Blackthorn. Folklore, Mythology and Symbolism of the Blackthorn Tree (Straif | Thurisaz)
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2023
- Blackthorn. A video about the folklore, Mythology and Symbolism of the Blackthorn Tree. Its history, uses, applications and associations in witchcraft and dark magic. Its meanings in the Ogham script and the Runes and also a story about the Blackthorn Tree.
To support my work as a folklorist and storyteller, please consider making a small donation on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheStoryCrow
As a wee lad I made a great game of whacking stinging nettles, only the whacking sticks never lasted long. One day to my delight I found a blackthorn staff hidden in the hedgerow. It was stout and strong and it smashed and crushed those nettles mercilessly. A finer whacker I never did have. It broke eventually, but I'll never forget that legend of a stick. Eat your heart out Thor.
Top tip my friend from my Grandmother in Kerry when picking the "sloes " and you may get infected .. if you grab depending on season the Comfrey root and mash it up and then pierce the inflamed part ... you put a mashed poultice onto that and wrap with a cloth .. within two days the comfrey will draw all the poison and white blood cells from the wound.. and trust me .. I did this and often back in the day.... Ireland had no real health service at all really and many occasions .. I can confirm this works just sharing one celt Norse to my fellow Angle Saxon Celt .. :) all good try that next time before you hit the "mould " and yeah even back way when around our parts different colour of bread mould would be put on bad wounds.. I Sh**t you not... so .. take from this what you will love your stuff .. as ever .. Ma Gra... ceart go lor :)
Ooooh. I love this Iain, thank you. Got Comfrey growing out of my ears (and other places) here. Heard about Comfrey poultices for broken and bruised bones, but never drawing out toxins - I will definitely be trying that when I next get spiked by Blackthorn 😅 You gotta love the grandmothers wisdom. Thanks for stopping by my friend. Gra.
Thanks for that information, have been looking for a cure for ages, sadly big Internet pharma does not like shared natural info... 🍀👍✊
Interesting information🤔 I've been getting information that comfy heals to fast and seals infection in🤷♀️
I'll have to try this. I've been using plantain for its drawing properties on goanna bites on my ataked chickens and its worked well. But that's not specifically the black thorn toxins I guess.
My grandfather from Czechslovkia/Czechia use to make comfrey leaf 🍃 tea for circulation. He drank it daily . Us Slavs always used , roots, herbs 🌿 ect for health reasons and for warding off werewolves and vampires 🧛♀️ 😂😅
Every irish man of generations past now, had a trusty blackthorn stick for cattle, stray curs and English men! 😂
Sold as expensive souvenirs now and quite expensive.
Stray curs and Englishmen. Love that 😂 I’ve been meaning to make myself a nice Shillelagh to bop myself on the head on for a while now 😅 I know, the ones you see for sale are quite dear aren’t they?
Wonderful to watch and listen to
I loved this video so much. In my land, hawthorn and blackthorn have similar legends, but the sentence for the perpetrator was to roam the moon with the pieces of the tree that he cut down.
Oooh, I love this. What part of the world may I ask?
Wonderful video, as always! Thank you!
Also, I was absolutely furious to hear about the tree up at Hadrian's Wall. Just horrifying!
I know… but hey. It will grow back. Sycamores are fighters 🌳
You are truly a Bard in the tradition of ages past. Thank you for your vibrant and engaging story telling, sir!
Sláinte and Happy Solstice/Christmas!
Sláinte and thanks 🙏
Thanks Story Crow, I'm always looking forward to your tree tales 🌳💜
nettie🦉
Glad you like them Nettie, more to come 🌳 😊
Love these videos!
Just found your channel. Love your content! This is right up my alley. Subscribed 👌🏻
Welcome aboard!
Thanks for the shoutout Olly, & the reminder to harvest some slows from the blackthorn that protects our local rec.
It’s gin all round for Christmas this year 😂
Fabulous ✨ I really enjoyed your tales .. And your wee Patterdale buddy listening in 💞.. He looks so like our boy Murphy.. Magical wee critters are our beautiful Patterdales ✨..
He does probably have patterdale in him, well spotted!
It’s always interesting hearing people wonder what breed he is - proper mongrel from the streets of Romania 😂
Black lab and collie too I think, but lots of terrier for sure. He loves a good dig and a sniff
I work with trees and hedges all the time and I can understand when you speak about the blackthorn and feeling the spirits between them. It's always important to look after pacha mama, otherwise where would we be? Love your stories. Keep it going. Much love!
☝️
Ive just found you love the tree ones.
If elm is one of these trees id ❤ to here that one.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Oh, I’ll get round to it 🙏😊
Second video running I've seen where you've mentioned "semen". But fascinating history. I'm pondering subscribing ...
