Scottish Heather:
The name heather is believed to come from the Scottish word “haeddre,” which was used to describe a heathland, or a shrubland habitat. Heather is perhaps as much of a botanical symbol of Scotland as the famous thistle. This is especially the case in the Highlands where it grows in such profusion.
An ale made from Heather has a long pedigree in Scotland. Archaeologists have found traces of a fermented heather drink on a 3,000 year old shard of pottery on the Isle of Rum. The Picts made a fine ale from heather alone, without the addition of malt or hops (which they didn’t have). They relied on the heather blooms and their nectar for the flavor, and to fuel the fermentation process.
The Victorians loved Scottish traditions and popularized the idea that white heather is lucky. In 1884 Queen Victoria wrote that her servant Mr Brown “espied a piece of white heather, and jumped off to pick it. No Highlander would pass by it without picking it, for it was considered to bring good luck.” The belief in white heather’s luck may be because it is scarce, in the same way that four-leaf clovers brought other Celts luck.
Other interpretations include the idea that white heather grows over the final resting places of faeries. There was also a belief that in a country of many ancient battles, white heather grew on patches of ground where no blood had been shed. Indeed, from early on, white heather’s luck appears to have an association with battles. In 1544 Clan Ranald attributed a victory to the fact they had worn white heather in their bonnets. Cluny of Clan MacPherson eluded his pursuers after Culloden. He believed his escape was due to the fact that searchers had overlooked him whilst he slept on a patch of white heather.
Heather had many practical uses in Scotland as well. Long leggy stems made durable thatching. People made a yellow dye from heather as well as strong rope which withstood the effects of seawater.
Heather was also gathered together in bundles to make a variety of besoms and brooms. In fact, heather’s botanical name Calluna comes from the Greek kalluna, meaning ‘to brush’. On the Isle of Lewis, a particular kind of hoe drawn by a person had two rows of wooden teeth followed by a row of heather to smooth the soil.
In the Highlands people used this common plant as medicine. An infusion of heather tops were used to treat coughs, consumption and to soothe the nerves. Highlanders also made heather tea and ointments to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and even kidney stones.
The soporific aroma from the dried flowers was also put to use to make heather mattresses. Long lengths of dried, flowering heather were placed together in the bed frame, flowers uppermost and leaning towards the bed head. In the 16th century James VI’s tutor George Buchanan wrote that a heather bed was “… so pleasant, that it may vie in softness with the finest down, while in salubrity it far exceeds it … and restores strength to fatigued nerves, so that those who lie down languid and weary in the evening, arise in the morning vigorous and sprightly.”
