Today’s Treasures – Bluebells

Hyacinthoides non-scripta – until recently, the Latin name for the bluebell was Endymion non-scriptus.  In Greek legend, Endymion was a beautiful young man who Selene, the moon goddess, fell in love with – the legend tells that she lulled him into an eternal sleep so her mortal lover would never grow old and die.  Non-scripta is Latin for ‘not written’ meaning without markings.

Bluebells are an indicator of ancient woodland – they grow where trees thrived as long ago as 1600 – The Woodland Trust suspects that bluebells grow on the remains of the original wildwood that covered Britain after the last Ice Age.  Folklore tells of fairies ringing the bluebells to summon fairy folk to a gathering and it is still considered unlucky to trample on bluebells because of angering the fairies sheltering in the flowers.  It is also said that a person wearing a wreath of bluebells will be compelled to tell the truth.

Scientists have now discovered that bluebells contain at least 15 biologically active compounds that repel insects and animals.  Bookbinders have long used bluebell derived adhesives for this reason – and in the Bronze age bluebell glue was used to attach feathers to arrows.

But the healing properties of bluebells lie in the heavenly scent that envelopes you and calms your senses as you walk through the enchanting bluebell dells.  This is the path along Old Oswestry Hill Fort, carpeted in bluebells; as you stroll along the path between the ancient ramparts and the breeze ruffles the bright blue petals, the fragrance envelops you, overpowering your senses, your imagination drifts along with the birdsong to long-ago times when ancient civilisations lived on the hilltop and battles were fought on the ramparts.  What stories these bluebells could tell of the wildwood and the wild men who lived here.

Published in the June edition of the Whitchurch Gossip

#bluebells