Jónsmessa: a photo essay

June 24th is St. John's Mass and Icelandic folk tradition held this day as a feast day long after Protestant conversion, likely because it was so close to the summer solstice. Even today with our laissez-faire Protestant-in-name-only society, it's one of those holy days that you'll see marked in most calendars here. Let's talk about the folklore of Jónsmessa in Iceland, paired with a few photographs taken around this time of year.

Photo taken around 1am in Kópasker, North Iceland, on June 26th.

On this day, a variety of magical things were possible — animals could speak, sitting out at a crossroads was especially powerful and connecting with the hidden people was easier than usual. Perhaps most importantly though, herbs and flowers were especially potent. Even in the south of Iceland, this time of year sees no real darkness. The sun dips below the horizon for a bit, but never long enough for it to get truly dark, and in the north of the island, it just touches the horizon. It's a magical time for staying awake in nature.

Photo taken in Ásbyrgi in the North of Iceland.

But it also means that our green friends get 24/7 daylight! And so any herbs or flowers picked around the solstice, and especially on the eve of the solstice or the eve of St. John's, are supposed to be super powered up! Generally I find that any time around the solstice for up to a couple of weeks before and after will yield especially potent plants, but your mileage may vary.

Mountain avens, the national flower of Iceland. It has various uses as a healing herb in Icelandic folklore and is honestly just a joy to notice, often growing small but sturdy in harsh soil.

And so it comes as no surprise that the two main folk traditions for St. John's are both to do with plants. One says that you go out on the eve and, in silence, pick seven different (wild) herbs into a bouquet and put it under your pillow. Some say this gives you dreams of a future spouse, others say prescient dreams in general. The other says you must wait for the morning dew, then roll around naked in the dew. This gives you good health for the year, but it was also used as a cure for a great variety of ailments. Some say it's enough to use the dew to wash your face or the area most affected by illness, or walk barefoot in it to soak up the healing powers.

Arctic root in bloom. It has a long history as a healing herb in Iceland, but in folklore it is also believed to protect houses from burning, especially when it grows on the turf roof.

If you do any foraging for any reason, whether it's healing herbs, magical plants, healing/magical stones or natural items for crafting, this is the time of year to do it. Most Icelandic herbs are in bloom at this time too, bursting with energy, and the weather is generally nice for searching for magic stones or other treasures.

Obsidian in Petra's Stone Collection in East Iceland. It is one of the magical stones in Icelandic folklore, and has nine benefic and nine malefic natures.

Sources:

Ágúst H. Bjarnason – Íslensk flóra með litmyndum (1983)

Árni Björnsson – Saga daganna (1977)

De rhodiolae – Flóra: tímarit um íslenzka grasafræði, 1. tölublað (01.02.1964), Bls. 77-82

Ísmús (www.ismus.is)

Photographs all © Alda Villiljós 2024-5