“I did! I did!” But even as she said it, Grayling realized it was not true. They had done it, all of them together.
She pulled at a loose thread on her tattered skirt. Just as one thread is not as strong as woven cloth, she thought, a person striving with others can be stronger than she would be alone. She had never thought of that before. She was swept with longing for the others.
Hannah Strong slapped her knee and rose. “Enough. It was a good journey and a good story, and now we must hurry and make ready for winter. When rain and snow fall, I would have us be safe and content within.” She studied Grayling and said, “Wise women learn when they are ready, and I believe your journey has made you ready. I will share my spells with you and teach you more of my songs—everything the wise woman’s daughter needs to know.”
A soft breeze blew into the valley. It reminded Grayling of the sea breeze, and she took a fine deep breath. The world seemed to grow wider, in ripples, as if she, Grayling, were a pebble thrust into a pond, and the whole world swirled in circles around her. She knew not what would come of it but felt such a yearning that she could not withstand it. Tucking a sprig of bright red holly berries in her hair, she smiled.
Grayling hurried back into the cottage for her cloak and out again. She found a stout walking stick and looked up the hill she had so recently come down.
Hannah Strong’s shoulders sagged as she watched the girl. “I knew from the moment I sent you to save me that this day would come, but so soon?”
“I cannot stay. I trust you can find others to help you boil and brew and learn your songs. I may be the wise woman’s daughter, but I have my own song to sing.” Grayling put her arms around her mother. “I will fetch your grimoire from Phinaeus Moon and see it returned to you.”
“Nay, girl, I believe ’tis yours now. From mother to daughter, over generations.” Her mother, not one for hugging, yet hugged Grayling back.
“Farewell, Hannah Strong,” Grayling said.
“Farewell, daughter.”
In her clear true voice, Grayling sang her new song:
Seasons change, winter’s nigh.
Leaves change color, fall, and die.
Seasons change, wet and dry.
Even wise folk wonder why
Everything changes by and by.
She stopped for a moment and then nodded and added a last line:
Seasons change, and so do I.
Then Grayling turned for the path back up the hill toward the rest of the world.
Author’s Note
Cunning folk? Wise women? Hedge witches? I knew there was a story there, and the only way I could find out what it was was to write it. So I did, setting the story in a place much like medieval England but with magic.
For centuries, all across the world, cunning folk, also called wise women or wise men or hedge witches, were the ones villagers sought out to cure toothache or bellyache, to find lost or stolen objects, or to provide love potions and prophecies. The activities of cunning folk could be sorted into herbal medicine, folk magic, and divination. Some of their pursuits may sound far-fetched to modern ears, but they were recognized remedies in medieval England, and much of what cunning folk found and did is still used today.
Herbal Medicine
The use of plants as medicines dates as far back as the origin of humankind. Historic sites in Iraq show that Neanderthals used yarrow, marsh-mallow root, and other herbs more than sixty thousand years ago.
People have always relied on plants for nourishment. Through trial and error, they discovered that some plants are good to eat, some are poisonous, and some produce bodily changes or relieve pain. Over time, these observations were passed down from generation to generation, with each new population adding to the body of knowledge.
Many ancient plant-based remedies are used to this day, such as ginger and mint to treat nausea, poppies to make medicine for sedation and pain relief, and witch hazel lotion for skin ailments. Saint John’s wort, once used to ward off evil spirits, now relieves depression. Spiderwebs have been used since Roman times on wounds to stop the bleeding. It is now known that spiderwebs are rich in vitamin K, which can be effective in clotting blood. Even carnivorous animals are known to consume plants when ill. My cat eats grass.