It’s only those two times officer i promise
I stood on a blackthorn thorn last year and it went straight through my boot into the ball of my foot, I swore a bit! I went in and researched what to do and freaked myself out with the fungus part, I soaked it and poulticed it and made sure no point was left and luckily it didn’t get infected, but it hurt for ages. I had planted a long blackthorn hedge, not sure what that says about me ha, ha. The birds do love it though.
I’ve been there. Made a callous years later. Right through the shoe!
@@TheStoryCrow I had something similar about a year after, I thought it was a verruca as first, but it wasn’t, just hard skin, interesting 🤔.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks, will do. Cheers for the tip 🙏✨🦌
Every single time I watch one of your videos. I like you a little bit more. Are you kidding me? You have grass stains on your knee.. I freaking love that.
You just seem like the kind of folk that I would love to sit around a fire, drinking mead, tokin', and being fully amused by your stories while MsS.Crow widdles me a 'walking stick' .....If that is her in this video she is stinking adorable !
Heyyy I have that same little scythe thingy
It seems a little ridiculous to get a vibe even though it is on the internet. But I get a strong energy from that lass and it's very positive.. like she's got very .. joyful (?) vibes. I know what i'm getting I don't care it sounds corny
Mrs crow 😂
Yeah she’s a good un, I’m a lucky boy.
Thanks for watching friend 😊🙏
Really enjoyed this one! I've been collecting the slow berries for their seed over the last month. I'm going to grow lots of this. Maybe it will protect me from climate change :/?
Doubt it 😂😕
Might keep a few politicians away... Hopefully..
Really liked this! And am now following! Very easy to listen to!
Welcome aboard! 😊🙏
While much of this I already knew (blackthorn is a particular personal interest), the thorns being hollow and filled with bacteria was entirely new information. Yet more reason to be cautious of my set of blackthorn needles...
I had not made the connection to the moon in the name of the luantishee. The connection to the rune affiliated with Thurisaz is also remarkable.
While it is obviously very questionable how much of this is deliberate (although the druids were allegedly fluent in Greek), that lines up in a fascinating way with Hellenistic astrology. Blackthorn symbolism has some obvious overlap with Samhain/Nos Galan Gaeaf, and as I understand it, archeological and historical evidence indicate that the date was likely a week or two later than the modern date, of which one of the primary suspected rationales is that it corresponds to the solar midpoint, halfway between the autumnal equinox and arboreal solstice. This happens to place the sun in the zodiacal sign of Scorpio, the feminine/nocturnal dominion of Mars, the red and violent classical planet... and the 'fall' of Luna, where the silver one is corrupted and brings out the worst in her. Luna is also debilitated or 'exiled' in Capricorn, the sign of the arboreal solstice (which ties in with Calleach Buer's rule of winter and 'blackthorn winters') and the soul's exit from this world, 'exalted' in Taurus (approximately May), which brings out the best in her, and herself rules Cancer, the sign of the estival solstice and birth and the mother.
Jupiter pertains to Thor and, I have speculated for some time, Mjolnir to specifically Jupiter in Cancer (Jupiter's exaltation). While I have been personally looking at blackthorn as a Mars in Cancer (Mars's fall) thing, that is not necessarily off-base; Mars and Luna are each fallen in the other's domicile and both lend themselves well to blackthorn's themes.
I wonder if any of that was whatsoever deliberate or integrated into the associated lore, such as either through deliberate synchronism on the part of the Celtic peoples, or through a common Proto-Indo-European lineage? Or perhaps it is an incidental overlap of perceptions and/or archetypes. It is fascinating that it lines up so well, though.
Not sure where I picked up that titbit, but my fingers have learned the hard way many times over 😅
Really interesting you bring this up, and I think about this a lot. Whether there was an older sub culture which fed into various disparate later cultures such as Celtic and Hellenic, entirely plausible. Or maybe some ‘spooky action at a distance’ type phenomena relating to the collective unconscious? 🤔 thanks for this input anyway. Very interesting 🙏☺️
@@TheStoryCrow I've been trying to understand these ancient British - European connections as well. This is where I've got to, sorry for the length! Check out the amazing book, "The Baltic Origins of Homer's Epic Tales" by Vinci, and also the research work of the fantastic historian Alan Wilson of Ancient Britain.
It seems that there was a common Bronze Age North European culture that we now also call 'Hellenic' or 'Achaean' (from Greek legends) or the Beaker People (from archaeology). ie. These were the same as the 'Ancient Greeks', who pre-dated the Classical Greeks by a couple of thousand years (give or take). The Ancient Greek tales and the - possibly even more ancient - astrological knowledge come from northern Europe. Yes, that's right, when you're reading Homer's tales about Troy and the Odyssey, you are reading part of your own Bronze Age past culture, a more sophisticated society than we think. This culture was centred all around the Baltic regions (from Denmark to Finland).
