Reseda luteola
Weld
This Mediterranean herb is the oldest yellow dye plant in the
world. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as
rikhpah and still grows in Israel. The Romans dyed the robes of the
Vestal Virgins and wedding
clothing with this magick herb. It was a favored dye in Persia in the Dark Ages and
widely use in Europe as a dye in the Middle Ages. Weld is a more
concentrated yellow dye than most dye flowers but was superseded by tropical dye
plants after the
European invasion of the New World. The leaves have the most intense dye, but
the whole plant (except roots)
contains dye. It is especially nice on wool, but can dye cotton or silk
as well. With an alum mordant, weld makes lightfast lemon yellow on wool and
silk, with
copper it makes greenish yellow, with iron it makes olive. Combined with
woad, weld makes green (usually the woad is done first); this is called
Lincoln Green and was the color of the clothing of Robin Hood's men. It
is also the basis of Saxon green, which is weld over Saxon blue (a
light blue created by indigo dye treated with sulphuric acid [oil of
vitriol]). Weld dyed the clothes of the common people in Great
Britain but the silks of wealthy Vikings (this dyed silk was imported,
though). Top
Dyeing with Weld. Six
to seven first-year rosettes or two second-year
blooming plants will dye a pound of wool and can be used fresh or
dried. Chop the plant. If using dried leaves, crumble and soak in warm water for
six hours before using. Simmer, don't boil, for one hour, and strain
out the herb. Add some washing soda to make the dye bath alkaline, then
add wet
fiber to the bath and simmer for an hour. Keep stirring, because this dye
tends to sink to the bottom of the pot. Don't boil, or it will
turn brown. You can also use dried leaves equal
to 1/2 the weight of fabric as a measurement. Top
Other Uses. An
excellent magickal ink can be made by macerating weld in alcohol; this
makes a yellow ink good for drawing amulets and talismans for
protection and offensive magick. Or consider dyeing ritual clothing with weld
for use in magickal protectiong or ritual attack. Along with other natural dyes like indigo,
cochineal, and madder, weld
was turned into a "lake" (by precipitating it onto an opaque substance,
like chalk) and used in painting and in medieval manuscript
illumination as a substitute for the poisonous orpiment and to signify gold. It grew wild
in southern England but farther north might well have been
found in cottage gardens growing against south-facing walls. It is certainly a candidate for medieval
gardens and was grown in North American colonial gardens. In Britain it
was used, rarely, as a poultice on wounds and bites of snakes or
stings of insects, which implies a Mars nature, despite the fact that
it lacks thorns. Indeed, it is hot and drying to the
third degree, according to Gerard (apparently the root tastes like a
radish). It was not much used medicinally because of its heat but was
recommended against the plague, which to me says it was probably a last
resort type herb. Weld flowers attract bees and
butterflies, and cattle, goats, sheep, and donkeys like to eat it. Weld
is also known as wold, dyer's weed, green weed, dyer's broom, mahabbet
chichegi, muhabbetcicegi, pastel sauvage, thail
ath thikh, wouw, dyer's rocket, yellow weed, wild mignonette, Lus
Buidhe Mòr, and dyer's mignonette. Top
How to grow weld: If you have a short season, start plants indoors 6-8
weeks before last
frost. Surface sow - seeds need light to germinate in 7-14 days at room
temperature. Otherwise, plant outside in early spring, barely covering
the seeds. Weld is a biennial in zones 5-9; elsewhere, grow it as an
annual (it won't flower). It forms a rosette the first year and in the
2nd spring shoots up a stalk to 5 ft/1.5m but more
normally up to 3ft/1m. It flowers June-August and ripens seeds
August-September. Weld likes dryish, chalky soil (it's often found growing
around limestone quarries,
gravelly banks, stony roadsides--planting around walls would duplicate
this) but it can grow in any kind of soil. Plant in full sun up north
and partial shade in the South. This plant shows its aggressive Martial nature
by reseeding all over the
place if you don't watch it. General growing info. Top
Reseda luteola
Weld
200 seeds $3.00
Uses in
Witchcraft & Magic:
Honoring Vesta
Celebrating Weddings
Protection Spells
Attack Magick
Mars
Herb
© 2004 Alchemy Works; No reproduction without permission