Have you looked at a Holly tree lately?
At this time of year, I really appreciate it as its one of the few trees around us that is still green in amongst the bare branches.
Holly is one of Scotland’s native trees, commonly found in oak woodlands (and also in the Caledonian forest). At this time of year, it is easy to spot being one of the few plants still vividly green, the female is the one covered in red berries. Holly is a plant that has a lot of mythology and folklore associated with it.
The Gaelic word for holly is cuileann, which is where places like Cullen (in the N.E. of Scotland) get their name from, Holly is a long-lived tree, averaging 250-300 years! Being one of the few trees active overwinter, they are a very important source of food for birds.
In Celtic Mythology, the Holly King and the Oak King were said to rule separate parts of the year, with the Holly King ruling from the Autumn Equinox to the Spring Equinox. They were thought to be two halves of a whole, different aspects of the same King, representing the passage of the seasons. The Cailleach is another deity associated with the colder part of the year and interestingly, the Cailleach was said to have a staff made of holly wood, which was a sacred tree to her. The Holly King is still currently ruling but his
power is waning, the Oak King will take over soon, with the Spring Equinox approaching on the 20th of March.
Holly isn’t just associated with the Holly King, there are many other stories about it. Holly was said to protect homes from lightning when planted close by. This isn’t just a myth either, the leaves have spines which actually conduct lightning to protect the plant, which also has the added bonus for us of protecting nearby objects. Cutting them down however is considered very bad luck, you can cut branches, and bring them inside the house (a tradition for yule and Hogmanay) this is encouraged. Depending on the lore, this either prevents faeries from entering the home (and therefore giving protection) or gives them a place to hide within your home (and the fae are grateful to avoid conflict with us).
The branches could also be carved into useful items such as walking sticks, Holly whips were said to be able to calm horses so were often used by coachmen. Holly wands were thought to bring extra protection to the person using it.
Branches of holly were also cut in order to feed livestock over winter. Using them in hedges enabled farmers to see field boundaries as the green Holly stood out in winter. Some stories encourage planting them in hedges to stop witches running along the top of them- though I have no idea why withes would want to be up there!
Holly trees could also be used to predict what kind of winter the coming season would bring, a heavy crop of berries means a long, hard winter. The leaves were also crushed to be used in incense to strengthen magic and the berries despite being poisonous were used to ‘treat’ anything from whooping cough to arthritis!
Now is the perfect time to go for a walk and see if you can spot any Holly!
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