The Bronze Ages of c.5000-2000BC were a high point of north Europe culture because this was a period when the climate was warmer in northern Europe (the 'Climatic Optimum'). Some of these Beaker tribes were sailing and trading all across northern Europe, including bringing tin from Britain which seems to have been the main source of tin for north Europe bronze. They were a blond-haired, blue-eyed people, an early 'Viking' culture and presumably the same people as the germanic celtic and nordic people of today.
From around 2000BC, the climate began changing and northern Europe started to become colder. This pushed many of these tribes to re-settle elsewhere. The people which earlier settled in southern Britain we now call the Wessex culture, an advanced Bronze Age culture (around 2000BC), slowly replacing the earlier dark-haired 'Cheddar man' people.
The battle of Troy took place during these colder times, around 1800BC. After this war, which signified the end of this high Bronze Age era (why this war is important to this day, perhaps especially to the ruling classes), the various tribes that lived around the Baltic Sea migrated away. Some went south to the Mediterranean, taking their 'greek' legends with then, and they later became the Myceneans, and even later the Classical Greeks. They re-named many places around the Mediterranean after the places of their legends, but these were NOT the original locations of the legends. Others went towards India and were the ancient Aryans who brought the basis of the caste system and Hinduism with them. ie. these movements account for the ancient commonality of the Indo-European culture.
One group, the Trojans (enemies of the Achaeans/ancient Greeks in the Trojan war), also travelled south and became the early Roman leaders. One of these Trojan tribes eventually sailed to Britain, and founded the Ancient British dynasties of Iron Age kings, which lasted from 1700BC to about 600 AD (in England), and to about 1300AD in Wales. King Arthur about 550AD. You can read this history from their own mouths, by reading the translated "Chronicles of Brut" on-line. They never forgot that they came from Troy, which is why their capital London was initially called New Troy, and why all classically educated students learn of Troy and why we are taught to respect the Romans. This history accounts for the two-tier culture of Britain and all gaelic/Gaul cultures, ie. a bedrock of northern celtic people and local culture & folklore, over-ruled by a mediterranean/Roman-influenced ruling & trading class.
I think the Druids are a bit of a side story as they were much later arrivals during the Iron Ages, are clearly elitist and hierarchical, and are not part of the same early history of the end Bronze Age & early Iron Age settlers. Perhaps they came from the Mediterranean.
Can
Looking forward to you covering Rowan...my birth tree under the Celtic tree calendar
I reckon Rowan is next on my list 👍🌳☺️
"The Celtic tree calendar" was invented in the 1940s by Robert Graves.
Your Dog was once a Crusader Knight of an order that wore black cloaks and black surcoats with a white cruifix emblazoned on their chests. [4:41]. Were the Arcane Brothers of St Guineforte a Templar subsect? They were much feared in both Christendom and Araby.
On dark nights it is whispered that when the Avignon Papacy clamped down on the Order, some of the Brothers escaped immolation by transmuting into canine form.
I know not this tale, but I LIKE IT
@@TheStoryCrow Just my own spinning of magic yarn. Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest Trilogy is set in the 100 Years War. It's told from the POV of Thomas of Hookton, an English mercenary archer. He wears a relic of ''Saint Guineforth' a Dog/Martyr who was sainted by French peasants [clearly w/o the Church's approval]. It's a Dog's Claw or something. The legend of St Guineforth [-forte] is in Wikipedia, so it was real, if heretical. Roman Catholic Dogma has always held that animals have no immortal souls.
The legend goes: A Knight had lost his beautiful young wife in childbirth. His most precious person was now his infant Son. His fief is plagued by ravenous wolves. Forever howling. He has a best friend, a massive Greyhound, Guineforte. As Handsome a Dog as he is Noble, and as Intelligent as he is Loyal, the Knight instructs Guineforte to stay at the Castle and protect his Heir. The Dog knows his duty and barks his assent. The Knight sallys forth to slay the Wolf pack. Gone all night, he is unsuccessful. When he returns to the solarium of his tower keep, he is shocked and dismayed to see the interior all torn up, tapestries ripped, crib broken, the baby not to be seen, and blood everywhere, even on the Dog's jaws...
In a rage, his sword flashes out and slashes down the big Dog. The Greyhound's last move is to lick his master's hand in forgiveness. Just then, the Baby cries -- concious that something bad has happened to his dog friend and protector.
The Knight realizes his error. Guineforte has stood off a pack of Wolves, protected his charge, and is now dead from a rash judgement.
The Knight lowers the Dog's body down a well, rocks it in, and plants trees around the well. In time, local peasants find miraculous things are done with the Dog Saint's intersession.
