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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
94
"Full
in
the
midst
a
spreading
elm
displayed
His
aged
arms,
and
cast
a
mighty
shade;
Each
trembling
leaf
with
some
light
visions
teems,
And
leaves
impregnated
with
airy
dreams."
At
the
present
day,
the
yarrow
or
milfoil
is
used
by
love-sick
maidens,
who
are
directed
to
pluck
the
mystic
plant
from
a
young
man's
grave,
repeating
meanwhile
this
formula:
"Yarrow,
sweet
yarrow,
the
first
that
I
have
found,
In
the
name
of
Jesus
Christ
I
pluck
it
from
the
ground;
As
Jesus
loved
sweet
Mary
and
took
her
for
His
dear,
So
in
a
dream
this
night
I
hope
my
true
love
will
appear."
Indeed,
many
other
plants
are
in
demand
for
this
species
of
love-divination,
some
of
which
are
associated
with
certain
days
and
festivals.
In
Sweden,
for
instance,
"if
on
Midsummer
night
nine
kinds
of
flowers
are
laid
under
the
head,
a
youth
or
maiden
will
dream
of
his
or
her
sweetheart."[3]
Hence
in
these
simple
and
rustic
love-charms
may
be
traced
similar
beliefs
as
prevail
among
rude
communities.
Again,
among
many
of
the
American
Indian
tribes
we
find,
according
to
Mr.
Dorman,[4]
"a
mythical
tree
or
vine,
which
has
a
sacredness
connected
with
it
of
peculiar
significance,
forming
a
connecting-link
and
medium
of
communication
between
the
world
of
the
living
and
the
dead.
It
is
generally
used
by
the
spirit
as
a
ladder
to
pass
downward
and
upward
upon;
the
Ojibways
having
possessed
one
of
these
vines,
the
upper
end
of
which
was
twined
round
a
star."
He
further
adds
that
many
traditions
are
told
of
attempts
to
climb
these
heavenly
ladders;
and,
"if
a
young
man
has
been
much
favoured
with
dreams,
and
the
people
believe
he
has
the
art
of
looking
into
futurity,
the
path
is
open
to
the
highest
honours.
The
future
prophet
puts
down
his
dreams
in
pictographs,
and
when
he
has
a
collection
of
these,
if
they
prove
true
in
any
respect,
then
this
record
of
his
revelations
is
appealed
to
as
proof
of
his
prophetic
power."
But,
without
enumerating
further
instances
of
these
savage
dream-traditions,
which
are
closely
allied
with
the
animistic
theories
of
primitive
culture,
we
would
turn
to
those
plants
which
modern
European
folk-lore
has
connected
with
dreamland.
These
are
somewhat
extensive,
but
a
brief
survey
of
some
of
the
most
important
ones
will
suffice
to
indicate
their
general
significance.
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