BLACKTHORN
BOTANICAL NAME: Prunus spinosa
BOTANICAL FAMILY: Rosaceae
COMMON NAMES: Sloe, Slae, La Mere du Bois (the mother of the woods)
NATURAL HISTORY:
The blackthorn is a widely distributed native tree of Britain, Europe and parts of Asia. It grows abundantly in hedgerows, thickets and on waste ground. It is unpopular with farmers because of its suckers and vicious black thorns which make it impenetrable. It is a small tree which grows to a height of around 13 ft. The black, thorn studded twigs carry alternate winter buds that are oval and purplish- black or reddish in colour. In April the blackthorn produces clouds of white blossom which are followed by the leaves, the first of the hedgerow trees to flower. They are small, pale green and oval shaped on opening but later become longer, narrower and dull green. The small, round fruits, known as sloes, ripen slowly throughout the year and only sweeten after the first frosts. It is the ancestor of the cultivated damson and plum. The bark is black and on old trees it becomes broken to form small square plates.
Gathering:
The flowers can be collected during April and the sloes in autumn. They should not be collected until after the first frosts.
LORE:
In Ogham the blackthorn is SS- straif. The Gaelic word 'straif' translates as 'strife'. The words 'slay' and 'sloe' are also closely linked. The Romans called it bellicum , related to bellum [‘war’]. Ares, the Greek god of war and his sister Eris [‘strife’] were conceived when Hera touched a hawthorn blossom; in Celtic lore the hawthorn is the sister of the blackthorn, a symbol of strife and Ares’ sister.
November 11th is recognised in Ireland as the day of the blackthorn sprites, the lunantishees, Otherworldly beings who guard the sacred blackthorn from any human foolhardy enough to profane the sacred tree by cutting the wood now.
The blackthorn has an ominous image. The thorns of the blackthorn were used for pricking wax images for cursing. Witches were though to carry black rods of blackthorn which could cause miscarriages. When witches were burned blackthorn sticks were thrown onto the fire. The sorcerer Major Weir was burned at the stake in 1670 with a blackthorn rod, which was described as the chief agent of his magic. Some traditions say that Christ's crown of thorns was made from blackthorn. The shillelagh, or Irish club is made from the dense, heavy blackthorn. The usher of the house of lords and the Order of the Garter is called Blackrod because he knocks on the doors of the house of parliament with a blackthorn rod to demand its opening.
On the other hand the sloe could sometimes be an instrument of blessing. In the north of England people would make a blackthorn globe and gather round a bonfire to chant "Auld cider" to bless the apple trees on January 1 st. On New Years morning a crown of blackthorn and mistletoe was hung up for luck. Also at New Year in Worcestershire a baked crown of blackthorn was scattered on the fields to bless them.
A popular English fairy tale tells of a giant’s daughter fleeing with a prince, with the giant in pursuit. She felt her father’s breath on her back and said to the prince: ‘Put your hand quickly into the ear of the grey filly and throw behind you what you find there.’ It was the point of a thorn and as he threw it, a forest of blackthorns twenty miles long sprang up, so dense that scarcely a weasel could slip through and the giant had to give up the pursuit. In the tale of Sleeping Beauty, a hedge of blackthorn sprang up around the castle but opened to allow the prince to pass. In another story, a wandering princess aided by a magic wand opened a path through an impenetrable blackthorn hedge. The evil following her thought to pass through in his turn but the hedge closed in on him. In the tale of Rapunzel, the witch who has imprisoned her in a tower threw out her suitor from the high tower. He fell onto a blackthorn and was blinded. He wandered for two years until Rapunzel who had escaped from the tower, found him. Finding him blind, she wept and her tears fell onto his eyes which were instantly cured.
It is considered unlucky to bring indoors when in blossom. It blossoms early, reputedly on Old Christmas day [6th January]. In Surrey they say ‘it is always cold when the blackthorn is in flower’. William Cobbett, more than 150 years ago, wrote: ‘The Black Thorn blows very early in the spring. It is a Plum and it blows at the same time, or a very little earlier, than the Plums. It is a remarkable fact that there is every year of our lives, a spell of cold and angry weather just at the time this hardy little tree is in bloom. The country people call it the Black Thorn winter and thus it has been called, I dare say, by all the inhabitants of this island, from generation to generation, for a thousand years.’
HOwever, the blossoming of the blackthorn marks the time for sowing barley. In Scotland it is said:
‘When the slae tree is white as a sheet
Sow your barley, wither it be drey or wet.’
Which, roughly translated into Gloucestershire, meant:
‘When the blackthorn blossom’s white
Sow your barley day and night.’
MAGICAL USES:
In some magical traditions the blackthorn is the tree of cursing or used to summon The Wild Hunt. However, blackthorn in Ogham sayings is "the increaser of secrets" and "the rune of the great wheel", demonstrating its importance.
It is a tree of great density and strength, the wood being used for weapons and protective clubs. Any weapon or staff made from blackthorn must be used with great care, for strength and power without compassion and wisdom can just as easily destroy the wielder as the target. The energy of the sloe is a difficult one to assimilate and can trap the unwary.
The sloe has three stations throughout the year. Firstly at the spring equinox, when the beautiful blossoms appear in the hedgerows, before the plant puts out its leaves. It is then known as the 'Mother of the Wood' for its early flowering. Secondly the berries are ripe around the time of Samhain and are used to make a potent wine for that festival, echoing the plants paradoxical theme of strife, death and fertility. The berries also yield a red dye. The third station is the winter solstice, when the wood is used as an offering to the Underworld powers for the return of the sun.
Planetary ruler: Saturn
Element: earth
Bird familiar: thrush, rook
Colour: blood red / purple,
Gemstone: mother of pearl / dark green malachite,
Associated deities: Cerridwen, Eris
RECIPES :
SLOE GIN
8 oz. ripe sloes
4 - 6 oz. sugar
14 fl oz. gin
Remove any stalks and ash the fruit. Prick the sloes at both ends to release their juice and put them into a screw top container which should be no more than half full. Add the sugar and top up with gin. Seal the container and shake vigorously. Repeat the shaking process for two to four weeks after which time the sloes will have turned the liquid a rich red colour. The liqueur should now be left to mature, although it can be drunk after a few weeks the flavour is much improved if left for twelve months. If required the liquid may be strained after three months and bottled before being left to finish maturing.
SLOE WINE
12 lb. fresh sloes
4 lb. sultanas
4 lb. honey
4 pt. red grape concentrate
3 tsp. yeast nutrient
3 tsp. pectic enzyme
yeast
Wash the sloes and stone them if possible. Crush the fruit and mix with the sultanas in a fermentation bin. Add the honey, nutrient and three gallons of boiling water. Cover and leave to go cool. Add the yeast and leave to ferment for three days. Strain and press lightly. Add the grape concentrate and top up to 4.5 gallons with cooled, boiled water. Leave for four days, stirring daily. Next strain into demi-jons, fit air locks and leave to ferment out. When fermentation has finished rack off into clean demi-jons and leave to clear. Bottle when clear. this wine will benefit from being stored for at least twelve months. It needs to be kept in the dark to preserve its colour.
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