch: Bruschttee): Gaultheria procumbens but also the distantly related Chimaphila umbellata (Pipsissewa; Deitsch: Gehlwassergraut)

Field

Cinquefoil (Deitsch: Fimffingergraut): Potentilla reptans or Potentilla canadensis

Catnip: (Deitsch: Katzegraut): Nepeta cataria

Ground Ivy (Deitsch: Grundelreewe): Glechoma hederacea

Garden

Horehound (Deitsch: Edann): Marrubium vulgare; other species

Sage (Deitsch: Groddebalsem; Salwetee): Salvia officinalis and many other varieties

Thyme (Deitsch: Gwendel): Many varieties, but especially Thymus pulegioides ("Pennsylvania Dutch Tea"; Deitsch: Deitscher Tee)

The Fimffingergraut is already taking off rapidly in the garden, and the Ground Ivy and Catnip are beginning to raise their leaves above the ground. Some of my sage and thyme never went away.

One thing that is interesting to note is that Mugwort (Aldi Fraa; Artemisia vulgaris and other species) is mentioned in The Lacnunga but is omitted from the Deitsch sacred herbs list... yet in Braucherei and Urglaawe, Mugwort is probably the most commonly used sacred herb. It has a standing of its own. Holle is represented in the Nine Sacred Herbs by Elder.

Fimffingergraut was featured in an article here in April of 2013. The other herbs will be featured in upcoming Blanzeheilkunscht articles.

See also the article Nine Sacred Herbs by Susan Hess on page 10 in Hollerbeier Haven 5 (May 2008).