The Folklore of Trees
Alder

Because its wood is very oily and water resistant, the alder tree has been used for wharf pilings, barrels and other containers for centuries. The folklore surrounding the alder comes primarily from the legends surrounding the Welsh hero Bran. Bran’s height and girth was likened to the alder tree, mainly because he was fond of placing his large body across dangerous stretches of water to let his companions pass. When Bran passed from this world, his head was removed from his body and preserved. It was thought that he had possessed visionary powers when he was alive, so to keep his head after death was thought to lend his protection to any site it was kept in by the continuing visions received by the head. The last known site of the head was the Tower of London before the coming of William The Conqueror. Soon after, it was lost and not found again. The alder has since been thought to bequeath the power of vision and prediction.

Apple

The apple tree was the earliest recorded planted and farmed tree. In Norse mythos, Idunna was responsible for growing and keeping safe the “apples of immortality”, the fruits that kept the gods young and thriving. The apple is the talisman of choice, and have often been used for both love and healing magic.

Ash

Once thought to be a descendant of the “World Tree”, it has since been used as material for baskets and hoops, and especially for weaving frames. Ash has long been thought to link the inner and outer worlds in the mythos of many realms, and has been used in spells that need focus and strength of purpose augmented.

Beech

Beech tablets were once used as writing surfaces because of its close grain and smooth surface. In mythos and folklore, the beech tree has been linked to ancient knowledge and the practice of using guidance from the past to gain insight about the future.

Birch

The birch tree has been associated with both fertility and healing magic. Farmers used to mix birch twigs in with the feed to boost their cows’ fertility and milk production, and mothers would use birch twigs and branches to create cradles. When planting new forested areas, birch tree were often the first to be planted because they thrived on bare soil. Often no other trees would be planted within reach of a birch tree, because left alone, the spring would see new trees springing up around it without the aid of man. The birch tree was once associated with the god Thor, as part of his duty as a fertility god. Every single part of a birch tree is edible and has been used for hundreds of years for food, sugar from its sap, the bark as a painkiller, and the leaves have been used to cure arthritis. Its lumber made for some well-lasting and stout tools, like axe handles. Birch has always been a component of fertility and healing spells.

Blackthorn

The blackthorn is one of those trees that primarily bloom in winter. It was named blackthorn because of the color of its bark, which is also filled with nasty and sharp thorns. Because the blackthorn as an omen is one of compelling forces that must be obeyed, many of the warriors and heroes of Gaelic mythos chose that tree to make their cudgels and shillelaghs.

Elder

Elder trees are often chosen for making flutes out of their branches because it is so easy to separate the pith, or inner bark, from the outer bark. The tree can spread quickly because it heals damage very fast, and if you cut a branch and plant it, a sapling will root quickly. The tree itself can be poisonous, but the fruits and flowers make delicious teas and wine. In Norse mythos, the tree was chosen by Freya to make her home. Broomsticks thought to be ridden by witches were made from the elder tree as well. As an omen, the elder represents life in death and death in life.

Elm

The elm has been long associated with both mother and earth goddesses, and in fairy lore, the tree is a prime location for their habitats. The bark of an elm tree is very strong and resistant to splitting and breaking. The inner bark was often used for making cords as well as chair caning. Using a bit of an elm tree lends grounding and stability for any spell.

Fir

The cones from a fir tree open with sunlight, and close themselves up when it rains. As an omen, the fir tree represents clear sight of what is beyond and yet to come.

Hawthorn

This tree generally doesn’t grow much higher than a shrub, and is very popular in using it as hedge material. The wood burns hotter than any other, and its leaves and blossoms have been used for centuries to treat nervous conditions and stomach ailments. The Greeks and Romans saw the hawthorn as a symbol of hope and marriage, but in medieval times its meaning was twisted to mean unluckiness and witchcraft. Perhaps the contradiction came from the fact that like the blackthorn, it has thick bark filled with thorns, and produces some very beautiful flowers. Bits of hawthorn have their use in love, protection, and marriage spells.

