Hawthorn Berries
Botanical Name
Crataegus laevigata, syn. Crataegus ocyacantha
Usual Origin(s)
Bulgaria, Ukraine
Description
Whole, hard hawthorn berries. Hawthorn was traditionally used for its effects on blood vessels, the heart, and blood circulation.
Folk Names
Bread and Cheese Tree, Gaxels, Hagthorn, Halves, Haw, Hazels, Huath, Ladies' Meat, May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Tree of Chastity
Gender
Masculine
Planet
Mars
Element
Fire
Deities
Cardea, Flora, Hymen
Powers
Fertility, Chastity, Fishing Magic, and Happiness
Ritual Uses
Hawthorn was once used to decorate May poles. At one time hawthorns were believed to be Witches who had transformed themselves into trees. Witches have long danced and performed their rites beneath the thorn.
Magical Uses
Hawthorn has long been used to increase fertility. Because of this power it is incorporated into weddings, especially those performed in the spring. The leaves, curiously enough, are also used to enforce or maintain chastity or celibacy. The leaves are placed beneath the mattress or around the bedroom for this purpose. Carried in a sachet on a fishing trip Hawthorn ensures a good catch, and worn or carried it promotes happiness in the troubled, depressed, or sad. Hawthorn protects against lightning, and in the house in which it resides, no evil ghost may enter. It is also powerful for protecting against damage to the house from storms. The Romans placed Hawthorn in cradles to guard the child from evil spells. In the past most witches gardens contain at least one Hawthorn hedge. The Hawthorn is sacred to the fairies and is part of the tree fairy triad of Britain: “Oak, Ash and thorn, “and we’re all three Trees grow together it is said that one may see fairies.
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