The Vine or Grape Vine (Vitis vinifera) is more of a shrub plant than a tree, but never the less as one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, it is sacred to Wicca/Witchcraft and was revered as much as any tree by the ancients of long ago. Like the oak tree, the vine is a very long-lived plant, and is nearly as old as civilization. The fossilized leaves, seeds and stems of grapevines, some of them thought to be 40 million years old, have been found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Wines produced from its grapes have been a universal drink since records began. Details of growing grapes and making wine have been discovered in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating from about 2400 BC. Grape seeds found with mummies in Egyptian tombs are thought to be at least 3,000 years old. Wine making was also a regular part of ancient Greek life and Pliny (see Old Masters of Academia) speaks of one that was supposedly 600 years old. In old Christian scriptures, Noah is said to have planted a vineyard after he survived the great flood.
The name vine is derived from the Latin word “viere”, meaning to twist, likened to the twining habits of the plant. Grape vines are native to the northern temperate zones, but cultivated throughout the world by the wine making industry. Today there are some 60 species of vine producing more than 8,000 varieties of grape. France, Spain and Italy cultivate the most acreage of grapes, followed by Turkey and Georgia. Other principal grape-producing countries are Algeria, Argentina, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and the United States. Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Syria, and South Africa also produce a large part of the world's grape market. All of these countries have sizable wine making industries.
Grapes can grow in many different kinds of soil, but the soil must have a certain depth and drain well, soil of a volcanic nature produces the finest wines. A common method of propagation is to plant cuttings taken from mature vines. Another method is known as layering. This is done by bending down a branch of a mature vine and forcing it to grow along a shallow trench in the ground. After shoots start to grow upward from the buds on the branch, the trench is filled with soil. The shoots then develop roots and by winter the shoots and their roots are ready to be cut from the parent branch. In the spring they can be planted as new grapevines.
The vine is a long-lived climbing shrub cloaked in large lobed leaves and clusters of small green or whitish flowers. The fruit or grape consists of a watery fleshy pulp containing stones, encased in a soft skin. Grapes are differentiated by their skin colors, which range from pale green or yellow to red, purple or black. Some varieties are even multicolored. The stem of old vines can reach a considerable size in warm climates, and planks up to 15 inch’s across have been cut from them, but this is highly unusual. In Burgundy there are vines said to be 400 years old and over.
The leaves of the vine when gathered in June contain a mixture of cane sugar and glucose, tartaric acid, potassium bi-tartrate, quercetine, quercitrin, tannin, amidon, malic acid, gum, inosite, an un-crystallizable fermentable sugar and oxalate of calcium. When gathered in the autumn, the leaves contain much more quercetine and less traces of quercitrin. The ripe juice of the grape is called “must” and contains sugar, gum, malic acid, potassium bi-tartrate and inorganic salts. When dried, ripe grapes are commonly called raisins, and contain dextrose and potassium acid tartrate. The unripe juice of the grape is called “verjuice” and contains malic, citric, tartaric, racemic and tannic acids, as well as potassium bi-tartrate, sulphate of potash and lime. The seeds of the grape contain tannin and a fixed oil.
Physical Uses:
The vine has little other use then that of wine making. Of the 60 species of vine and the 8,000 or more varieties of its grapes, only one species is used for nearly all the wine made in the world, the (Vitis vinifera) species, often called the “World Grape”. From this one species as many as 4,000 varieties of grape have been developed, but only about a dozen of these are commonly used for wine making. The chief varieties used are: Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat.
Wine is made by allowing the grape juice to ferment. To aid the fermentation process, yeast (usually Saccharomyces) is added to convert the sugars to alcohol. Fermentation usually takes place in large vats from which the air is excluded to prevent oxidation, and to discourage the growth of vinegar-forming bacteria. Normally fermentation takes from ten to 30 days, during which the temperature is controlled to promote yeast growth and to extract the flavors and colors from the skins. Artificial heat for this purpose was not used till the early part of the last century, and the first accounts of vineries enclosed by glass date from the middle of that period.
After the fermentation process is done, the wine is racked (drawn off) to separate it from the lees (the dregs or sediment). Some wines deposit their sediment quickly, but other wines remain cloudy for long periods. The wine then goes through several clarification processes before being stored and aged in wooden containers made of oak or redwood. This aging process allows oxygen to enter and water and alcohol to escape. During which time the acidity decreases and additional clarification takes place. The wood from the container also contributes too and enhances the flavor and aroma of the wine. The wood-aging process may last many months or several years depending on the wine and the quality desired.
