The Holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) as a symbol of goodwill, peace, health and happiness is one of the sacred trees of Wicca/Witchcraft, but its most common association is as a Christmas seasonal decoration. In England Holly is an important native evergreen, as it is to most parts of central and southern Europe, but it is also grown in America, China and Japan. In the barren whiteness of winter against the frost and snow, Holly forms one of the most striking objects in the woodlands. Its glossy green leaves and clusters of scarlet/red berries, add a flash of color to trees without leaves cheering the hearts of weary wanderers. Many of the old Christmas Carols are full of allusions to Holly.
As a small tree or shrub the Holly grows very slowly and if planted with other equally slow growing trees, it can achieve heights of up to 50 feet (15 meters) but more frequently in Britain its normal height is 30 to 40 feet (9-12 meters). In Italy and in the woodlands of France, especially those of Brittany, it can attain a much larger size than is common in England. Holly is often found growing in close proximity to Oak and Beech trees. The ease with which Holly can be kept trimmed renders it valuable as a hedge plant and forms hedges of great thickness and impenetrability.
Today there are some 400 species of Holly shrubs and trees, and many but not all are evergreens. The main North American species known simply as American Holly (Ilex opaca) grows naturally along the Atlantic coast and in the Southern states. These trees grow to about 50 feet (15 meters) in height. Kashi Holly (I. Chinensis) grows in Japan and China and is used for decoration during the Chinese New Year. Of the cultivated varieties one is distinguished by the unusual color of its berries, which are yellow, others are characterized by their variegated foliage or by the presence of a larger or smaller number of prickles than ordinary types.
The Holly will grow in almost any soil provided it is not too wet, but gains its best when planted in rich, sandy or gravely soil with good drainage and a moderate amount of moisture at the roots. In very dry localities it is usually stunted in its growth but it will live in almost any earth not saturated with water. Its most favored position appears to be in thin scattered woods of Oak, between the intervals of which it grows up at once. It is rarely affected even by the most severe of winters and seems to be immune to infestation by insects. Birds love to feed on its berries, which contain its seeds. After being eaten by the birds the seeds are discarded during flight and having passed through the bird are softened ready for germination. It takes about two years to germinate and although it’s always a slow grower, it grows more quickly after the first four or five years.
As the Holly grows it branches and leaves from top to bottom forming a bushy head, or it may take on the form of a pyramid, pointed at the top and leafy to its base. The trunk of the Holly like that of the Beech frequently has small wood-knots attached to it, these are composed of a smooth nodule of solid wood embedded in its bark, but they can be easily separated from the tree with a smart blow. The bark of the Holly is delicate and thin, and has a light ashen hue that is smooth and grey, sometimes touched with a faint crimson. The bark is often covered in a characteristic green algae, and is very likely to house thin lichen consisting of numerous curvy black lines closely resembling oriental writing.
The wood of the Holly is hard, compact and close-grained. Its color is of beautiful white ivory that can be buffed to a very high polish. When freshly cut the wood has a slightly greenish hue but soon becomes perfectly white, its hardness makes it superior to any other white wood. As such it is much prized for ornamental ware and the evenness of its grain makes it very valuable to the turner. It is also used extensively for inlaying furniture with marquetry. Holly is very retentive of its sap and warps in consequence, so it needs to be well dried and seasoned before being used. As well as an imitation of white ivory, it is often stained different colors such as blue, green, red or black. When stained black it has the appearance of ebony and is often used as a substitute for it. Mathematical instruments such as weather-gauges and barometers are made of it, also the blocks for calico printing. Of old a straight stick of Holly was used by country gentlemen for walking sticks and for the stocks of light driving whips.
The leaves of the Holly have a leathery texture and are thick, green and glossy. Normally they are about 2 inches long and 1 1/4 inches broad, edged with stout prickles alternately pointing upwards and downwards, though most of the upper leaves have only a single prickle. The leaves have neither taste nor odor and remain attached to the tree for several years. When they fall, the leaves take a long time to decay, defying the natural actions of air and moisture.
