Elder Tree and Elderberry Folklore

Black Elderberry Sambucus-nigra

Juniper and I here at Elder Mountain, went into the mountains to pick Elderberries last month and she made her yearly herbal remedy for the winter and it tastes delightful as a medicine. I thought I would look up the Elder Tree after our two days with the trees. I had said thank you to the Elder Trees every time I cut the berries off the branch and felt it was very important to honor the tree that way. After I gathered the information about the folklore, I am lad I did. 

Elder trees in one of their oldest folklore is about the tree’s power to ward off evil like the Hawthorn, and also to give protection, while other beliefs say that witches often congregate under the plant, especially when it is full of fruit. If an elder tree was cut down, a spirit known as the Elder Mother…