The Enchanted Forest by Yvonne Aburrow
From earliest times, trees have been the object of veneration and wonder. It began with particular trees whose spirits were venerated; some became deities. Balder, god of the oak and mistletoe, began in this way; so did Zeus, Jupiter, Thor, Donar, Thunor, Perkunas (all deities of the oak and thunder), and numerous others. Even today magical powers are ascribed to trees; on an airbase in Cambridgeshire during the Gulf War the wives of absent pilots tied ribbons to a tree on the base, for good luck. They probably did not know that this was an ancient folk custom: it arose spontaneously in response to their need. This often happens in moments of crisis. Tying rags to trees (especially in the vicinity of sacred wells and springs) is a very old custom, and is found all over the world.
The situation of woodland in Britain is still precarious, but things are looking up. The protest over Twyford Down and Newbury did not save those woodlands, but it has raised public awareness of the issues. Oxleas Wood was saved, and many of the Dongas who were involved in Twyford Down are now transport advisers under the new government. On a wider scale, the destruction of the rainforests proceeds, despite calls for their preservation, if only to ensure a continuing supply of oxygen for the planet. The rainforests contain huge numbers of as yet undiscovered plants and trees, which may contain cures for diseases; they are inhabited by fauna of great beauty, whose survival is essential for eco-diversity and the food-chain; and people live there whose lifestyle and spiritual heritage may be of vital importance to the rest of the planet. The number of folk beliefs about and medicinal uses for trees in this book attests to this.
Forests are places of beauty and serenity, but also wildness and savagery. Much of the British Isles was once covered in forest, and although the clearing of some of the forest resulted in other habitats, such as moor and heathland, it is possible to lose too much woodland. Many species of flora and fauna have become extinct owing to deforestation.
The poetry, mythology, and folklore of many countries reflects an enduring fascination with the forest. To the Celts, it was the Enchanted Forest, a place of testing and initiation, the threshold of the soul, the realm of death and the unknown; to the Hindus, it is a place of retreat from the world, a source of peace and spiritual tranquillity, and a place for contemplation.
Trees, on the other hand, have been in many cultures the image of the cosmos. In Buddhism, Buddha is equated with the cosmic pillar and the tree of life; in Kabbalah, the Ets Chayyim or Tree of Life is the body of Adam Kadmon, the cosmic man; to the Norse peoples the cosmic tree was Yggdrasil, Odin's horse; to the Saxons it was Irmensul; and the maypole, found in many cultures, also represents the cosmic pillar.
In addition, folk medicine has always relied on Nature's pharmacopeia of trees and other plants. Obvious examples include the willow tree, from which salicylic acid, the active ingredient of aspirin, is derived.
Plants are also a source of psychotropic substances; some shamans may have used alcohol as such. The word cider is probably derived from seidr, a Germanic word meaning 'to heat', i.e. to induce an altered state. (The word shaman is derived from a Sanskrit word also meaning 'to heat'.) Before the introduction of cultivated apple species, cider would have been made from crab apples; the yeasts growing on the skins of these would probably have had somewhat unpredictable effects. At Delphi, the priestesses of Apollo chewed laurel leaves to induce prophetic trances.
Trees have also been used in magic since time immemorial, both for healing and protection, as well as other more dubious purposes. Their practical applications often incorporate their magical properties; for example the use of oak for doors and birch for cradles. The lore of trees is a fascinating and multifarious subject, constantly weaving in and out from one culture to another, reflecting the preoccupations of human beings from one age to another.
In this book I have tried to collect as much information as possible relating to trees; botanical information, magical uses, medicinal uses, folklore, weather lore, mythology, rhymes and songs, sayings and poems, craft uses and culinary uses.