February 24: Winter

In lots of gardens, the sweet little snowdrop is the first flower to announce spring. Unassuming as it may be, in ancient Greece it was said to have strong magical powers. Under the name “moly”, both the witches Kirke and Medeia would have used it in their potions. It would have originated at the death of Pikoloös, one of the giants, offspring of earth goddess Gaia. The giants were defeated by the Olympians, and Pikoloös had fled the battlefield to the isle of Aiaia, where Kirke lived. When he assaulted her, he was killed by her father, the sun god Helios. From his blood sprung the moly (litterally “fierce battle”), with a root as black as the giant’s blood, and a white flower head as a reference to the sun. The little flower is surrounded with mystery and paradox. It’s delicate, but resilient, piercing his hanging head through the snow. It comes in dozens of varieties, with just one colour. It’s small, but sold for lots of money. And though the bulb is poisonous, it looks promising for medicine. All of which is why it worked so well for Kirke and Medeia.