Tea & Fairy Tales: The Flower Witch

Based on my popular Insight Timer Live sessions; Tea & Fairy tales! Get yourself a warm drink and get cozy! we will leave the mundane behind and journey into myth and memory with sacred stories. Allow me to share my heritage of telling stories; Take a break from your day and into the realm of fairy and folktales! Today we'll listen to a tale of a forest, a witch, and flowers. *Please be aware; as is often the case with fairy tales - this story includes some mild peril, threat, and an angry witch*

Transcript

Welcome,

Friend,

And welcome to today's special edition of Tea and Fairy Tales.

This fairy tale,

The Forest Witch,

Also features in my brand new 10-day course,

Rewilding the Spirit,

But I am so fond of this fairy tale that I wanted to bring it in one of these free meditations as well so that everyone can enjoy this beautiful fairy tale.

Now it may come as no surprise that I am a big fan of story and fable and tale and that they can allow us to think of things in a different way or be inspired with new ideas or even reconnect to memories and connections we once held as children.

In today's session I am going to read you a fairy tale and you can enjoy this any place you wish so you can lay down or be seated as we do in our meditations,

But you are also very welcome to get yourself a cup of tea and nestle into a cosy chair or sit in your garden or a safe space in nature.

And if there are flowers nearby,

Well,

All the better.

This is the fairy tale of The Forest Witch.

It was the earliest springtime,

So early that in the shade the air was still cold,

But the sunshine was clear and strong,

And when it streamed down through the trees one could see the blossoms that were beginning to stretch upwards on their tiny stalks.

Two children walked through the forest,

Ten-year-old Nina and her little brother,

Johannes.

They were seeking flowers.

Nina was the one who sought them out because they were so tiny,

Too hidden for little Johannes to see himself,

But she always let him have the pleasure of picking them once she found them.

It was such a joyous spring walk that Nina did not notice how far they had strayed from their grandmother's hut.

This little hut had been their home for only a short time.

When their dear father and mother had died,

Their grandmother had kindly taken them in to live amongst the forest,

And this was their first walk out into the forest and amongst the trees.

And just as Nina thought they ought to turn back upon their path,

Who should stand before them but an old woman appeared almost out of nowhere.

What a fright they got!

What are you doing here,

Children?

She said.

Are you plucking flowers in my forest?

How would you like it if I plucked you from your home?

Oh,

Pardon us,

Cried Nina.

We did not know that we must not pick the flowers here.

We are strangers in the forest.

Please forgive us.

Oh,

Snick-snack,

Answered the terrifically old woman,

Who was in fact a witch.

Don't talk to me.

I never pay any attention to what children say,

Or to old folks either,

For that matter.

Indeed I don't.

Snick-snack,

Snick-snack.

But it is not you that I want,

Silly girl.

It is the boy who has offended me.

That little rascal has been picking the flowers.

Now I shall take him.

No,

Please don't.

He is too little.

Take me instead,

Cried Nina,

Flinging her arms around her brother.

It is my fault.

I showed him the flowers and let him pick them.

Snick-snack,

Answered the witch.

What a lot of talk!

But you are right.

The boy is too small to be of help to me about my home.

I suppose I shall have to take you.

Now listen well to what I say.

Spring and summer are coming,

And I shall have no work for you then.

But when autumn has come and gone,

And all the leaves and flowers have gone to rest,

Then we are very busy in the underground world.

Then you may believe I shall teach you how to work.

I live deep down underneath the roots of the oldest tree in the forest.

Now you may go,

But I will make a bargain with you.

When the last flower is faded,

Then meet me in this spot.

Or the old witch stopped to think about what she could best threaten Nina with.

Her eyes darted around,

And in an instant she saw her with her arms around her little brother and knew exactly what to threaten her with.

You shall meet me here,

Or I shall come and catch this little rascal and pull off his arms and legs,

Screamed the witch,

Shaking her knotted walking stick at little Johannes.

And with that threat she shuffled off through the forest,

With the crows shrieking after her and leaves and flowers trembling in her wake.

As soon as the witch was out of sight,

Nina hastened home with Johannes.

Like a kind sister,

She suited her frightened pace to his so that he would not stumble and fall in the rush.

The little boy had been so terrified at the witch that he had not least understood the cruel threats that she had used against him,

Or the dreadful fate which was in store for Nina.

But,

Back in the safety of the home,

She decided not to tell her grandmother what the witch has said,

And she felt unable to share the dreadful doom hanging over her.

She did not wish to make her poor grandmother anxious and sorrowful as long as it could be helped.

So for a time,

Normality resumed,

And spring burst forth with all its power and beauty,

And the blossoms shot up everywhere,

In the woods,

The fields,

And the meadows,

And in the gardens.

Nina welcomed them as her dearest friends.

They would protect her against the forest witch so long as she had a single one of these flowers she would not have to go down into the dark earth and serve that old crone.

But spring soon turned into summer,

And summer went faster than ever before,

It seemed to poor Nina,

And tears streamed down her cheeks as she saw the blue cornflowers fall before the reapers' scythe when the grain was cut in harvest time.

