Connected with witchcraft from ancient times, the rowan tree’s name is believed to derived from the Norse word runa being “a charm”.
A rowan twig worn as an ornament or placed under your pillow would protect you from enchantment.
The tree was often planted outside houses and in churchyards to ward off witches.
On May Day, a spray of rowan leaves was hung over doors to repel evil and wells were dressed with rowan to keep witches away.
It was regarded as a protector of milk and was kept in the byre to protect the cows, put in the pail and around the churn to ensure it was not spoilt. |
Mountain Ash, the tree’s other name, reflects the fact that it grows higher up mountain sides than any other native tree, sometimes clinging to a rock face after sprouting in a crevice from seed dropped by a bird.
The red berries are made into a jelly that is eaten with game, and being rich in vitamin C they were once made into a drink to prevent the vitamin deficiency illness ‘scurvy’.
Bird catchers once used the berries as bait for traps to snare thrushes, redwings and fieldfares.
The rowan’s strong, flexible yellow-grey wood was used widely for making tool handles and small carved objects.
It was also sometimes used instead of yew for making long bows. |