* * *
I'm sure if a Templar subsect, devoted to St Guineforte, were hard pressed by the Avignon Antipope's Inquisitors, He would have interceded on their behalf, and allowed them to shapeshift into dog form to escape. Whether they are immortal, but stuck in dog form -- in a sort of Limbo -- is beyond my Powers to know. Their Templar's holy habit is still visable in their Dog coats' form, the Old Ones say. .
May the Holy Dog lift His leg and bless us all.
Excellent video.
I thank you Sir!
Or Madam
I have alot of these.😅 I don't know what that says about me.😊 I have used it to start trees as a windbreak and to protect against deer.
Really interesting, only half-way through so far. Just thought I'd mention where the name 'sloe' may come from. I recently read that Slow Worms were so named by the Anglo-Saxons, after their word for 'slay,' meaning to strike, and 'slay' became 'slow.' Well, given your information about the dark connotations of Blackthorn, its spikes that slay and and its use as a slayer, surely this is the same origin ? In past-times, it was sometimes called the Sloe-thorn ... so the Thorn that Slays ?!
That’s really interesting I didn’t know that. Could be. Etymology is a labyrinth.
Now I’m thinking of thunor / Thor the slayer, specifically slayer of serpents (and trolls and giants) and how the thorn rune represents Thor (and trolls and giants). Thanks for sharing! 🙏
@@TheStoryCrow That's great, an ancient link between 'thorn' and 'slaying'! I wonder what Thor's weapons were ... actual thorns ?! Given what you say about how the thorns can cause deadly infections, a spiky Blackthorn branch could have been an effective way to get rid of enemies in days gone by, before metal weapons came about ... I hacked off a couple of branches today and they do look deadly! Perhaps the infections come from the grey 'bloom' that covers the twigs (might be a yeast like the yeast bloom on the sloes).
@@TheStoryCrow Now you've had me thinking ! I didn't know of the thorne rune and its connection to Thor. I looked it up, and the shape of the rune is actually like a thorny branch, a triangle sticking out from a stick !
The existence of this rune suggests to me that a thorn must be one of our primal concepts. 'Thorny' things were probably one of the main dangers to us in the natural world. And given that 'th' can be 'd' in other languages, I think I've worked out why Thor is also the storm god ... Blackthorn in Dutch is Sleedorn, and thorn in German is Dorn. Likewise, the old German name of Thor is Donar (site Mythology Source), and Donner means 'thunder' in German, presumably from where the word 'Donnerstag' would come from ('tag' means 'day'), which is the German word for 'Thorsday' (ie. Thursday). So I think the link between a thorn, storms and Thor is that lightning, the dramatic slayer from the sky can be seen as a powerful and deadly 'thorn' shooting down from the sky.
I can't help also thinking that a lot of our European words may come from this root word/concept of thorn (possibly 'thorn' was once the plural word of a single 'thor'): such as words relating to the shape of a thorn (eg. tower/tour/tor), animals with 'thorny' heads (tauros, horn, aurochs ('os/ox/ochs' means 'cow')), and the effects of being caught by a thorn bush (tore / tear, terrier dogs), and perhaps even the horror of encounters with thickets of thorn bushes that tear and lightning that slays (terror, terrible ... ).
Elder please!
Sounds like step five 🍀
Lyrical.
Just discovered your channel and really enjoying the content.
As a walking stick user, for the longest time I've fancied getting myself a nice stout Blackthorn walking stick. Would such a usage anger the fairies, or would its purgative properties help me ward off the black dog that often lurks in my shadow? Maybe like a lot of things in life, it's a double edged sword. ;)
Yes it’s a very traditional stick to use as a walking stick, particularly in Ireland, where they double as a cudgel. If you’re worried about fairies just ask the tree nicely ☺️ 🌳 🧚🏻 good luck!
The thorns are still used in protection magic today.
Has that pint gone flat ?
It was already flattish, being an English ale, before I waffled about trees for 20 minutes 😂
@@TheStoryCrow thanks for all your knowledge on the trees and entertaining stories of historical lives. well put across.just bought two hazels as a squirrel sat on my shed roof and put her order in.
The Regiment of the British Army I served in had a strong Irish heritage and connections… most other Regiments Warrant officers carried pace or swagger sticks… Our Regiments Warrant officers carried Blackthorn Sticks/Clubs… The RSM ( in charge of discipline of all ranks not holding the Queens Commission) Had the biggest one, with a knot on the end the size of a knee cap… and he would bonk you on the head if he thought it was Warranted lol pun intended 🍺👍🏻
Love this, thanks!
hehehe Puritans in the US customs office
🫢
Lyrical.
Fanks 😊