Centuries ago, though no one is quite sure when, Michael the Archangel engaged in war with the forces of evil. It was a great battle that ended with the expulsion of Lucifer and his minions from Heaven. And to add injury to insult, the story goes, Lucifer fell directly into a large, thorny blackberry bush and got so mad he spit on the otherwise delicious fruit.
But sometime in the fifth century, a basilica near Rome began to celebrate the feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, also called Michaelmas, on September 30, the traditional day the battle was won. It’s been celebrated to varying degrees ever since.
How exactly the blackberry bush became a part of the legend isn’t entirely clear, but the tale emerged from England where Michaelmas was widely considered the marker of the change of seasons from summer to fall. Since Revelation contains oh-so-delightful imagery of Satan spewing a river of dragon drool, and since blackberries, which usually peak in August, are pretty iffy by the end of September, I suppose it stands to reason that the two are somehow related. I guess.
Or maybe it’s just that with the shifting of the seasons, from long days and ripe berries, into long nights and barren fields feels a little unfair. And Lucifer is just the kind of jerk that might add injury to insult and spit poison all over the last vestiges of summer goodness.
Or it could just be an excuse to eat blackberry pie and celebrate a holiday with a ridiculous name, because by tomorrow, blackberries the world over will be covered in poisonous Satan spit, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to take any chances.
The wisest course of action, then, is to bake your last summer pie of the season today, in honor of Poisoned Blackberries Day. Because Satan is a jerk.
But if that’s not reason enough for you to celebrate, then perhaps you could bake a pie in recognition of another equally ridiculous and even less well-known event that also occurs today. Because this is my 200th post on this silly little blog that pretends to be about history. I think a milestone like that deserves a slice of non-Satan-spit-poisoned pie.
Author Sarah Angleton 
You had me at “pie”.
I do love a good pie!
My. Favorite. Pie.
Thank you for the inspiration; I’ll have some today!
200 blog posts, awesome. So I would always like to eat Non-Satan-Spit-Poisoned pie. I can’t imagine Satan wanting to spoil pie with his spit .I mean, even Satan likes pie? 🙂
I think of pie as being exclusive to Heaven and Earth. Perhaps he was just bitter that he wasn’t going to get to enjoy it anymore? Or he’s just a jerk.
I think it is safe to say, he is a jerk. 🙂
I stayed on the really safe side and made some blueberry muffins instead. Congrats on the 200th! And it ain’t a “silly little blog that pretends to be about history” – otherwise I wouldn’t follow it!
Thanks, Bruce! It’s no 1001 stories. Enjoy your blueberries. Chicken! 😉
Another interesting post, Sarah. And the pie looks yummy.
Thanks, Donna!
In a pie, in a bowl of cold milk, in jam, preserves, or straight from the bush — one of my fave fruits. Satan spit don’t scare me! I just say a blessing over them and enjoy. (Unless, by satan spit, you mean mold, which can set in quickly and ruin a tasty morsel.)
I like them, too. We lived in Oregon for a while and they were everywhere, which was pretty great. But they are not native to the area and are incredibly invasive so you have to be careful because often they are heavily sprayed…literally poisonous!
I need to add blackberries to my shopping list now. Thank you! 🙂
Be careful! 😉
I’ll wash the spit off first… 😛