Here’s an interesting legend about love potions. A man walks down the road, holding his wife’s hand — something not commonly seen among country people hundreds of years ago. “Look at the strong grip he’s got,” one local says to another as they observe the couple from a corner of the chapel. “I’ll bet he’s had a drop from the Black Saucepan,” replies the other man.
In this little story, the two men are joking about the hand-holding man. However, the joke hints at an old belief. If a man was unusually attached to a woman, people might say he had been enchanted. Perhaps the man’s affection wasn’t natural but was the result of a love potion. The idea was that the woman had secretly given him a concoction, made in a saucepan which had been blackened over a fire, and that he had unknowingly fallen under her spell.
A drop from the Black Saucepan
This expression was common in the speech of people from West Kerry. They used it to express surprise or suspicion about the sincerity of a relationship or marriage. Like many idioms, this on has deep roots in history. This is according to a paper called An Sáspan Dubh agus Deocha Seirce Eile (The Black Saucepan and Other Love Potions). It was penned by Tomás L. Ó Murchú, a lecturer Modern Irish at University College in Cork.
The fascinating paper, written in Irish, details the strange appearance in history of an sáspan dubh – the Black Saucepan. At one time, people genuinely believed in the power of these magical drinks. They thought that if the potion was prepared correctly with the right ingredients, it could cast a powerful enchantment. These love potions were reportedly being made as late as the end of the 19th century, and possibly even later. Some even say that they are still being made today. We know love potions existed before the Great Famine. It’s even possible that the tradition of love potions goes back to ancient times.
If a man was unusually attached to a woman, people might say he had been enchanted.
Love Potions Throughout Irish History
Tristan and Iseult is a timeless Celtic legend that has captivated audiences for centuries. It is a tale of forbidden love, betrayal, and the enduring power of passion. Tristan, a young knight from Cornwall, is sent to Ireland to retrieve a bride for his uncle, King Mark. There, he meets Iseult, a beautiful princess. As they sail back to Cornwall, a storm forces them to drink a love potion, the potion causes Tristan and Iseult to fall deeply in love, a love that is forbidden by their social standing and loyalty to King Mark.
The love potion in the Tristan and Iseult legend is often referred to as philtre d’amour or love philter. Its exact ingredients are shrouded in myth, but it is generally believed to have been a concoction of powerful herbs and potions with aphrodisiac properties. The love potion had a profound effect on Tristan and Iseult. It caused them to feel an overwhelming and irresistible attraction to each other. Their love was so intense and passionate that they were willing to risk everything, including their lives, to be together. The potion also made them incredibly sensitive to each other’s emotions, allowing them to communicate on a deep and spiritual level.
Love Potions in Literature
The legend of Tristan and Iseult has deep roots in Celtic culture. And this is not the only time that love potions appear in Irish literature. “A Love Potion” by Lady Jane Francesca Wilde, written in 1888, details how some of the country people have still a traditional remembrance of very powerful herbal remedies. “They are generally prepared by an old woman; but must be administered by the person who wishes to inspire the tender passion. At the same time, to give a love potion is considered a very awful act, as the result may be fatal, or at least full of danger.” It’s important to note that the concept of love potions was seriously frowned upon, so it was kept very, very secret. And worse, some ingredients used in these potions could be toxic if not handled properly.
The love potion in the Tristan and Iseult legend is often referred to as philtre d’amour or love philter.
Love Magic in Medieval Irish Law
The use of love potions was kept very quiet, firstly so that when a young maiden brewed it in her black pot, she could serve it as a tea without arousing suspicion. And of course, if too many people knew about it, the men in question would be suspicious of a drink when presented it.
And of course, it was illegal. In two ancient Irish legal texts, love magic is mentioned as a serious offense. One of these texts is the Cethairṡlicht Athgabálae or “Four Divisions of Distraint,” which is part of the Senchus Már, a major collection of Irish laws from around the 800 CE. One of the offenses listed in this text involves “supernatural attacks on a bed.” This is specifically described as “bed witchcraft” or “sorcery in the bed.” The glosses, or explanations, to this law item reveal that this type of magic could be used to split up a couple or cause impotence. And there were punishments if caught.
What were in Irish love potions?
Love potions were often associated with traditional healers, herbalists, or those with a reputation for magical abilities. These individuals, sometimes referred to as “wise women” or of course, just pain old “witches,” were believed to possess knowledge of herbs, plants, and incantations that could influence human emotions. So, if there was a recipe for an old Irish love potion, would we want to know what it was? As it happens, there have been a couple of recipes found in old texts and poetry.
