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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
54
Hence,
in
Hamburg,
sailors,
after
long
toiling
against
a
contrary
wind,
on
meeting
another
ship
sailing
in
an
opposite
direction,
throw
an
old
broom
before
the
vessel,
believing
thereby
to
reverse
the
wind.[12]
As,
too,
in
the
case
of
vervain
and
rue,
the
besom,
although
dearly
loved
by
witches,
is
still
extensively
used
as
a
counter-charm
against
their
machinations--it
being
a
well-known
belief
both
in
England
and
Germany
that
no
individual
of
this
stamp
can
step
over
a
besom
laid
inside
the
threshold.
Hence,
also,
in
Westphalia,
at
Shrovetide,
white
besoms
with
white
handles
are
tied
to
the
cows'
horns;
and,
in
the
rites
connected
with
the
Midsummer
fires
kept
up
in
different
parts
of
the
country,
the
besom
holds
a
prominent
place.
In
Bohemia,
for
instance,
the
young
men
collect
for
some
weeks
beforehand
as
many
worn-out
brooms
as
they
can
lay
their
hands
on.
These,
after
dipping
in
tar,
they
light--running
with
them
from
one
bonfire
to
another--and
when
burnt
out
they
are
placed
in
the
fields
as
charms
against
blight.[13]
The
large
ragwort--known
in
Ireland
as
the
"fairies'
horse"--has
long
been
sought
for
by
witches
when
taking
their
midnight
journeys.
Burns,
in
his
"Address
to
the
Deil,"
makes
his
witches
"skim
the
muirs
and
dizzy
crags"
on
"rag-bred
nags"
with
"wicked
speed."
The
same
legendary
belief
prevails
in
Cornwall,
in
connection
with
the
Castle
Peak,
a
high
rock
to
the
south
of
the
Logan
stone.
Here,
writes
Mr.
Hunt,[14]
"many
a
man,
and
woman
too,
now
quietly
sleeping
in
the
churchyard
of
St.
Levan,
would,
had
they
the
power,
attest
to
have
seen
the
witches
flying
into
the
Castle
Peak
on
moonlight
nights,
mounted
on
the
stems
of
the
ragwort."
Amongst
other
plants
used
for
a
similar
purpose
were
the
bulrush
and
reed,
in
connection
with-which
may
be
quoted
the
Irish
tale
of
the
rushes
and
cornstalks
that
"turn
into
horses
the
moment
you
bestride
them[15]."
In
Germany[16]
witches
were
said
to
use
hay
for
transporting
themselves
through
the
air.
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