Elder – Enchantment

The Elder makes you see things differently. Sometimes we create a veil over our world. This can be through supposition, preconception or basic prejudice. View life again with the eyes of a child. This is the trick of the crone. Magic exists in many forms. There is inspiration where you least expect to find it. Young people have this gift as do the very old. Trust the knowledge that what you see is real. The gnarled and the eccentric become beautiful and the adverse becomes a gift.

The timber was not widely used for anything other than small objects but the flowers and berries had medicinal and culinery uses. Elder flower cordial is still produced and the wine has it's own folklore! The berries were used to treat nasal, throat and chest conditions. Today it has been established that they have anti-inflammtory, anti-bacterial and anti- oxidant properties. N.B. the berries of many of the hybrids are highly toxic.

A tree of the crone witch. Any plant that was so well used by herbalists and wise women would have stirred up a lot of superstition. It was once believed that the gods and goddesses resided in the elder, then later on it became the home of the fairy folk.