Before bottling ready for sale the wine may require blending, filtration and the addition of an antiseptic agent to prevent microbe development. Some wines are aged in bottles before being sold. Red wines in particular may profit from two to twenty years of bottle aging. The diversity and quality of wine comes not only from the kinds of grapes used, but also from the distinctive qualities of the soil it was grown in, also climatic conditions prevailing while it was grown. Changes in weather patterns from one year to the next can have a tremendous influence on the quality of a vintage. In addition each vintner or community wine maker may have a different technique of producing the wine that no one else knows or uses.
Mythology and Folklore:
In Greek mythology Dionysus is the God of Nature, and the God of the Vine and Wine (later personified by the Roman god Bacchus). As Dionysus, he was also the God of Ecstasy and his cult was one of the mystery religions. He produced the first wine from the vine, and spread the art of tending grapes, but he also had a dual side to his nature, on the one hand he could bring about joy and divine ecstasy and on the other hand brutal unthinking rage, both reflecting the nature of wine.
Dionysus is the son of Zeus and Semele and the only god to have a mortal parent. Legend has it that Zeus came to Semele in the night invisible, felt only as a divine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god even though she did not know which god it was. But word of his infidelity soon spread and Hera his wife quickly assumed who was responsible. She went to Semele in disguise and convinced her that she should see her lover as he really was. When Zeus next came to see her, Semele made him promise to grant her one wish, he was made to swear on the River Styx that he would grant her request.
Zeus by this time was madly in love and agreed, even though he knew what would happen. She then asked him to show her his true form. Zeus was unhappy, but having sworn he had no choice. When he appeared in his true form Semele was instantly struck dead by the sight of all his glory. Zeus then took the unborn Dionysus from Semele’ womb and sewed the infant into his thigh till he was ready to be born. After due time Dionysus emerged from his thigh perfectly formed and became known as “the twice-born god” associated with death and rebirth.
In another legend Hera still jealous about Dionysus arranged for the Titans to kill him, and in response they ripped him into to pieces. However the goddess Rhea (also known as Cybele) brought him back to life. After this Zeus arranged for his protection and turned him over the mountain nymphs to be raised. It was they who taught him to tend the vine.
Dionysus is one of the few gods who was able to bring a dead person out of the underworld. Even though he had never seen his mother Semele, he descended into the underworld in an effort to bring her back. Hades agreed to release her only if Dionysus gave him something he held very dear, so Dionysus gave up the myrtle plant. On his way into the underworld he had met a man called Prosymnus from whom he had asked for directions, the man agreed but asked for certain sexual favors to be repaid on his return. On his way out Dionysus was unable to keep his promise to Prosymnus for had died, so instead Dionysus planted a phallus-shaped stick on his tomb in repayment.
Dionysus wandered the world accompanied by Maenads, actively encouraging his cult and worship. The Maenads were wild women often flush with wine, their shoulders draped with fawn skins and carrying rods tipped with pine cones. While the other gods erected temples for their worship, the followers of Dionysus worshiped him in the woods. There they would work themselves up into mad states of frenzy and ecstasy, and any animals they came upon would be rip apart in sacrifice, their flesh eaten raw. As Bacchus he was accompanied Bacchantes, a similar band of woman worshipers who also roamed the forests dressed in animal skins.
Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life, and associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is symbolically echoed in tending vines. Each year the vines are pruned back sharply and left to become dormant through the winter, ready to bear fruit in the following spring. Another concept is that under the influence of wine we can connect with nature. In the mystery traditions intoxication comes not from the plant but from the spirit of the plant, the divine essence, under which we become free and liberated from the constraints of formal society. At these times a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not.
In ancient times the festival of Dionysus was held in the spring when the leaves begin to reappear on the vine. Because he was the god of wine, his festivals were lively affairs that offered the chance to put aside the daily routines of life and get caught up in wild celebrations. Though in many cases only those who had been initiated into the cult could participate in the festivities. Over time it became one of the most important events of the year, and its focus became the theater for drama. Most of the great Greek plays of the times were specially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All those who took part, the writers, actors and spectators were regarded as scared servants of Dionysus during the festival.
As Bacchus they celebrated the Bacchanalia, or festival of Bacchus every third year. But the attics of the worshipers became so immoral that the Roman Senate suppressed it in 186 BC, and all the Bacchic sanctuaries were destroyed. The religion however continued and was popular in the first century, by the second century it is known there was a group of 500 worshipers at Frascati in Italy, and presumably other such groups existed.
Dionysus is often seen depicted holding a Chalice and a Wand. His wand was called a “thyrsus”. Of old, the thyrsus was made from a fennel stalk capped with a pine cone and to the ancients this was symbolic of a plant and seed as representing the union of his forest nature (the pine cone) and his agricultural nature (the fennel). The chalice is thought to represent the womb of his mother Semele for whom he would have been a Child of Promise. In it he offers her his divine nature, for it contains his liquid essence “wine”. So from legend he comes down to us as the “Lord of the Harvest” whose essence and seed is returned via the soil, to the mother earth.
