The Hawthorn tree (Crataegus oxacantha) is one of the sacred trees of Wicca/Witchcraft and is associated with the spring celebrations. The main spring celebration is that of May Day which honors the sun god Belenus. His festival commenced on the first day the hawthorn blossoms opened, but today it is now celebrated on the 1st of May.
Worldwide there is some 1,000 species of hawthorn. Here in Britain there are two main types known as the English hawthorn and Common hawthorn. In France it is known as L'épine noble and in Germany Hagedorn. Its botanical name (Crataegus Oxyacantha) is derived from the Greek kratos meaning hardness (of the wood), oxcus (sharp) and akantha (a thorn). The German name of Hagedorn, meaning Hedgethorn, tells us that from a very early period the Germans divided their land into plots by hedges. The word “haw” is also an old word for hedge. Its folk name Whitethorn comes from the whiteness of its bark and Quick from it’s growing as a quick and living hedge, which was used instead of the palings of dead wood.
The tree will attain a height of 30 feet (9 meters) and lives to a great age sometimes to over 400 years. It possesses a single seed-vessel to each blossom producing a separate fruit, which when ripe is a brilliant red, this in miniature is a stony apple. In some districts these mealy red fruits are called Pixie Pears, Cuckoo's Beads and Chucky Cheese. Carrion insects mostly fertilize the flowers and the suggestion of decomposition in its perfume, attracts those insects that lay their eggs and hatch out their larvae in decaying animal matter.
The wood of the hawthorn was used for making small articles for its wood has a fine grain and takes a beautiful polish. The root-wood was used for making boxes and combs. It also makes excellent fuel, making the hottest wood-fire known, and it used to be considered more desirable than Oak for oven-heating. Charcoal made from it has been said to melt pig-iron without the aid of a blast. The stock of the hawthorn is employed not only for grafting varieties of its own species, but also for several of the garden fruits closely allied to it, such as the medlar and pear.
Folklore and Myths:
In Irish folklore the hawthorn, or whitethorn, is also sometimes referred to as the fairy bush, and it was considered bad luck to cut it in fear of offending the fairies that inhabit the tree. However, during the May Day celebrations the collecting of the sprigs and flowers was allowed for use in the festivities, after which they were place in the home to banish all evil influences. In Teutonic lore, the hawthorn had an entirely different meaning, to them the hawthorn was a symbol of death and its wood was used for funeral pyres.
In ancient Greece, crowns of hawthorn blossoms were made for wedding couples, and the wedding party all carried burning torches of hawthorn. The Roman goddess Cardea, who presided over marriage and childbirth, was associated with the hawthorn. She was also known as the "White Goddess" and was the mistress of Janus who guarded all doorways and portals, as such Cardea became known as the “hinge of the door of the year”. Her primary symbol was the hawthorn branch and her festival was celebrated in May. In Italian iconography she is depicted carrying a bough of hawthorn as a protective emblem. This led to the practice of placing hawthorn leaves in the cradles of newborn children for protection.
The hawthorn is often referred to in verse by the phase “by oak, ash, and thorn” (the “thorn” referring to that of the hawthorn tree) and is used as a blessing during ritual, or to affirm a charge of power in spellcraft. In folklore the oak, ash, and thorn have all been associated with portals into the realm of the fairies. In this regard, the hawthorn in its connection with Cardea as the “hinge on the door” into the fairy realm became the guardian and protector of the entrances to the oak and ash portals, and unless the hawthorn allowed access to the doorways, the fairy realm remained unseen. Of old, it was the practice to plant hawthorn around oak and ash tree groves in order to protect them from damage by storms or grazing cattle.
Medicinal uses:
In common with other members of the Prunus and Pyrus groups of the order Rosaceae, the Hawthorn contains Amyddalin. Its bark contains the alkaloid Crataegin, which is isolated in grayish-white crystals that are bitter in taste and soluble in water. The hawthorn has been used as a sedative, an anti-spasmodic and a diuretic, and is a natural regulator of arterial blood pressure. Known as “valerian of the heart”, the hawthorn was most valued as a heart stimulant, as such it was mainly used as a cardiac tonic in functional heart troubles. As a useful diuretic it was used in dropsy and in kidney troubles. The flowers and berries are astringent and useful in decoctions to cure sore throats. The leaves have been used as an adulterant for tea, and an excellent liqueur brandy is made from its berries.
The Hawthorn is known by many folk names such as: May, Mayblossom, May Bush, Mayflower, Quick, Thorn, Whitethorn, Haw, Hazels, Huath, Gazels, Halves, Hagthorn, Ladies’ Meat, Bread and Cheese Tree and Tree of Chastity. Its deity associations are with: Cardea, Flora and Hyman. Its gender type is Masculine. Its planet ruler is Mars. Its associated element is Fire. It is used to attract the powers needed for: Health, Fertility, Chastity, Weddings, Protection and Death.
Astrologically hawthorn people (i.e. those who are born during the month April) are stubborn but loving people and tend to be very beautiful in youth. They bring out the worst in their friends but not in a bad way, more as a way of helping them to root out bad habits and attitudes. They are supportive and protective of all they consider to be family. They can be tough to work with and have a single-minded attitude. They do not joke around but attend only to the business at hand, which makes them very shrewd business people. They are very dependable and stable, and won’t go back on their words.