In May the Holly bears its flowers, these are pale pink on the outside and pure white on the inside. Male and female flowers are usually borne on different trees. The fertile female flowers are pollinated by insects such as wild bees who are attracted to the flower by the smell of a honey like liquid released from their bases, the flower then produces the familiar clusters of brilliant scarlet/red berries. If a tree crops well one year, it will normally rest the following year before cropping again.
The berries though eaten by birds and animals are poisonous to human beings and children in particular should be warned against eating them. Deer eat Holly leaves in winter and sheep thrive on them. In olden times peasants of the country gathered up the young stems and made use of it as a cattle-feed to sustain them during the privations of the winter. The stems were dried and bruised and given to the cows three times a day. The cows seemed to thrive on it and produced good milk, the butter from which was said to be excellent. It is also well known to rabbit-breeders that a Holly-stick placed in a hutch for the rabbits to gnaw, would act as a tonic and restore their appetite.
Folklore and Myths:
Holly is extensively used all over the world as a Christmas decoration, a custom said to be derived from the early Romans who used to send boughs of Holly accompanied with other gifts to their friends during Saturnalia (This was the Roman festival of Saturn held about the 17th of Dec, and was a celebration of the winter solstice with general feasting and revelry). The custom of decorating the home with Holly has been credited to the Druids who decorated their huts with evergreens during winter as an abode for the sylvan spirits (spirits of the woodlands). The early Christians then adopted the custom from them.
An old Christian legend has it that the Holly first sprang up under the footsteps of Christ as he trod the earth and its thorny leaves and scarlet berries are likened to drops of blood symbolic of his suffering. In many parts of Europe the Holly tree was called “Christ's Thorn” or “Holy Tree” particularly by older writers, Turner for instance refers to it by this name in his “Herbal ” published in 1568. In old Christian church calendars, Christmas Eve was often marked “templa exornantur” (meaning “the churches are decked”) and so the custom continues today. Other popular names for Holly are Hulver, Holme and Holme Chase. In Norfolk it is called Hulver, in Devon - Holme, and in parts of Dartmoor - Holme Chase.
In folklore the Holly is associated with the spirit of vegetation and the waning forces of nature, which are represented through the mythical figure of the Holly King. The Holly King rules nature during its decline from mid-summer through to mid-winter, when at the winter solstice he is defeated in ritual combat by his brother the Oak King, who then claims and rules the following seasons. The Holly King is often depicted as an old man dressed in winter clothing wearing a wreath of Holly on his head and walking with the aid of a staff made from a Holly branch. Traditionally at Christmas time a man was dressed up and covered in Holly branches and leaves, and a woman was likewise dressed in Ivy (the female counterpart of Holly). Together they would be paraded through the streets hand in hand leading the old year into the new. This is symbolic of the fertile interaction of the goddess and god during natures decline and the darkest time of the year, from which the new light of the sun-god springs forth encouraging fresh growth and renewed vegetation during the coming new year. Today the Holly King has been stylized by the figure of Santa Claus.
Pliny (Pliny the Elder AD 23-79, was a Roman naturalist, his “Historia naturalis” was an encyclopedic study of plants and animal life, and was for a long time a standard authority) tells us that if Holly is planted near a house or farm, it would repelled poison and defended it from lightning and witchcraft. Also that its flowers cause water to freeze and that its wood when thrown at an animal, even without touching it, had the property of compelling the animal to return and lie down beside it.
Medicinal Uses:
Holly leaves were formerly used as a diaphoretic and an infusion of them was given in catarrh, bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza, pleurisy and smallpox. They have also been used in intermittent fevers and rheumatism for their tonic properties. The juice of the fresh leaves has been used to advantage in jaundice, and when sniffed was said to stop a runny nose. When soaked in vinegar and left for a day and a night, it was used to cure corns. An old remedy for chilblains was to thrash them with a branch of Holly to “chase the chills out”, but this could also be painful.
The berries possess totally different qualities to the leaves, being violently emetic and purgative, a very few can cause excessive vomiting soon after they are swallowed. They have been used in dropsy, also in a powder as an astringent to check bleeding. Culpepper say’s “the bark and leaves are good used as fomentations for broken bones and such members as are out of joint”. He also considered the berries to be curative of colic. Care needs to be taken though, for the berries can be poisonous to children.