But Nina could still hope,

Even then,

For the roses continued to bloom on grandmother's old rose bush outside the door of her hut.

Nina kissed them and begged them to last as long as they could,

And so they did,

The dear friendly roses.

But in time,

The last little rose withered,

And autumn had almost passed,

And the many-coloured leaves were dropping from the trees by their hundreds.

Yet Nina discovered to her joy and comfort that there were flowers still.

Along the roadside stood the simple,

Hardy,

Wild aster,

Which blossomed on and on,

Although the autumn winds and rains destroyed everything else.

Winter began,

But so mildly that it seemed as if they were still in autumn,

And when the asters finally disappeared,

Other help came to Nina,

For the hazel bush was completely hoaxed by the mild weather and thought it was spring,

So it began to unfold its yellow catkins standing beautiful and bright,

As one saw it between the bare trees over the hedges.

So even when the winter was far advanced,

Nina was still saved from going to the witch,

But this could not long continue.

Cold weather would soon come,

Because grandmother had said that Christmas was near.

Then the winter arrived with icy frosts and drifting snows,

And for five days it was impossible even to get out of the hut,

Because the wind kept whirling the snow into high drifts around it.

But when the sixth day came,

The wind abated and the snow lay peacefully on the ground.

Now Nina dared no longer to stay in the hut,

For surely all the flowers were dead and buried under the cold snow after this bitter storm.

She must go and keep her promise to the witch,

So,

Gathering together all her courage,

She crept out of the house and stood still for an instant.

She looked back at the little hut,

Which now seemed so cosy and dear,

And whispered farewell,

And started on her way into the forest.

But the little courage she had gathered melted away immediately when she saw the witch a few steps from her front door,

Standing in the little roadside garden waiting for her.

You've been rather slow about keeping to your bargain,

Exclaimed the witch angrily.

I was just coming after you.

Oh,

Do not make me go with you,

Cried Nina,

And in her agony she fell down upon the snow at the witch's feet and besought her wildly.

Please let me be free.

Please let me be free.

Oh,

Snick-snack snapped the witch up with you.

None of this nonsense.

Is there not a single flower to save me,

Wailed Nina,

And she half rose on her feet.

With fright and despair she grabbed and scraped the snow away from the garden bed beside her,

Trying to find a flower,

And with a gasp for where Nina had cleared the snow away there appeared a plant with fresh dark green leaves and white flower buds.

Nina clasped her hands together with great joy and thankfulness,

And then,

Carefully breaking off a little flower,

She lifted it high towards the witch and rushed away into the hut.

The witch,

In her disappointment and vexation,

Sprang about so wildly in the snow that it rose up into a cloud all around her,

And Nina never saw her again.

Safe at home back in the little hut,

Nina now told of her adventures.

The grandmother took the little girl's sweet,

Frightened face between her two old hands and kissed her forehead.

And then faithfully,

Every day,

Nina went out to pay a loving visit to the little Christmas rose in the garden,

The hellebore,

For that was the flower that had saved her.

All winters long,

It could be found fresh and beautiful here and there under the snow.

Though no other blossoms dare come forth to face the snows and frosts of deep winter,

The Christmas rose ventures bravely out in the bleakest of winters,

And with modest and serene courage holds her own against the powers of winter.

The snow lying over it keeps it from freezing,

And if one brushes away this beautiful covering,

The Christmas rose appears with its lovely white gold-centred blossoms laughing at the frost.

It blooms steadily on until it can say good morning to spring's first blossom,

The snow drop,

And so through all the year there are flowers blooming in Denmark's icy north.

Thus it was that Nina escaped the forest witch,

And though the forest witch was not often outsmarted,

Her anger eventually turned to pride that Nina had been so brave and smart,

And that there are always flowers to be found in the forest.

That fairy tale was called The Forest Witch and is translated from an old Danish fairy tale.

There are many interesting themes within that story about the changing of the seasons,

The wild forest,

And of being brave in a quite gentle sort of way.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little session today.

I have very much enjoyed reading to you,

And I hope that you go forth and have a really beautiful rest of your day.

Reviews

I love the story and the themes of that story are some of my favorite! Thank you so much! 🌹

Such a lovely voice for weaving a story 💜

What a delightful little story!
Thank you.

Wonderful!

🌸💮🌹🥀🌺🌻🌼🌷

Lovely & relaxing to listen to 💚

I smiled throughout the story. So calm and relaxing

Love that story ,🧚‍♂️

That was a lovely story

Ahhh, so lovely! 🧚‍♀️🧙‍♀️🌹💐🌷🥀
Thank you for the gift. 🙏

What an excellent storyteller you are!! Can’t wait to listen again tonight with my daughter (nearly nine years old) while laying in bed. Could listen to you all the time
Thank you for sharing your gifts with us

Wonderful reading voice, and the commentary at the end was nice as well. Thank you🌸🌺

Really lovely

Inspiring! I learned something I never knew about flowers. In the darkest times there is hope and joy, if we look for it in an unattached way. Beautiful! Thanks Sarah. 🙏🌻🍁❄️🌷❤️

Love your stories

Thanks. I always love your tales. May you and yours enjoy many blessings.