The Recipe
On page 83 of The Black Saucepan and Other Love Potions there is a list of ingredients needed for an Irish love potion. “If there was a very handsome boy and a certain girl was very fond of him but he wasn’t fond of her – not at all, let’s say – she would use the black saucepan for a kind of devilry. And a certain time comes during the full moon for every girl between the ages of 18-30 when the ‘deilliúirí’ comes [that is]when they are in season. Fiery things would come below them – on the bottom of their shirt – and she would put them down in the saucepan and then they would add pig or sheep fat and a piece of fresh unsalted pork.
Then they would boil them and they would get the ‘maingilín meidhreach’ with it and the ‘míol na mbualtach’ – a yellowish-grey toadstool with a long thin stalk growing from animal dung and a thin cap on top. They would boil them well until a drink was made from them, overnight. There would be a small ball (night) in the house and the young lad would get an invitation. Pork would be put to roast and, when he would be eating that, he would get this drink to drink, and he would lose his mind after it. And if he didn’t get the woman to marry, there was a danger that he would die.”
The tale of the gander’s droppings potion suggests that such dark remedies were prevalent in rural Ireland at the end of the 19th century.
Deep Dive into the Ingredients
The term “magairlín meidhreach” refers to a specific plant in Irish folklore and traditional medicine. In English, it’s most translated as ‘early purple orchid’. Magairlín in Irish means “small testicle” or “small scrotum”. The shape of the orchid’s roots is said to resemble testicles, which is likely the origin of its name. In folklore, this plant was believed to have aphrodisiac properties. This purple orchid is the common ingredient in most of the formulas in Ireland and further afield in Europe: Magairlín meidhreach in Irish, or the Ochis Mascula – was widely believed to create lust.
The recipe list also includes a yellowish-green fairy fungus, with a long thin stalk growing from an animal’s manure and a thin pointed cap on it. I think we can safely say this is the magic mushroom variety of fungus. In Ireland, there has always been a magical understanding of fairy fungi, and their mysterious overnight growth. While the orchid is the aphrodisiac, the magic mushroom provides the enchantment. There was also a belief that a personal element of the woman had to be in the potion, in this case, the woman’s menstrual blood.
Other Love Potions of Ireland
As referenced in “The Black Saucepan and Other Love Potions”, Seán Ó Ríordáin, a native of Airglinn, Co. Cork, recalled a curious tale told by his mother, who was 90 years old in 1933. She mentioned a peculiar love potion that was once believed to be effective in the region. If a young woman suspected her love interest wasn’t reciprocating her feelings, she would prepare a rather unusual concoction. The ingredient of choice? The droppings of a white gander. This unusual substance was said to be boiled and then secretly added to the unsuspecting man’s tea. The belief was that after consuming this potion, the boy would be smitten with the woman who had prepared it.
Love Magic in Early Medieval Ireland
In a different paper, called “Love Magic in Medieval Irish Penitentials, Law and Literature”, author Jacqueline Borsje makes the case that love potions could come from the supernatural as well as from potions. The Life of Saint Brigid is a collection of stories and legends about Saint Brigid, one of the three patron saints of Ireland.
These stories, which have been passed down through generations, portray Brigid as a woman of great faith, compassion, and miraculous abilities. They describe her life, miracles, and her founding of a monastery in Kildare. While some of these stories were probably embellished over time, there are some interesting nuggets of Irish life in there. In one story, St. Brigit helps a man whose wife hates him. St Brigit does this by blessing some water, which the man gave to his wife. The wife then began to love her husband passionately.
While some of these stories were probably embellished over time, there are some interesting nuggets of Irish life in there.
Why Were Love Potions or Spells Needed?
The tale of the gander’s droppings potion suggests that such dark remedies were prevalent in rural Ireland at the end of the 19th century. Life during this era was starkly different from today’s romanticised depictions in stories and literature. The Great Famine and other difficulties had left their mark on the people, who faced hardship and death on a regular basis. In a world where supernatural beliefs like banshees, fairies, and púcas were commonplace, it’s not surprising that a young woman might turn to a love potion as a desperate attempt to secure a marriage and escape poverty.
It’s easy to understand the desperation that might have driven a woman to such a measure. Perhaps a potion would offer a glimmer of hope in a bleak world. It’s enough to make you start looking out for the purple orchids that grow wild across Ireland.
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