The Hazel

The Hazel bush or tree, opinions differ on which it is, is one of the oldest plants in Europe. It was consumed in prehistoric times and charred hazelnut shells have been found on Irish Mesolithic sites.

It was a useful plant. Hazel bark was used as a toothbrush, a tea to treat coughs was made from the crushed leaves and nuts. Hazelnuts provided and excellent source of protein that could be easily stored, often to be ground down and mixed with flour to add extra nutrients to bread.

Hazelnuts are sometimes called filberts, they get this name from St. Philbert’s day which is on the 20th August as this is when they are meant to start ripening, although this year some seem to have started early!

Until around the First World War, school children in some areas were given a holiday on Holy Cross Day which is September 14th to go gathering hazelnuts.

In Celtic traditions the Hazel is known as Coll, it is the ninth letter of the ogham alphabet and represents the ninth month of the Celtic Tree Calendar, which starts today.

Coll is a Gaelic word and appears in many place names in Argyllshire where the tree is common.

Hazel Folklore

The Celts believed that the hazelnut offered inspiration and wisdom.

There are ancient Celtic tales which tell of a sacred pool (in some versions of this story it is a well instead of a pool) at the heart (or sometimes the end) of the world surrounded by nine Hazel trees. The water would flow and carry the nuts along the seven rivers of Ireland to be eaten by the salmon of knowledge. The salmon would eat the nuts and gain a spot, one for each tree around the pool so a nine-spotted salmon was much desired as this salmon will have eaten a nut from each of the nine trees at the pool’s edge.

So it came to be that the master of a man named Fionn Mac Cumhaill was eager to find such a fish and kept a close eye out for the nine-spotted salmon. Eventually he succeeded in catching the salmon he wanted so badly and ordered Fionn to cook it for him and telling him that he was not allowed to eat a single bite of this special fish.

So Fionn obediently cooked the fish keeping a close eye on it as he knew how important this was to his master. It was part way cooked when Fionn noticed a blister forming in the skin of the fish from the heat, not wanting such a blemish to spoil the fish he popped the blister with his thumb. Doing so burned his thumb so much that he instantly put his thumb in his mouth to ease the pain and so gained all of the wisdom of the hazelnuts.

At the time this ancient story was first being told, knowledge did not quite have the same meaning as it does today. It was more insight, poetry, prophecy, understanding dreams, and interpreting events. It was more of an intuition.

The salmon was sacred to Druids and it is said that this is how they gained their wisdom.

In fact Druids would often carry a hazel wand instead of an oak staff, so important was the Hazel tree to them.

The Druids also would brew Hazelmead, a drink that would give them visions and prophetic dreams.

In Ireland it was said that the land was once divided between the three gods of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, MacCuill known as Son of Hazel, MacCecht who was Son of the Plough, and MacGréine, the Son of the Sun. So the country was either under the sun, under the plough, or under the hazel such were the importance of these three things.

The hazel, the apple, and the hawthorn were all said to be found at the borders between worlds.

The hazel is also one of the four important trees along with oak, ask, and yew. It is a protector and marker of sacred spaces.

The hazel is said to symbolise enlightenment, wisdom, inspiration, understanding, creativity, and knowledge.

It was said that a girl could tell which man she should marry using hazelnuts. They would assign each name to each of the nuts and them cast them into the fire, the nut that burned the brightest or popped the loudest was the one she should choose.

The hazel holds a special place here as Hæslwrid is the Old English word for hazel thicket.

I’ll be adding more to this post as and when I find any interesting little bits of information or when I think of something I’d like to add.