Birdlime used to catch birds and other insects is made from the bark when stripped off young shoots and fermented. The bark is stripped off during midsummer and steeped in clean water, then boiled till it separates into layers. When this happens the inner green portion is laid up in small heaps till fermentation begins. After about a fortnight it turns into a sticky gooey substance, which is then pounded into a paste, washed and laid by again to continue fermenting. When done it is mixed with an oily substance like goose-fat and is ready for use. Very little is now made in this country but of old in the Lake Districts of the north of England, Holly was so abundant that birdlime was made in large quantities and shipped to the East Indies for destroying insects.
The leaves of the Holly were used in the Black Forest as a substitute for tea. In Brazil “Paraguay Tea” is made from the dried leaves and young shoots of another species of Holly called (Ilex Paraguayensis), which grows in South America. Other types used to make tea are (Ilex Gongonha) and (Ilex Theezans), which like the (Ilex Paraguayensis), were also valuable diuretics and diaphoretics. The leaves of (Ilex Paraguayensis) and several others are also used by dyers, as are the unripe fruits of (Ilex Macoucoua) for they contain tannin. Acting something like galls when bruised in a ferruginous mud, they were used in dyeing cotton.
Magickal Uses:
As with most other trees the Holly was revered for its protective qualities. The Holly guards against lightening, poisoning and mischievous spirits, and when planted around the home it protects the inhabitants from evil sorcerers. When confronted by wild animals throwing a stick of Holly at them would make them lie down and leave you alone. A piece of Holly carried on your person is said to promote good luck, particularly in men for the Holly is a male plant (the Ivy its corresponding female). Holly leaves wrapped in an appropriately colored cloth to protect against its needles, placed under your pillow will make your dreams come true.
Some old stories tell us that when winter came the old druids advised the people to take Holly into their homes to shelter the elves and fairies who could join mortals at this time without causing them harm, but these stories also tell of a warning, to make sure and remove the Holly entirely before the eve of Imbolc, for to leave just one leaf in the house would cause misfortune. An old Scottish traditions says that no branch should be cut from a Holly tree, but rather that it be pulled free in a method considered fit from sacred tree. It was also considered unlucky to fell a Holly tree or burn the green skinned Holly. Yet luck was increased if a small branch was kept from a Yule decoration and hung on the outside of the house where it would protect against lightening.
In ritual uses, Holly is associated with the death and rebirth symbolism of winter. Holly also symbolizes holiness, consecration, material gain, physical revenge, beauty, and immortality, as well as peace, goodwill and health. It can be used ritually to aid and help with a person’s ability to cope with death, and to ease their sleep with peaceful dreams. The Holly has always been associated with mid winter festivals and was used in old Celtic traditions for celebrating the sun gods birth at the winter solstice.
The wood of the Holly tree burns very hot and its charcoal was used to forge the swords, knives and tools necessary for survival and protection. The old smithies and weapon-makers were considered to be great magicians for their ability to use the elements of fire and earth to create these tools. For this reason the druids associated Holly with the element of fire. In the ogham alphabet they called the Holly “Tinne”, which is thought to mean “fire” derived from the word “tinder”, in association with the Holly’s timber used in the fires of the old smithies. In today’s rituals, Holly is used for magick associated with the element of fire and Holly incense is used to consecrate the magickal knife (athame).
The Holly tree is known by several folk names: Hulm, Holme, Holme chase, Christ’s thorn, Hulver bush, Bat’s wings, Tinne and Holy tree. Its deity associations are Tannus, Taranis and Thor. Its gender type is Masculine. Its planetary ruler is Mars and its associated element is Fire. Holly is used to attract the powers needed for: Protection, Healing, Peace, Goodwill, Luck and anything to do with the element Fire.
Astrologically Holly people (i.e. those people born in the month of June) are often very religious. They come alive at winter and delight in the cold that most people dislike. Holly people are very balanced in a fight if the cause is just. They are bearers of truth and demand truth from their friends and associates. Holly people are honest, hardworking and very tolerant of situations. They tend to see both sides in an argument but will choose a side if they have to. They tend to be spiritually advanced and yet may be clueless to being that way. They can also be showy at times and seek attention.
