by Kay Broome

Spring Hawthorn, Stirling, Scotland (Photo by Kay Broome)

From Classical Greece and Rome to medieval Britain, hawthorn (Crataegus), also called May tree, was associated collectively with the blossoming of spring, feminine allure and weddings. In pagan tradition, the goddess returns from the underworld at Ostara, the spring equinox. At this time, the young solar lord pursues her until they are bound together in sacred marriage at Beltane on May 1st. To this day, most weddings in the west are held in May or June.

Although at first glance, the hawthorn is an unlikely exemplar for wedding paraphernalia, certain characteristics of the tree evoke the spring bride. The flowering hawthorn’s silhouette, with its clouds of creamy white or demure pink blossoms, suggests that of a young woman in a lavish ball gown. And somehow, the old caveat against bringing flowering branches of hawthorn indoors except at Beltane reminds me of the taboo against the groom seeing his begowned bride before the taking of vows.

Wedding Vows (Web Photo)

The Beltane Veil

In many pagan traditions, the veil between the worlds is pierced twice during the year. In the solemnity of Samhain's shade, we feel the spirits of our beloved dead nearby. Indeed, many areas of Latin America, most notably, Mexico, celebrate the Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead on November 1st or 2nd. But the veil between the worlds also grows thin at Beltane. And while Samhain is a time to remember those who have left us, at Beltane we reach instead toward life, love and perhaps, the finding of a permanent partner. Now the dark veil of winter has lifted. Tree buds, reeds and grasses green anew; brightly coloured daffodils and tulips grace us with their beauty. In pagan traditions, the veil of propriety is also lifted in this exuberant season, when young lovers are more wont to carry out their trysts. And at Beltane, the blossoming hawthorn trees float throughout the spring meadow like gossamer or bridal veils.

Now too is the thinning of the veil between the “real” world and that of faerie. Often now,  I set out on a short walk in the neighbourhood, only to have Spring suddenly grab me by the collar and drag me down the street, into the nearest park or woodlands. Hours later, I find I have been charmed into staying outdoors much longer than intended. Perhaps I was beguiled by the Lady of the hawthorn as was Thomas the Rhymer. This medieval Scottish laird, author and prophet actually lived at some period during the 13th century CE, but it is not known whether he actually met with the fairy queen under the “Eildon” tree, or if this apocryphal tale was simply attributed to him by later writers. Walter Scott’s ballad describes how Thomas followed the Elf Queen to Faery land, seemingly for a short period, only to return to the upper world after seven years had passed. The Eildon tree described in the ballad is none other than a hawthorn.

Thomas the Rhymer meets the Elf Queen, (Katherine Cameron, 1908, Wikimedia Commons)

Much indeed is made of the connection of hawthorn with the “good folk”.  It was believed the fairies would be very angry with you if you cut down their beloved tree.  Bringing hawthorn into the house at any time other than Beltane might bring illness and death therein. Perhaps this fear was due to the odd smell of the flowers, which contain trimethylamine, a chemical given off by corpses when they begin to decay.  Thus, to some people, hawthorn blossoms smell like death. Others are reminded of the female sex smell. Perhaps this olfactory association with sex is the reason why in Britain, it was customary to wear the blossoms as wreaths and on one's clothing during May Day. Hawthorn also burns hotter than any other tree, but it was not to be used for fuel, probably because it tends to throw sparks.  This latter trait was for many people, simply proof of the fairy prohibition against using hawthorn as firewood.

A Tree Worthy of Respect

Lone Hawthorn in Field (Web Photo)

Interestingly, bad luck does seem to have followed those who disdained the hawthorn. Did the chopping down of the original Glastonbury Thorn by Cromwell’s army in the mid-1600s cause the demise of the English republic just a decade later? In Northern Ireland, it is said that John DeLorean had an old hawthorn cut to make way for his auto factory there.  His famous gullwing car may have tanked because it looked like a tank. Or perhaps it was due to the political “troubles” of Ulster. Or just maybe, the fairies were not happy with DeLorean's effrontery.

