Strawberries: Magickal Uses and Symbolisms

Strawberries are often associated with love and romance. Not surprising since they look like little hearts and have a deliciously sweet taste. Their magick goes beyond that, however, and beyond kitchen witchery even.

The garden strawberry, or Fragaria × ananassa, was first grown in Brittany, France, in the mid-1800s. Though wild strawberries of varying types have been cultivated for many years, this species is the most commonly cultivated today. It is a cross between the North American Fragaria virginiana and the South American Fragaria chiloensis. It replaced the first strawberry mass cultivated, the Fragaria vesca, or woodland strawberry. China leads the commercial production of strawberries, producing 40% of the nine million tons grown in 2019.

Strawberries are actually not technically berries, botanically speaking. They are what is called an aggregate accessory fruit because the fleshly part is not from the plant’s ovaries. What appears to be seeds on the fruit are, in fact, the ovaries holding a seed inside.

There is no clear etymology for the English word “strawberry,” and most Romantic languages have a much clearer connection to the Latin name. There are some interesting theories, but how we came to know a sweet red fruit with a name like straw has been lost to antiquity.

Some quick history points and cultural references about strawberries:

A member of Napoleon’s court, Madame Tallien, was known to bathe in the juice of fresh strawberries. It reportedly took 22 pounds of strawberries per bath. (Reminder that bathing was not a daily activity at the time!)

Shakespeare indicated that Desdemona’s handkerchief was decorated with strawberries in Othello—symbolism of fidelity, love, and losing one’s virginity.

Native Americans had been using wild strawberries for culinary purposes for years. Their cornmeal and crushed strawberry bread was developed by colonists into what we know now as strawberry shortcake.

Strawberries can be seen carved in stone altars and pillars in churches from the medieval period. Stonemasons did this to symbolize righteousness and perfection.

An old Bavarian practice that is still used today involves tying strawberries to their cattle’s horns. They place them in small baskets and attach them to the horns. This is to feed the elves, who will hopefully return the favor by blessing them with abundance.

Take a double strawberry, break it in half, and share it with two people to make them fall in love with each other.

Strawberries are sacred to the goddess Freya, who was said to carry the souls of babies that died inside strawberries to the afterlife.

Carry dried strawberry leaves in your wallet or purse to draw good luck to you.

Strawberry leaves, in particular, are believed to promote a healthy pregnancy and assist with easing pregnancy pains.

Here are a few of the more well-known properties and uses of strawberries:

In ancient Rome, wild strawberries were believed to have many medicinal properties. It was used to lift melancholy, cure inflammation and fever, treat kidney stones and throat infections, and any diseases affecting the blood, liver, or spleen. Strawberries have been used in detoxifying teas in Asia for thousands of years. Herbal tea made with strawberry leaves has laxative and diuretic properties.

Perhaps its strongest energy, the heart-shaped red berry, has long been associated with love. Sex is part of that as well, as it is considered an aphrodisiac. Though most of the associations with conjuring up love and sex energies revolve around eating strawberries (fresh, dipped in chocolate, as a jam, in a pie, with fresh cream… so many ways!), if you don’t have a taste for them, you can still bring those energies in using candles imbued with strawberry essential oil or lighting strawberry incense. If you are allergic and can’t have any aspect of the fruit around, depictions of the fruit can help bring the energy into the space.

Bearing their wombs on their sleeves (well, the outside of their fruit, at least) is one of the many reasons strawberries have long been associated with fertility. With the seeds on the outside of the flesh, the plant can germinate without soil present, showcasing fertility even in less-than-ideal conditions. Strawberries aren’t just used to promote fertility pre-conception. They’ve long been used in numerous ways to promote a healthy pregnancy and ensure the pregnancy goes to term.

Have you ever seen a strawberry plant hang and climb and stretch and find its way around a pot or row? They are truly dedicated little plants. That energy can be called upon from the fruit through kitchen witchery or by using candles or incense infused with strawberries. You can also work with dried strawberry leaves when working with its dedication energies. In kitchen witchery, recipes that require your own dedication for a successful end product (such as jam) will amplify the dedication energy.

As mentioned above, dried strawberry leaves are thought to bring luck when carried with you. It is one of the reasons for the Bavarian tradition of sending cattle out with strawberries. Strawberries are also thought to be a favorite food of the Fae folk, and leaving some in the offering is said to bring you their luck (as long as you aren’t greedy—one must always be careful when dealing with fae magick).

Any of the strawberry’s energies can be empowered, awoken, and infused into a dish when working with it in kitchen witchery. However, love, sex, and fertility are the most common. Adding other ingredients strong in the same energy or with complementary energies helps enhance the dish. For example, adding cinnamon, for its passion energy to combine with the love and sex energy of strawberries. Chocolate-covered strawberries are a common love or sex energy treat. When working with some of the lesser energies, such as luck or dedication, make sure you are amplifying tem with other ingredients that are strong in luck or dedication.