May: The Hedgewitch and the Month of Plenty

 

Cunning Women/Hedgewitch in May 

In the old villages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, May belonged to the cunning women. As spring tipped toward summer, the hedgerows burst with medicine, magic, and promise. The month was tied to fertility, protection, and the thinning veil between the human world and the hidden realms of spirits and fairies. A cunning woman understood that May was not simply a season—it was a doorway.

By May, the fields and forests offered an abundance of useful plants. Hawthorn blossoms, often called Mayflower, were gathered carefully at dawn for protection charms and heart remedies. Elder leaves and flowers were collected for healing tonics and fever remedies, though many believed the elder tree housed a spirit that demanded respect before cutting its branches. Nettles, despite their sting, were prized as strengthening spring greens rich in iron and vitality after the starvation months of winter. Wild garlic carpeted the woodland floor, used both in cooking and as protection against illness and malevolent spirits.

Near the cottage door, the cunning woman’s herb garden flourished in the lengthening May sunlight. Rosemary and rue guarded the threshold from ill fortune, while lavender and chamomile dried in bundles beneath the rafters for sleep charms and healing teas. Thyme crept between the stones of the garden path, believed to strengthen courage and invite the blessings of the Good Folk. Sage grew thick and silver beneath the windows, valued for wisdom, longevity, and purification, while mint and lemon balm were brewed into calming tonics for anxious hearts and troubled sleep.

Many of these cultivated herbs served practical and magical purposes alike. Yarrow was used to stop bleeding and hung above beds for protection. Fennel, often tied in bundles during Beltane, was believed to drive away wandering spirits and malicious witchcraft. Rue, one of the most feared and respected herbs in folk magic, was planted near gates and doorways to repel curses, envy, and the evil eye. To the cunning women, healing and magic were never truly separate things.

May rituals often centered around Beltane, the ancient fire festival held on the first of the month. Villagers lit twin bonfires on the hillsides, driving cattle between them for purification and protection before summer grazing. Cunning women sometimes kept the old fire rites alive long after the church condemned them, quietly blessing homes with ash from sacred flames or weaving flower garlands meant to invite luck, fertility, and abundance through the coming summer months.

Dew gathered on Beltane morning held special power. Women rose before sunrise to wash their faces in the May dew, believing it preserved beauty and health for the coming year. Cunning folk might collect the dew in small jars for use in love charms, healing washes, or moon rituals later in the season.

Yet May carried danger as well as beauty. Folklore warned travelers against wandering too close to fairy mounds or ancient thorn trees during this time. The veil between worlds was believed to grow thin beneath the flowering hawthorn. Offerings of milk, honey, bread, or fresh herbs were sometimes left at crossroads or beneath elder trees to keep the Good Folk appeased. Certain herbs, particularly rosemary, rue, and thyme, were hung over doors specifically to guard the household from wandering spirits during Beltane night.

To the cunning women, every flower blooming in May carried meaning. Every herb had a spirit. The land itself awakened, and those who knew the old ways listened carefully to what it was trying to say.

If you love stories about Cunning Women and Hedgewitchs, try my series, The Women of Midsummer, full of lore and magic from Ancient Ireland, Native American, Anglo-Saxon healers and the cunning women of 17^th century England. You can find them HERE.