|
<
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
TREES
Nearly all trees have some magical or sacred association dating back to ancient beliefs. Fairies were believed to inhabit trees and according to legend the soul of the dead was believed to pass into the tree, where it awaited reincarnation. Folklore contains many warnings of the dangers of cutting down trees or bushes known to be haunted by faeries. There is a story that foresters in Ulster tried to cut down a 'skiough' or fairy bush and as a result their hatchet broke. If one persevered and cut down a faery tree, you were said to be persecuted by bad luck for the rest of your life. In Eastern philosophy it is said that trees can provide a home for devas who do not assume a permanent form. For example, the prophetic oak sacred to the Greek Father God Zeus stood in the oracular groves at Dodona. A piece of the tree was placed in the Argo, the boat of Jason and the Argonauts, to give them guidance on their quest for the Golden Fleece.
Alder - In ancient times alder was regarded as the 'faerie
tree' able to grant access to faerie realms.
Ash - It was believed that where oak, ash and thorn trees
grew together it was possible to see the faerie-folk.
Aspen (Populus tremula) - The buds and leaves used to be
carried to attract money and apparently used by wizards in flying
ointment.
Elder (Sambucus nigra) - Known as the 'Flower of Fairyland'
elder has always been considered sacred and magical in folklore
and mythology and treated with great respect. The dryad that was
said to live in the tree was consulted before any part of it was
used. A Danish legend holds that if you stand under the tree on
Midsummer's Eve you will see the King of Fairyland ride by attended
by all his retinue. It was always planted near English cottages
to protect against witches and evil influences.
Elm - European legends often refer to the elm's association
with elves. So much so that the tress gained the folk-name of 'elven'.
Elves have through myth and legend been strongly associated with
burial mounds and elms, therefore, also became used as wood for
coffins. It is said that meditation with elm aids the development
of communication with the devas (spirits of the plant world) and
the elves, and that by pricking an elm-leaf with a pin before placing
it under the pillow, divinatory dreams can be obtained.
Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) - Long considered a sacred
and healing plant. Traditionally the tree of the Fairy Queen. It
is said that fairies and spirits had their meeting place under the
hawthorn tree. A spring-time custom was to plait crowns of hawthorn
blossoms and leave them for the angels or faeries who came at night.
It was believed that if the faeries chose to dance around the crowns,
blessings would be showered on those who had made them. Sprigs of
hawthorn were attached to the cradle of a newborn baby to afford
protection against illness and evil influences. If worn or carried
it was said to give psychic protection, to lift the spirits and
banish melancholy but unlucky if brought indoors.
Hazel- In ancient times the hazel tree had great association
with faerie lore and was supposed to allow entry into such realms.
A 17th century recipe was said to gives one the power to see faeries
by anointing the body and/or ingesting the following concoction:
'First pick wild thyme from the side of a hill where the fairies still live. Take a pint of sallet oyle [salad oil] and mix it with rose and marigold water, the flowers of which should be picked in the east. Shake or stir the oyle until it becomes white and then put it into a glass vial, adding buds of hollyhocks, flowers of marigold, the flowers from the wild thyme and the buds of young hazels. Then add the grasse of a fairy throne, and allow them to dissolve for three days in the sun'
Shakespeare also mentions the association of hazel and fairies:
Her chariot is an empty hazelnut,
Made by the joiner squirrel, or old grub,
Time out of mind the fairies' coach-makers.
Holly (Ilex aquifolium) - In pagan mythology the oak king
(ruler of the waxing year) slays the holly king (of the waning year)
at yule and is himself slain at midsummer by the holly king. In
the days of Pliny it was considered a tree of protection - if planted
near a house or hung over the door it defended the place and its
inhabitants from poison, evil spirits, lightning and witchcraft.
It was carried by men for good luck and if the wood was thrown at
a wild animal it would make the creature lie down quietly. Holly
water was thrown on new born babies for protection.. It was also
used by Druids to decorate their huts in winter, making it a suitable
dwelling place for sylvan spirits. The holly was particularly sacred
to the Druids. They advised people to take holly into their homes
as soon as winter descended so that it would shelter the elves and
faeries who could join mortals at that time without causing any
injury to them.
Rowan - Anyone travelling on Midsummer's Night was advised
to tuck a rowan sprig in his hat or horse's bridle lest he be transported
to the land of faerie, for they are most active at this time.
Sweet Chestnut - used to be fed to loved ones as an enchanting
love spell.
Willow (Salix nigra) - in pagan traditions wood cut from
the willow was used to make wands for lunar magic.
Yew Tree - An old folk tale tell why yews are 'dressed' so
darkly: When the yew was a yound species, in times when there were
few people, it thought that all other trees were more beautiful,
for their colourful leaves could flutter in the wind, until its
stiff needles. The tree pined, thinking that the faieries had deliberately
made in unattractive. Yet the faeries wanted to please the yew,
and one sunny morning it found its needles had changed to leaves
of gold and its heart danced with joy. But robbers came and stripped
the tree bare, leaving it confused and sad. The faeries then gave
it leaves of purest crystal and the yew loved its sparkle, but a
storm of hail fell and the crystals shattered. Then it was given
broad leaves and it waved them in the air, only for them to be eaten
by goats. At this the yew gave up, for it realised that its original
dress was the best, for it was of permanence, of long ages and deep
knowledge, and in this the tree found comfort.
Yew sticks were used by the Celts for divination by reading the signs that were formed as they were thrown on the ground.
MORE
ON PAGE 5 >
©2002 copyright Fairyland trust
|
