Welcome to this week's episode of the My Slice of Life podcast. From ancient Greek gods to bringing good fortune to a church’s congregation, the ivy has a wide, varied and often contradictory place in folklore and magic. Find out whether this wondrous plant really does bring trees down and why you should ONLY ever bring it into your house at Christmas!
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Further Information:
Ruth Binney book 'Plant Lore and Legend': https://amzn.to/4i7uxYD
Margaret Baker book ‘Discovering The Folklore of Plants’:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/ivy/
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/English-Ivy-Symbolism-Traditions-and-Mythology
https://druidry.org/druid-way/teaching-and-practice/druid-tree-lore/english-ivy
https://www.eldrumherbs.co.uk/content/content_files/profiles_ivy_hedera-helix_state-1.html
https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-ivy/
https://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2021/10/plant-story-folklore-of-english-ivy.html
https://www.youtube.com/@TheStoryCrow
Frazer, J. (1890). The Golden Bough. Macmillan.
Guiley, R. E. (2008). The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca. Facts on File.
Culpeper, N. (1653). The Complete Herbal.
Intro music: Exciting news by Diamond_tunes - used with thanks
All images/video: © Sharon O’Neil 2025
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