Periwinkle

Many plants have legends and folklore associated with them throughout the world, established and native ones especially. The pretty, wild plant periwinkle is no exception and the mythology linked with it – both good and bad - is very interesting. 

In folklore, periwinkle, the evergreen trailing plant which has delicate, five-petaled flowers in shades of white and purple-blue, is thought to have powers associated with ghosts, spirits, witches and the dead. It was traditionally grown on graves and used in garlands for the recently deceased but more often than not periwinkle would grow naturally in graveyards thus empowering the belief that it was intrinsically linked with death. In many countries it was used as a funeral plant specifically for children, often woven into wreaths to be placed on top of their coffins, as it was thought this would help them on their way to the afterlife. Mostly seen as a protective plant or having a guardian duty for the dead it was not to be feared but respected, however in Welsh folklore it is said that if a periwinkle flower is picked from a grave the person will be haunted for one year by the dead spirit.  

People often used periwinkle for its protective properties and there was a lot of superstition surrounding its use. If harvesting periwinkle for magical use there were some strict rules to follow, the person should be free of all illness, and it could only be picked on certain nights of the month depending on the moon’s phase, only then could it be used properly. Periwinkle was commonly hung in wreaths or bunches on the front doors of houses and other important buildings to protect them and their occupants from evil and to ward off vermin and pests, travellers would also carry periwinkle with them for protection from wild beasts and bad fortune. 

There were some very positive qualities connected to periwinkle too, in Germany for example it was regarded as the plant of immortality and was grown in abundance, it is also said to increase passion if scattered underneath the bed of lovers! 

These days periwinkle has been classed as a bit of a pest as it grows very quickly and in most climatic conditions, indeed in the USA it is illegal to plant it in some states because it is so rampant, but it has a long and fascinating history and deserves to be admired for its important heritage. 

Haunting of Hill House

Wow...we finished watching it a couple of days ago and my goodness it was good. A gripping, believable horror that completely enchanted us. I'm not a fan of the blood and guts type horror films, I don't want to see people suspended on hooks or having their fingernails pulled out, I like to exercise my mind, and this programme certainly did that! Each episode left me wanting more...hence the almost binge-watching that followed.

Everything from the writing that transformed a classic novel into a modern day setting, together with the scene settings, atmosphere, sound and lighting made this an absolute winner...I may need to watch it again if only to spot all the ghosts I missed (which add to the almost subliminal 'did I just see that' feeling) first time round.

Watch it, I recommend it!

Catacombs and caves for storing the dead.

Many cultures have historically used catacombs to bury their dead, in fact people have been laying their dead to rest in caves since time began, although most are more closely associated with the early Christian church, the most famous being the catacombs of Rome and Paris which are open to the public, are vast and are historically important.

The reasons that people started using catacombs seem to be very practical. Because they are underground, the depth of catacombs usually ensures that the dead will be kept cool and that they won’t be disturbed by future developments or by natural occurrences such as flooding which can sadly affect graves on the surface. On a more practical level, storage deep underground also means that the bodies won’t contaminate the ground or water supply as they decay. Catacombs can also be expanded at that depth to accommodate the dead in the future; in fact many catacombs reveal signs of this with many new chambers and connecting tunnels being added on over the years giving a respectful resting place to important people.

The original Roman catacombs were designed as temporary holding facilities for the bodies of Christian martyrs, people who deserved the highest respect for the actions they took in life for their faith, and many catacombs are located beneath churches showing the significant link to the early Christian culture that promoted their use.

After the practice of using catacombs for religious figureheads, it became more common for them to also be used for generally important citizens, leaders and the wealthy. Many well-off families would have chambers to themselves allowing generations of the same family to be buried together in safety and relative opulence, some catacombs have notes about those buried within which can be very historically valuable today to learn about the practices and rituals used at the time. Undertakers of the age would take the dead to be stored in the chambers in coffins, shrouds, or urns in the case of cremation, depending on the wishes, wealth and family directions, they were also used for memorial ceremonies and funeral services if the person was to be laid to rest there, all of this could take place underground, privately and peacefully.

Today, catacombs are generally not used; surface crypts for family burials became more popular as has the use of cremation. There are rare occurrences however when ancient catacombs have been employed on a temporary based following a natural disaster or epidemic, in fact Exeter city council in the UK considered using their 19th century catacombs to store the bodies of Swine Flu victims as recently as 2009.

Lych Way, Dartmoor - The Way of the Dead.

Ghostly funeral processions travelling through the Dartmoor mist have sometimes been seen along this ancient pathway. Lych Way is a track along which people used to have to carry the dead for burial at nearby Lydford where interment of the deceased was compulsory, so for people living on the far side of the Moor, this was an arduous task especially in the winter months. Things became slightly easier in the 1200's when Widecombe was permitted for use, however the ghostly site has still been reported in modern times.