Corn Dollies can be traced back to early civilisation and are steeped in myth and mystery.

Corn Dolly's - to ensure a successful harvest.

Many countries seem to have had a similar custom to the British one of making a design from the last sheaf of corn to be harvested.

In Britain a corn dolly is created by plaiting the wheat stalks to create a straw figure. The corn dolly is kept until the Spring, because people believed that the corn spirit lived in the wheat and as the wheat was harvested, the spirit fled to the wheat which remained. By creating the corn dolly the spirit is kept alive for the next year and the new crop, hopefully ensuring a successful yield. Sometimes the corn dolly is hung up in the barn, sometimes in the farmhouse, and sometimes in the church. In Spring the corn dolly would be ploughed back into the soil.
They are usually made from wheat, oats, rye and barley and plaited and twisted into a variety of styles, for example;-A countryman's favour was usually a plait of three straws and tied into a loose knot to represent a heart. It is reputed to have been made by a young man with straws picked up after the harvest and given to his loved one. If she was wearing it next to her heart when he saw her again then he would know that his love was reciprocated. Three straws can be plaited using the hair plait or a cat's foot plait. Favours can be made with two, three, four or more straws.

Countryman's Favour in barley