Leaf Lore April 06

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Leaf Lore April 06

In a short series of six articles, Ruth Ainley Dip PRE explores some of the folklore that surrounds trees.

This month: The ROWAN (Sorbus aucuparia)

Perthshire: a county often marketed as Big Tree Country yet how many of us know much about these giants of nature? Many of us can identify the different species, a few can recite the Latin names yet, as we progress through the 21st century, much of the folklore surrounding our trees is fading from memory.

These beliefs and superstitions (whilst not scientifically accurate) are rich, colourful and often entertaining. Over the coming months, I hope to recall some of the lore which surrounds our more common tree species.

We start this series with a look at the ROWAN (Sorbus aucuparia). A hardy little tree, the rowan is distinguishable by its smooth grey-brown bark and delicate, feathery foliage.

Traditionally, the rowan was regarded as one of the most magical trees in Britain. Folklore tells that it gave protection from evil influences, witchcraft, faeries and all manner of spells. This being so, these lovely little trees were often planted at the doorway of the family home to protect all those who dwelt within. Many such trees can still be found in place today.

However, the tradition of using rowan trees as a form of protection was established long before our more urbane society appeared. Look closely at the landscape surrounding stone circles, standing stones and ley-lines and you will see that our predecessors planted rowan trees to protect these important features, the progeny of which can still be seen today.

But the influence of the rowan was not limited to dry land. Sailors of old believed that any boat containing a piece of wood from the rowan tree would neither capsize nor lose a member of its crew.

But, returning to dry land, rowan was, and continues to be, the wood of choice for many diviners. Unlike hazel, which is particularly suited to water divining, rowan is predominantly used for divining precious metals. However, wood being a natural product it has a tendency to dry out making the divining rods less effectual over time. This characteristic necessitates the harvesting of fresh divining rods on a regular basis.

At this point it would appear judicious to mention that folklore states that bad luck will befall the person who harvests any part of the rowan tree and does not take a different route home from that of the outward journey. So, reaper beware!

Next month we look at the beliefs and superstitions surrounding the Holly.