Violet: Magical Properties & Uses

Violet is the herb of faithful love, of modesty that conceals genuine depth, and of the kind of protection offered to the vulnerable by the powerful. Its primary magical uses are in love workings: particularly workings for fidelity, for the gentle drawing of love, and for the healing of relationships that have been bruised rather than broken. In protective workings it is used specifically for children and for those who are going through periods of vulnerability or exposure. Combined with lavender it creates a gentle sleep and peace sachet. In workings of grief and remembrance it connects the practitioner to those who have passed.

Violet flowers and leaves (Viola odorata and related species) have been used medicinally in European herbalism since antiquity. The flowers are mildly expectorant and have been used in syrups for coughs and respiratory complaints. Culpeper recommended violet for fevers, headaches, and inflammation. The leaves contain salicylic acid derivatives with mild anti-inflammatory properties. Violet flowers are edible and are used in candied form and to decorate desserts. The plant is generally considered safe and has no significant known toxicity.

Aphrodite, Venus

A small, shy purple flower beloved of poets and emperors alike: Napoleon kept a pressed violet in his locket until the day he died, and his followers wore violets as a secret symbol during his exile. The violet was the flower of Athens in ancient Greece and sacred to Aphrodite. It was used in love potions in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder recorded its use in garlands for headaches. In the language of flowers it signifies modesty, faithfulness, and the memory of those departed. Shakespeare gives violets to Ophelia in Hamlet as a symbol of faithfulness lost. In Celtic tradition violets were strewn on graves as a symbol of enduring love.