Novelli Photography

ALNUS SPP.

FOLK NAMES: King of the Woods, Scottish Mahogany 



POWERS ASSOCIATED: Strength, Death, Resurrection, Protection, Divination, Oracles

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-According to Tyrol belief, sorcerers used the Alder tree. One legend tells of a small boy who climbed a large tree, and saw a number of sorcerers at the foot of the tree. They cut a dead woman's body and threw the pieces high into the air, so high that the boy caught one of the pieces. When the pieces fell down, one piece was missing so the sorcerers replaced the missing piece with wood from the Alder tree, and the woman came back to life.

-Celts would invoke the spirit of Alder for conquering adversaries when they felt threatened.

-Native Americans used the red alder to treat skin irritations, such as poison oak and insect bites.

-In ancient Greece, Cronos was represented by an alder tree.

-In Norse legends March was known as the “lengthening month of the waking alder.”

-Irish legends state that the first human male was created from an alder, and the first female from rowan.

-In folklore, the Alder tree is known as the “King of the Waters” and has the “Willow” tree as its Queen.  This association is due to their natural habitat near lakes, rivers and streams.