#folkloretuesday

The veil is thinning... If you sense a presence behind you, it's not your imagination.

This little purple flower is #NewEnglandAster, it’s a wildflower that blooms here in mid to late-September. It’s also known as a #MichalmasDaisy as its in season around September 29th, which is the traditional feast day for St Michael. Michael is in interesting figure as he’s included in several of the world’s major religions- he’s the protector of the Jewish people, plays a major role in Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, smaller roles for Jehovah’s Witness & in Mormonism, and in Islam he is said to be responsible for the forces of nature. Now, this is more a post about #folklore than religion so we’ll move along to that story. Michael’s major claim to fame is as the angel that casts the Devil from Heaven. According to early English folklore- when thrown from Heaven, the devil falls to Earth and lands smack dab in a blackberry bush, and isn’t very happy about it. So he curses blackberries- with some stories going further saying that he urinates on the bush. According to this legend, one shouldn’t eat blackberries after Michael’s Feast, or today…….but I ate this one anyway and it was pretty good. #folkloretuesday #michaelmas #wildflowers #thedevilinnewengland (at New England) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFuPmuLFuMq/?igshid=pq2ii4yf0srd