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Page 37
The _Aspen_ was said to have been the tree on which Judas hanged himself
after the betrayal of his Master, and ever since its leaves have
trembled with shame.
The _Ash_ had wonderful influence. The old Christmas log was of ash
wood, and the use of it at this time was helpful to the future
prosperity of the family. Venomous animals, it was said, would not take
shelter under its branches. A carriage with its axles made of ash wood
was believed to go faster than a carriage with its axles made of any
other wood; and tools with handles made of this wood were supposed to
enable a man to do more work than he could do with tools whose handles
were not of ash. Hence the reason that ash wood is generally used for
tool handles. It was upon ash branches that witches were enabled to ride
through the air; and those who ate on St. John's eve the red buds of the
tree, were rendered invulnerable to witch influence.
The _Hazel_ was dedicated to the god _Thor_, and, in the Roman Catholic
Church, was esteemed a plant of great virtue for the cure of fevers.
When used as a divining rod, the rod, if it were cut on St. John's Day
or Good Friday, would be certain to be a successful instrument of
divination. A hazel rod was a badge of authority, and it was probably
this notion which caused it to be made use of by school masters. Among
the Romans, a hazel rod was also a symbol of authority.
The _Willow_, as might be expected, had many superstitious notions
connected with it, since, according to the authorized version of the
English Bible, the Israelites are said to have hung their harps on
willow trees. The weeping willow is said to have, ever since the time of
the Jews' captivity in Babylon, drooped its branches, in sympathy with
this circumstance. The common willow was held to be under the protection
of the devil, and it was said that, if any were to cast a knot upon a
young willow, and sit under it, and thereupon renounce his or her
baptism, the devil would confer upon them supernatural power.
The _Elder_, or _Bourtree_ had wonderful influence as a protection
against evil. Wherever it grew, witches were powerless. In this country,
gardens were protected by having elder trees planted at the entrance,
and sometimes hedges of this plant were trained round the garden. There
are very few old gardens in country places in which are not still seen
remains of the protecting elder tree. In my boyhood, I remember that my
brothers, sisters, and myself were warned against breaking a twig or
branch from the elder hedge which surrounded my grandfather's garden. We
were told at the time, as a reason for this prohibition, that it was
poisonous; but we discovered afterwards that there was another reason,
viz., that it was unlucky to break off even a small twig from a bourtree
bush. In some parts of the Continent this superstitious feeling is so
strong that, before pruning it, the gardener says--"Elder, elder, may I
cut thy branches?" If no response be heard, it is considered that assent
has been given, and then, after spitting three times, the pruner begins
his cutting. According to Montanus, elder wood formed a portion of the
fuel used in the burning of human bodies as a protection against evil
influences; and, within my own recollection, the driver of a hearse had
his whip handle made of elder wood for a similar reason. In some parts
of Scotland, people would not put a piece of elder wood into the fire,
and I have seen, not many years ago, pieces of this wood lying about
unused, when the neighbourhood was in great straits for firewood; but
none would use it, and when asked why? the answer was--"We don't know,
but folks say it is not lucky to burn the bourtree." It was believed
that children laid in a cradle made in whole or in part of elderwood,
would not sleep well, and were in danger of falling out of the cradle.
Elder berries, gathered on St. John's Eve, would prevent the possessor
suffering from witchcraft, and often bestowed upon their owners magical
powers. If the elder were planted in the form of a cross upon a new-made
grave, and if it bloomed, it was a sure sign that the soul of the dead
person was happy.
The _Onion_ was regarded as a symbol of the universe among the ancient
Egyptians, and many curious beliefs were associated with it. It was
believed by them that it attracted and absorbed infectious matters, and
was usually hung up in rooms to prevent maladies. This belief in the
absorptive virtue of the onion is prevalent even at the present day.
When a youth, I remember the following story being told, and implicitly
believed by all. There was once a certain king or nobleman who was in
want of a physician, and two celebrated doctors applied. As both could
not obtain the situation, they agreed among themselves that the one was
to try to poison the other, and he who succeeded in overcoming the
poison would thus be left free to fill the situation. They drew lots as
to who should first take the poison. The first dose given was a stewed
toad, but the party who took it immediately applied a poultice of peeled
onions over his stomach, and thus abstracted all the poison of the toad.
Two days after, the other doctor was given the onions to eat. He ate
them, and died. It was generally believed that a poultice of peeled
onions laid on the stomach, or underneath the armpits, would cure any
one who had taken poison. My mother would never use onions which had
lain for any length of time with their skins off.
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