Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday I have decided to do something a little bit different. I will be going over the famed flowers associated with May Queens, those Faery Queens deeply associated with this time of year! So, we are having a very floral and herbal Femme Fatale Friday this week.
HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna)
~Hawthorn is known as the tree of May and she blooms deeply alive with white flowers around Beltane. This is the most iconic Faery Tree of the Month of May! Hawthorn is often used to create the flower crown for the May Queen. She is sacred to many Faery Queens, notably Guinevere who is so very remembered for going-a-Maying, even in the Christian era! Hawthorn is a member of the Rosaceae family, being a relative to Apple and Rose. It also links to Hawthorn being a tree of the heart, with both the ability to be used as medicine for the physical heart and a medicine to heal the emotions of heartache and grief!
APPLE BLOSSOM (Malus spp.)
~The sacred Apple Tree is also in bloom in Spring, making an ideal inclusion here in the discussion about flowers associated with Faery Queens of May! Certainly, the Apple Tree is very connected to the realms of Faery, being the very namesake of the Isle of Avalon. Apples are the fruit of sexuality, wisdom, fertility, and immortality. This links to the often diverse meanings attributed to the fruit historically, often being linked to both giving health (life-giving properties) and death. The blossoms of the Apple Tree also link to Morgana in her Springtime aspect as a Faery Lover and Magickal Enchantress!
ELDERFLOWER (Sambucus nigra)
~Elder has been called Queen of all Herbs by the great herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, proving just how powerful and important this Faery Tree truly is! Elderflower is certainly the part of the plant we would associate with Springtime, often used to make liquor, it is what St. Germain is made with. Elderberry is the rich and syrupy sweet fruit of the tree, which appears in Autumn. Elder has forever been associated with the Fae folk, having folklore both linking it to being a tree that attracts the Fae as well as one that protects against the negative intentioned Fae! So that is why I had to write a bit about my beloved Elder as a May Queen flower. Elder is great to nourish the body and promote a better immune system, hence why Elderberry is so often used in vitamin blends!
LILAC (Syringa vulgaris)
~Lilacs are the lovely and sweet-scented flowers that bloom with an intoxicating smell. This is a beautiful plant that is so very comforting to be surrounded by. I have to admit, the inclusion of Lilacs here is in large part due to their importance to the Practical Magic book series. Now, that does not mean that these flowers do not have a connection to Fae energy, being that they are very associated with sexuality, making them an ideal May Queen and Faery Queen plant in general! They are also often included in incense blends for the Fae, and other Faery-themed products and elixirs.
THE FLOWERS OF BLODEUWEDD: OAK (Quercus), BROOM (Cytisus scoparius), & MEADOWSWEET (Filipendula ulmaria)
~Finally, I could not end this May Faery Queen herbal post without mentioning the flowers of Blodeuwedd. Oak, Broom, and Meadowsweet flowers were used to form the physical body of Blodeuwedd when she is called forth from the Otherworld by the magicians Math and Gwydion to be the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Her flowers are each used for magick and medicine in their own right. Oak is the Tree most prized by the Druids, Broom is famed for its use in making besoms (as the name suggests), and Meadowsweet is used for respiratory and digestive issues!
I will leave you with this poetic rumination: In the Merry Month of May, Faery Queen’s Dance, Inciting us to Trance! As May comes to a close, flowers of all sorts are abloom, perfect for Faeries to Dance and Entrance!
~I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of the most famed herbs of May Queens and Faery Queens. What is your favorite May time herb? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely painting of a Faery Queen surrounded by blooming flowers. I found the image on https://gathervictoria.com/2017/12/15/happy-may-eve/.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- Magical Faery Plants by Sandra Kynes
- Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
- The Avalonian Oracle by Jhenah Telyndru
- The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook by Karen Harrison
- Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
White Rose of Avalon 