It’s time for Vampire Wednesday.
The ancients believed hawthorn offered protection from witchcraft, sorcery, vampires and other evils.
It was often placed in cradles – to protect the sleeping infant. (No wonder child death rates were so high! Nails, scissors and thorny bushes were all placed in children’s beds.)
Barriers of hawthorn were built around houses. The Greeks had pieces of it placed inside of walls of their houses.
Downy Hawthorn – Crataegus mollis
It was believed that Jesus’ crown of thorns was made from hawthorn. (See how sharp it is! Poor sleeping children. )
Crown of thorns
It was put on top of coffins or even on the body before the coffin was closed.
Southern Slavs would also make their stakes from it.
Hawthorn can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. Hawthorn berries can be eaten or boiled into drinks, be made into jams and jellies
The Chinese have used it for ages as a digestive aid. Recently it is being studied for use in health purposes and heart disease.
Photo Credits:
Hawthorn tree http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_downy_hawthorn.htm
Crown of throns http://dailytimewithgod.com/?p=4418
Hawthorn berries http://microburin.com/2012/06/30/roses-and-bubbly-white-gill-charcoal-results-just-in/
Mari Wells 
This is very cool. And creepy as all hell.
I knew you would like it. 😀
It makes perfect sense as anyone who has ever got caught in a hawthorne bush knows it is almost as if it comes alive and catches hold of you no matter how careful you try to extricate yourself
I’ve never seen real hawthorn, so I wouldn’t know. That makes placing it on a coffin or grave make more sense, it would keep the body in the ground. However it makes placing it in bed with small sleeping children scarier.
the spikes are about an inch long so I certainly wouldnt put it in the bed maybe if they put it around the top it would theoretically catch anyone or thing trying to lean in
From what I understand it was placed in the bed or crib. I can perfectly understand having bushes around the home. That would keep the evil beings out too, or how the Greeks did and have it made into the walls. I’m okay with placing it on top of the coffin or the body inside the coffin. I can understand the reason behind that more after your first comment, but IN bed with a small child? I don’t get it. I guess their thoughts were something like, “Well, if they wake up tomorrow with scratches or cuts at least they aren’t vampires.”
One inch long spikes.
I was thinking about trying to plant one (for protection you know 😀 ) Now, I’m not so sure.
once I am up to going walking again I will take some picks sa we have some growing wild near me, if you want to plant it I would plant it in the corner of the garden or against the fence at the end of the garden, lots of graveyards used to have it as part of the hedges
I would love to see some pictures that I can trust. Google had pretty flowering trees :D. I am patient (or try really hard to be) so don’t rush yourself. I live in the desert and can’t get much to grow out here, so I would have to be very sure it could grow before even trying, but I’m not sure if its smart down. I don’t want my kids looking like the hang with Freddy Couger! 😀
I love that it’s used in a lot of graveyards…trying to keep those dead, I mean undead inside.
It is only a few minutes from my house so i shall take a wander over the weekend although bear in mind this time of year it isn’t going to have the flowers lol if you are lucky it will have the berries on
I’m more interested in seeing the spikes. If your not up to walking please don’t go. I can wait a few months.
Google images didn’t have spikes on the bushes or trees just flowers and berries.
I just tried googling and see what you mean this has the most honest pic though it is a drawing http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/TreeDetails/?id=33
Wow! The spikes are as long if not longer than the leaves. That is a scary tree and/or bush to be near.
they probably have found a way to breed strains that have less or smaller spikes for modern gardens
I would hope so. 😀
I wonder if they snapped the spikes off and just put the branch in the cot thinking it would still perform the task
That is very reasonable, and SAFE. Well safer. I hope that is what they did.
Smart thinking.
weirdly interesting!!
Most vampires legends and myths are weird or funny.