Daisy, the flower of April, is associated with the planet Venus and the deities Freya, Artemis (Diana), and Thor.

Daisy, said to have sprung from the tears of Mary Magdalen and associated with April whose “showers are sweet with fruit” according to Geoffrey Chaucer, is a “feminine” flower whose element is water (according to the alchemists). Spring has not fully arrived until you can step on 12 daisies, according to an old saying. It is used in magic to promote lust and love. Thor used daisy-chains when he disguised himself as Freya to fool the giant  Thrymer, who wanted Freya as his wife.Plucking the petals of a daisy while reciting, “S/he loves, s/he loves me not” will reveal the true feelings of a potential lover. Picking the first daisy of the season will make you an uncontrolled flirt and sleeping with a daisy under your pillow will bring an absent lover back to you.

Daisy can be eaten to relieve stomach ulcers (as Henry VIII did) and in Wales (where Henry’s family came from), daisy was used to cure insanity, treat smallpox, tumors, jaundice and skin diseases. According to an ancient Celtic legend, daisies came from the spirits of children who died at birth; therefore daisies are also associated with innocence.