Table of Contents
A fairy tree is usually a Hawthorn tree or an Ash tree. They stand alone in fields and are commonly found with large stones circling its base, most likely to protect it. What’s mysterious about these large stones is how they came to be at the tree, the landowners wouldn’t dare disrupt the wee folk.
What does a fairy tree mean?
The traditional Celtic folklore in Ireland tells that a lone Hawthorne tree growing in the middle of a field is called a fairy (or faerie) tree. This tree is the gateway or portal between the worlds of the mortals and the world of the faeries.
What are the fairy trees called?
Hawthorn trees are also known as “fairy trees”. It is believed that fairies (or the sidhe) live underground and in certain trees, namely the hawthorn.
What are the three fairy trees?
Blackthorn, hawthorn and rowan: these three trees hold a special place in British hearts and imaginations. They crop up in unusual places, in towns and cities as well as the countryside.
Is it bad luck to cut down a hawthorn tree?
Hawthorn – the fairy tree The Hawthorn is Known in Ireland as the fairy tree. As it is considered a fairy tree, it is believed to be extremely bad luck to cut one down, remove branches, or even hang things upon it (except at Beltane when this was customary) in case you disturb the little folk.
What happens if you cut down a fairy tree?
As you’ve probably guessed, they involve magic and bad luck. Some believe if you damage or cut down one of these trees you’ll be faced with a life of bad luck. There are also many stories around Ireland of road works being delayed because Fairy trees would be in the path, workers would refuse to touch the tree.
Is a fairy tree real?
Fairy trees in Ireland are known as either Hawthorn trees or Ash trees. What make’s these Irish Fairy trees different from other trees is their location. Usually, the Fairy tree is alone in the middle of the field or on the side of a road. The trees can be easy to find as long as you know what you’re looking for.
What is a fairy in Ireland?
The fairies are a secretive people who are blamed by the local Irish for many things which they cannot explain. As a result, the fairies like to be left alone and it is considered bad luck to disturb a fairy bower or a Lone Bush.
Is a hawthorn tree a fairy tree?
The Hawthorn is a tree of magical enchantment and is strongly associated with Beltane, the ancient festival celebrating spring. It is also known as the Fairy Tree, as fairies live under the Hawthorn as its guardians, and so was treated with great respect and care.
Are fairies bad luck?
In Irish folklore, it is believed that disturbing areas, said to have strong connections to fairies, could bring bad luck or a curse. These areas include fairy forts, also known as raths or lios, which are the remains of hillforts or ancient circular dwellings, and fairy trees or thorn bushes.
What is a Celtic tree?
The Celtic Tree of Life is a well known symbol often seen on tapestries, and on other types of decorations. For the Ancient Celts, the Tree of Life was a symbol of balance and harmony. The Tree of Life was a representation of how the nature’s forces combined to create balance and harmony.
What is the Celtic word for tree?
Crann, a tree; crann, cran, crin, nagran. Cuillionn (cullion), holly; cullion, cullen. Dair (dar), an oak; dar,der, dara, darra, darraigh.
What is the Celtic tree of death?
The yew is also known as the guardian of the dead, possibly because of its position within grave yards. However, there are other ancient ideas that link the yew with death. The tree is sacred to the Greek goddess Hecate, said to be the liberator of souls after death.
What are hawthorn trees good for?
Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects. Hawthorns are also used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species, such as the small eggar moth, E.
Does hawthorn blossom turn pink?
Named after the month in which it blooms and a sign that spring is turning to summer. The pale green leaves of this hedgerow staple are often the first to appear in spring, with an explosion of pretty pale-pink blossom in May.
Is a hawthorn a tree or bush?
Hawthorn is a very undemanding tree and grows almost anywhere, in rock crevices and other unreachable places. It is the most common tree or shrub planted in hedges. Over 200 plant-eating insects depend on hawthorn. The ecological value of the tree is very high because it provides protection and food for many animals.
What do fairy forts look like?
The structures usually make up the shape of a raised circle which is indented with bushes and trees. It has been said down through the annals of Irish history that fairy forts are places where all sorts of mysterious happenings take place.
Are Fairies Irish?
Typically, fairy folklore is a combination of Celtic, Greco-Roman and Germanic elements. As a result, while the Ancient Celts may have had their own folklore (such as the Tuatha de Danann), stories about fairies such as Leprechauns that are associated with Ireland came much later.
What are Irish fairies called?
Euphemisms such as “hill folk,” “the gentry,” “wee folk,” “good folk,” “blessed folk,” “good neighbors,” or “fair folk” abounded, and “fair folk” was shortened to “fairies.” Other names worth noting in the Irish fairy lore are Banshee, Leprechaun, and Puca.
How does fairy look like?
It can appear as a dwarf creature typically having green clothes and hair, living underground or in stone heaps, and characteristically exercising magic powers to benevolent ends; as a diminutive sprite commonly in the shape of a delicate, beautiful, ageless winged woman dressed in diaphanous white clothing, inhabiting.
Why do the Irish believe in fairies?
In olden times, Irish believed that fairies in Ireland were neither human nor ghosts but rather natural beings with supernatural powers. They are small. They can die; just as they can give birth to children. They can be generous and bring good luck and fortune.
Where do the fairies live?
Traditionally, Fairies can live in your house, your garden, in a flower pot or even a tree but being such adaptable beings, they can live practically anywhere that takes their fancy.
