 Want to make sure your husband is feeling the passion? Or just need to keep those evil spirits away? Maybe you just want to see ghosts? What do you wish for? We'll talk about all of these. And many more amazing myths about lavender today. On eccentric nature. And now the mythology of lavender. Lavender is associated with the planet Mercury. The element of air. And the astrological signs of Virgo and Gemini. Lavender flowers are known to represent purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness. The Romans dedicated lavender to the worship of Hecate. And her daughters Medea and Cersei. Plus any goddesses who love serpents. Women used to be presented with bouquets of lavender. Or given lavender to hold during childbirth. And this would bring them strength and courage. Sounds good to me. Give them all the help you can. That childbirth is tough stuff. And in the 19th century, gypsy travelers sold bunches of lavender on the streets of London to bring people good luck. Oddly it seems that lavender represented distrust to certain Victorians. What? How this was even possible considering how much Queen Victoria loved it is beyond me. Lavender and religion. Christians would make crosses of lavender and hang them over their doorways for protection against evil. So how did lavender get its scent? Well you see the scent comes from essential oils in the- Wrong! It is believed that lavender was taken by Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden. And one day, Mary laid baby Jesus' clothes on a lavender bush to dry. And this act bestowed lavender with its glorious scent. Which is kind of what Mary did with Rosemary too. Man, Mary is just like dolin' out happiness to all kinds of different herbs. There are several references in the Bible to lavender under its Greek name, Spikennard. Which just kind of makes me think that lavender went through a punk rocker phase. Anyway, back to the Bible. One story says that Mary took a pound of the very pricey lavender, anointed Jesus' footsies, and then wiped his feet with her own lavender-coated hair. Kinda odd, but you know, to each their own. A little more gruesome is the tale of Judith in the Gospel of Luke. She wore a lavender perfume, the charm Holofernes. Oh, that's nice. And then she got him drunk and beheaded him. Ouch. Well, he kinda deserved it as he was about to destroy her hometown of Bethulia. Oh, okay. Well, take that Holofernes! You can also find this event lovingly depicted in numerous famous paintings through the ages. Not so much the lavender, more the head-slicy. Humans are so morbid, shifting over to Spain and Portugal. On St. John's Day, you might find lavender on the floor of churches, or tossed into bonfires in order to avert evil spirits. Speaking of evil forces, lavender, evil, and ghosts. Lavender was said to avert the evil eye, and chase away demons and evil spirits. Besides hanging it above your door, if you plant lavender outside your house, it was said not only to drive evil spirits away, but keep bad luck away too. But really, there are myths that say if you use lavender anywhere in the house, it's gonna stop any of those nasty demons and spirits too. In Tuscany, they would pin a sprig of lavender on their shirts toward off the dreaded evil eye. Are those confounded, persnickety demons taking control of your unruly children? Then you should add some lavender to their bathwater to send those demons packing. But more importantly, are you wanting to connect to the other side? Well, lavender may or may not help. Some say lavender's smell actually repels ghosts. But many say if you carry lavender with you, it can help you see ghosts. Gatsukes, it works! Though this is apparently really tricky as you have to keep your third eye open, your energy matching theirs, and lots of other criteria. Well, no one said reaching the other side would be easy. Lavender and magic. In magic, lavender has most often been used for protection. People would often hang lavender on their bed posts, or you can mix it with basil, lemon balm, thyme, roux, and frankincense. Burn the mixture in your house in a safe manner like incense to protect your home. Mix it with mugwort, chamomile, and rose on Midsummer's Eve, and you might just attract some fairies, elves, or brownies. Or you can use it as a tea to increase your clairvoyance. And finally, you can use lavender and spells to boost that brain power, or encourage fertility. Insider tip, add a little rosemary for a little extra oomph. Lavender and love. Lavender has been tied up in all different kinds of rituals and beliefs concerning love, and the troubles it brings. Cleopatra apparently used lavender to aid in her seductions. However, women of North Africa used lavender to protect themselves against abusive husbands. During Tudor times, lavender tea was sipped by maidens on St. Luke's Day to divine the identity of their true loves. Maidens of ill repute were said to attract men by wearing lavender perfume and burning lavender scented candles. Though goodly maidens who wanted to remain chaste were told to carry a sprig of lavender to avoid unwanted advances. Who's also believed that a mere sprinkle of lavender water on your head would help you preserve your virtue. Ladies of the Alps would tuck some lavender under their lover's pillow to foster romantic thoughts and encourage thoughts of marriage. And once lavender did its job and people got married, all you needed to do was put some lavender under your mattress to ensure marital passion and avoid quarrels. Really, that's all it takes. Well, shoot, grab me a little lavender and let's get busy. Has lavender protected you from evil? Maybe you've seen ghosts. Let me know in the comments down below. If you want even more exciting folklore, then watch the mythology of Mint or the mythology of Rosemary next. Until next time, please be kind, take care of each other, and hold on to that lavender or else the ghosts might come for you. Ha, ha, ha, ha.