Hawthorn, Late Summer  (photo by Kay Broome)

Hawthorn is very much associated with women, especially young virginal women.  One common theme that recurs with this tree is that women must be treated with respect.  Hawthorn is tough and tenacious, even if it doesn’t appear so when in bloom.  Women too are surprisingly resilient. As the thorns protect the tree and keep predators at bay, so too, self-respect and determination help protect women.

In much of European folklore, lone hawthorn trees growing in fields or on hillsides were believed to be witches who had transformed themselves.  Certainly the witch – the woman standing alone by her own creed – did command respect, albeit at times as grudging and fearful as that given the hawthorn.  In days gone by, people visited the local witch for healing, both physical and emotional. One of the staples in the witch’s herbal would have been hawthorn. The tea, made from the flowers, leaves and/or fruit, is good heart medicine – regulating the heartbeat and facilitating oxygen flow in the blood.

Hawthorn Leaves and Berries, Toronto (Photo by Kay Broome)

May Day, on the first of the month, is an international socialist/communist celebration of the poor and working class peoples of the world. This is a day to show honour and respect for people who all too frequently are oppressed and treated with contempt by those in power, even though they are in fact, integral to the smooth running of society. Obviously, May Day was taken from the original Beltane holiday. This was open acknowledgement that pagan beliefs were upheld among the peasantry, well after the establishment of Christianity.

May Day Celebration, Clerckenwell Green, London, UK, 2015 (photo Dan Atrill, Wikimedia Commons)

The hawthorn tree is small with a pleasingly rounded, densely branched canopy.  The dainty leaves can be oval and toothed, or sharply lobed. The small five petalled flowers grow in clusters and are either creamy white or pale pink. They resemble those of other members of the Rose family: cherry, plum and rowan.  Hawthorn shares the odd scent of the latter, which oddly, does not have the same negative press. To me, the flowers smell slightly fusty and sweetish, like a milder version of elder blossoms. Hawthorn flowers usually bloom in late April and early May.  The fruit, similar again to rowan, but fewer within the cluster, ripen in late summer or early fall. They are still ripe on the tree by autumn, brightening Samhain's dark veil with splashes of brilliant scarlet. The very sharp spines, dispersed along the branches, are noticeable all year long. These are usually about one and a half to two inches in length.

Thornless varieties of hawthorn are common now, but what’s the point of having a hawthorn without thorns?  Get a rowan, plum or cherry if you so badly want a tree without spines. Much of hawthorn’s charm lies in the dichotomy of its demure flowers, brilliant fruit and those long, unapologetically sharp nails. The tree says: “Look, but don’t touch.” Hawthorn is a rampart to keep unwanted animals and people out. The tree was most likely the hedge of thorns that surrounded Sleeping Beauty in the famous fairy tale. Until recently, hawthorn hedges were a common feature in farm country, gracing the lanes that led back to the fields. Sadly, these are now all too often replaced by man-made fencing.

Spring Hawthorn (by Hjart for Wikimedia Commons)

In the Celtic Ogham runes, Huath actually means fear or misfortune and was later glossed with hawthorn by of all people, Irish Christian monks. While the English saw hawthorn as primarily a tree of love and romance, the Irish held the tree in fear and mistrust.  This may have been partly due to its use by British landlords as hedging to bar the original inhabitants from lands that had traditionally been theirs. While the Irish resented the use of the hawthorn for hedgerows, they still regarded  lone, wild trees with awe and respect, judging them to belong to the fairies. Among the Norse and Anglo Saxons however, this perky, feminine tree was associated with the mighty Thor. This god presided over battle, but also weather and therefore, farming.  Hence a  tree commonly used to pen livestock would understandably be part of Thor's purview.  The word haw is from Old English, meaning hedge.  In the Futhark runes, Thurisaz signifies thorn, and references both Thor and the doughty hawthorn.