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The Celts believed that hazelnuts held concentrated wisdom. In Celtic lore the Hazel was considered a tree of knowledge, particularly in Ireland were its nuts became a symbol of great mystical wisdom. According to legend, St Patrick used a Hazel wand to drive the serpents out of Ireland. In folklore, Hazel trees are often found bordering worlds where magical things happen, and are still used to make wands and divining rods for sourcing water.
Up to modern times, local people used hazel for its flexibility - making hampers, hoops, wattles, walking sticks, fishing rods, whip-handles and a multitude of other uses. The wood of the Hazel is a whitish red and has a close and even grain. Today it is mainly grown and coppiced for its smooth reddish-brown stems, which have a great toughness and elasticity.
Mythology and folklore: Since mediaeval times Hazel trees have been considered so sacred, that any unjustified felling of a Hazel tree carried the death penalty. Through their associations with beauty, wisdom and strength, the wood of these trees was often combined to make funeral pyres. Records in England and on the Continent show Hazel-wands being found in the coffins of notables. In Ireland in particular, among the chiefs and rulers of ancient times, a Hazel wand was considered a symbol of authority and wisdom. The hazel wand (caduceus) was often believed to bestow wisdom, wealth and prosperity. The wand was adopted by the medical profession and became also the symbol of the healing arts. The two serpents entwined around the staff are symbolic of illness and health, and life and death, for in ancient symbolism the venom of a snake could be used to heal or to poison. The most famous Irish legend about Hazel is the story of the salmon of knowledge at Connla’s Well, believed to be the source of the River Shannon. The well was surrounded by nine Hazel trees which produced both flowers and nuts (depicting beauty and wisdom). The salmon that lived there ate the nuts as they fell into the water and depending on how many nuts they ate, that same number of spots appeared on their body. In this way the salmon received all the wisdom & knowledge from the nuts. The oldest and wisest of these salmon became completely covered in spots and several fine fishermen tried to catch him without success for many years. One day after a great struggle with the scholar Phineas, the salmon was finally caught. Phineas was so exhausted that he fell into an exhausted sleep and his student Finn MacCool cooked the salmon under strict instructions not to eat even the tiniest bit. A drop of hot fat from the salmon landed on Finn’s thumb and he immediately soothed his thumb by sucking it. As soon as he put his thumb to his lips, Finn received all the salmon’s wisdom from the fat. Finn Mac Cool went on to be a great Irish ruler who sourced great wisdom every time he sucked his thumb! FINDING (DIVINING) WATER Down through the ages the Hazel has always been considered magical, and was used primarily for its powers of divining (detecting) water and mineral veins. Typically a divining rod (dowsing rod) had two forks off its main stem shaped like the letter “Y”. It is probably from this use of Hazel rods in divination, that the nuts of the Hazel became associated with fortune telling. In Scotland an old custom still prevails at Halloween, in which two hazelnuts are given the names of lovers and placed on burning embers. If they burn quietly and remained side by side, the lovers were considered faithful, but if the nuts crack, spit and roll apart, they were considered to be ill-matched and one of them unfaithful. The Hazel is known by the folk names: Coll, the Poets Tree and Dripping Hazel. Its deity associations are with: Mercury, Hermes, Thor, Mac Cool, Aengus, Artemis and Diana. Its ruling planets are the Sun and Mercury. Its gender is masculine. It is used to attract the powers needed for: Protection, Fertility, Luck, Anti-Lightening, Wishes and Inspiration. In ritual, Hazel wands are used in connection with poetic and magical energy. |
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The
Hazel tree (Corylus avellana) is a member of the birch family
(Betulaceae), and is a favourite wood for staffs, ritual
wands, walking sticks and shepherds' crooks.| Home Gallery Irish Hazel Q&A's Price Guide Links Contact Us
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