Hazel

In the Celtic mythos, the Salmon of Knowledge was said to eat nine nuts filled with poetic wisdom that dropped into its pool daily from the hazel tree that grew beside it. The hazel tree has long provided the materials for basket-weaving, as well as great shade and protection to travelers. As a spell component, hazel wood provides knowledge, wisdom and inspiration. The hazel tree branches have also been used for years as water dowsers, the sticks used to indicate water lying below the ground.

Holly

In Arthurian legend, Gawain, who represented the Oak King of the summer Fae, did battle with the Green Knight, who was armed with a holly club to represent winter. It has been long associated with death and rebirth, and because of this, is often used in spells of sleep, rest and easing the passage to death.

Larch

In Lapp and Siberian mythology the larch is represented as the World Tree. Shamans would use larch wood in their ceremonial fires to ward off evil spirits, as well as making rims for the ceremonial drums out of it. It is an important component for protections spells, and can be used to induce visions as well.

Maple

All varieties of maple trees, not just the sugar maple can be tapped for sap to make sweet things out of. As an omen, the maple brings success and abundance.

Oak

The red oak is wood with a slightly red hue to the cut wood. When used in magic or augury, it gives off a light energy and represents fire. The white oak, on the other hand, is actually more darker than the red, and is very strong. Its wood is often used in barrel-making and ship-building. The white oak was long used as components for spells requiring strength and solidity. The brown oak has a very rich colored dark brown, and is often useful in grounding spells.
Just about every cultural mythos that contains a tree has been linked to the oak. It has often been associated with gods of thunder and lightning, like Thor and Zeus, because of the oak’s uncanny ability to be the one tree hit by lightning during storms. The oak is also closely associated with tales of the Wild Hunt, especially in Germany. Oak trees used as spell components bring protection, strength, success and stability to any spell.

Pear

Tacitus of Rome once described how the Germanic peoples would carve runes into the wood of pear trees. Constantius later told of how the Northmen, otherwise known as the early Vikings, would not allow the pear tree to be stricken down, it meant that much to them. The fruit of the pear tree has also long been thought to be the “love apple” that got so many people in both Greek and Roman mythology into more trouble than they could handle.

Pine

The needles of the sweetest of the woods can be used to loosen up the mucus in someone’s chest, and are an excellent source of Vitamin C. The scent has been used in the past to ease anxiety and guilt.

Poplar

This tree was very popular for the making of shields, the wood being very sturdy in spite of giving the impression of shaking with every puff of wind. Heracles was thought to have worn a crown of poplar leaves to steal Cerberus out of Hades as one of his many tasks. And, in Christian lore, the poplar was the tree chosen to make the cross. As an omen, it is thought to mean to endure and conquer.

Rowan

The rowan has long been known to offer protection against enchantment. Sticks of the rowan used to be used to carve runes on for spells to protect homes. Berry sprays and crosses made out of its wood were often placed in barns and over pens for protection of the stock and their milk. If you look at the berry from a rowan tree, it bears a tiny little pentagram on its skin, a warding symbol of universal protection.

Willow

Willow bark has been used for centuries in the treatment of rheumatic fever and other damp-related diseases. It is a universal symbol of mourning, because of its shape and the sound its leaves make when rustling. Willow also indicates the cycle of things, the rhythm of life and the ebb and flux of water.

Yew

The yew is extremely poisonous except for the skin of its berries, and that skin has recently been used to fight cancer. Thought to represent death, rebirth and magic, the yew is thought to be the longest-living tree in existence today. In Scandinavian mythos, it is thought to be “the” World Tree, and has been long used to make bows and arrows by North American Indians. In spell work, the yew is used primarily for enhancing magical and psychic abilities, and early shamans would use it to cause their warriors to experience spirit quests.