In Wicca/Witchcraft a wand or thyrsus is representative of the phallus of the god, and the chalice as the womb of the goddess. Therefore the thyrsus is the stalk and the seed, representing the shaft of the phallus and the semen issuing forth. The chalice is the opening to the womb and the lining of the uterus. As Dionysus holds them both, he is symbolically displaying the male and female polarities that when united will bring forth a Child of Promise.
In art he is depicted wearing a crown of ivy, and covered in vine leaves and grapes, a typical image of the Green Man. As Bacchus he is bearded, more rustic in appearance and sporting horns, a typical image of the Horned God. So here we have in this one god, all the aspects of a tradition Wiccan God: he is a God of Nature and Lord of the Harvest, a God of the Underworld, a Son/Lover of the Goddess, a Child of Promise, the Green Man and the Horned God, all combined into one.
Magical Uses:
In ancient Rome pictures of grapes were drawn or painted onto garden walls as a symbol to ensure fertility in the garden. Eating grapes or raisins increases fertility, as well as strengthening mental powers. Placing grapes on the altar when conducting money spells will help and aid in money matters.
During ritual wine is contained in the chalice and placed on the altar where it is used for many purposes. It can be used to symbolize the blood of the Goddess as a life giving essence, or to symbolize the blood of the Slain God after his death and during his resurrection. Intoxication though wine was thought to be the possession of the self by the indwelling spirit of the vine, so to drink the wine during ritual was to merge oneself with the spirit of the vine and thus with nature.
The wine is also used for toasting the deities in welcome and offerings of libations. It is a common practice in modern Wicca/Witchcraft to celebrate the conclusion of a full moon or Sabbat meeting with a meal of cakes and wine.
Medicinal Uses:
The restorative and regenerative powers of the grape was known, used and revered by the ancients of old. The warming and fattening properties of grape sugar acts rapidly to increase strength and repair waste in fevers, it is however unsuitable for inflammatory or gouty conditions. The seeds and leaves of the grapevine are astringent, and were used to stop hemorrhages and bleeding, when boiled with Barley-meal and made into a poultice, it was also used to cool the inflammation of wounds. Dried and powdered the leaves were used as a cure for dysentery in cattle.
The sap of the vine taken from a cutting and allowed to bleed, is often called a “tear” or “lachrymal”, and makes an excellent lotion for weak eyes and specks on the cornea. Ripe grapes eaten in quantity can influence the kidneys to produce a free flow of urine, but care should be taken when feeding excitable and full-blooded people, for too much could cause palpitations. Dyspeptic subjects should avoid eating them.
In cases of anemia and in states of exhaustion, the restorative powers of the grape is in a class of its own, especially when taken in conjunction with a light and nourishing diet. In cases of smallpox, grapes have proved useful owing to their bi-tartrate of potash content, they are also said to be of benefit in cases of neuralgia and sleeplessness. The droppings of the vine when it is cut in the spring can be boiled with sugar into a syrup, taken inwardly this is an excellent stay for women's longings when pregnant.
People that suffer from torpid liver and sluggish biliary functions should eat grapes that are not quite fully ripe, whilst those who require animal heat to support waste of tissue, should eat fully ripe and sweet grapes. Dried grapes or raisins are largely used in the manufacture of galenical medicines, the seeds being separated and rejected as they give a very bitter taste. Raisins are demulcent, nutritive and slightly laxative. The ash of burnt vines was used as toothpaste to make discolored teeth white again, by rubbing them with it in the morning.
In modern days the juice of the grape is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly iron. It provides a source of instant energy and is ideal for convalescents. The grape is laxative and diuretic and despite its sugar content it is not fattening. Fasting except for grape-juice and grapes has been recommended by naturopaths to clear many chronic diseases. Grapes are used in the treatment of poor blood circulation, low blood pressure, anemia, liver congestion and skin blemishes.
Through its associations with nature, the underworld and reincarnation, the deities associated with the vine are numerous, and include: Dionysus, Bacchus, Hathor, Venus, Branwen, Aphrodite, Apollo and Osiris. Its gender is feminine. Its planet ruler is the Moon with strong associations to the Sun. Its element is with Water, and its magickal associations promote: Fertility, Death and Rebirth, Garden Magick, Money, Mental powers and Freedom of Spirit.
Astrologically vine people (i.e. those born in the month of August) love tradition and are happiest returning to places where they have had good times in the past. They are sensual in nature but will defend their ideas and ideals passionately. They care about nature and the preservation of the natural world, and will risk life and limb in its defense.
