Mythical, Heart-Healthy Hawthorn
About 200 species of Crataegus are scattered throughout North Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and North America, and many folk traditions reference the hawthorn tree. Whether you believe the hawthorn tree is unlucky, a sign of good things to come, or a source for witches’ brooms depends on the part of the world from which you hail.
Celtic mythology claims that if you linger alone too long under a hawthorn tree, you might be carried off to the land of the fairies. Later, in England, it was considered unlucky to bring a blooming bough into the house for decoration, as illness or death was sure to befall someone within. Many Christians still believe that the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head was made of hawthorn, and Joseph of Arimathea is alleged to have planted the Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury in Britain while traveling with the
