Celebrating Pagan Culture
Traditional uses:
Blackthorn, also known as sloe, is a species of tree belonging to the rose family and is the ancestor of all plum trees.
The wood of the blackthorn tree was most known for being used to make the shillelagh. This Irish fighting stick became a popular tool of defence and rebellion for the common people when Britain took control of their lands and banned the use of weapons. Every young boy at the time was taught to use one. The head of the shillelagh was often hollowed out and filled with molten lead to increase the lethality of the weapon and really smash the skulls of enemies. The long sharp thorns would also often be left in to stop opponents from blocking and grabbing the shillelagh, and the dark, shiny wood of the blackthorn along with its sinister associations struck fear into those at the other end of the stick.
The blackthorn is also known for its sloe berries which were used as medicine for many illnesses such as digestive troubles and rheumatism, and are still used in wines and gins to this day. The bark was used to treat fever, and the flowers can be used for skin issues and as a laxative.
Folklore
The folklore of the blackthorn is steeped in darkness, from witches practicing dark magic, to mischievous fairies and the devil.
The wood of the blackthorn was often used in rituals to curse people. Witches practicing dark magic would have staffs made of blackthorn, and the thorns would be used for sympathetic magic where they would make a doll (poppet) of the person they want to curse and stab it with a thorn from the blackthorn tree. When burning assumed witches at the stake, they the burning victim.
This tree is commonly found growing on mounds known as fairy rings, and so was associated with a mischievous type of fairy called Lunantisidhe, the moon fairy. This fairy guards the blackthorn and is happy with people foraging the leaves, thorns and berries as long as you politely ask, but on the 11 th of May and the 11 th of November, you must not take from the tree, lest you witness the wrath of the moon fairy. It was also believed that when making a deal with the devil, he would come and prick you with a thorn of the blackthorn to seal the deal.