320 pPant "bore, Tsege'r^/, cmil 'biji'Ic/', 



hung outside the door, it is indicative of a coquette inhabiting 

 the house. 



In England, the Elder has been regarded with superstition 

 from very early times, and is looked upon as a tree of bad omen. 

 Branches of Elder were formerly considered to be typical of dis- 

 grace and woe. In the Canones editi sub Edgaro Rege it is ena(n:ed 

 that every priest forbid the vain pracftices that are carried on with 

 Elder-sticks, and also with various other trees. 



In Gloucestershire, and some other counties, the peasantry 

 will on no account burn Elder or Elian-wood, the reason being, 

 that it was supposed to be one of the trees from which the wood of 

 the Cross was formed. In a rare tracfl on Gloucestershire super- 

 stitions, a figure is given of an Elder-wood cross borne constantly 

 about the person as a cure for rheumatism. This cross consisted 

 of a small piece cut from a young shoot just above and below a 

 joint, so as to leave the bud projecting at each end of it, after the 

 fashion of a rude cross. To be efficient, the Elder must have grown 

 in consecrated ground. In Tortworth and other Gloucestershire 

 churchyards are to be found such trees, and applications for pieces 

 of them are still made. 



In Sussex, an Elder-stick, with three, four, or more knots upon 

 it, is carried in the pocket as a charm against rheumatism. 



In the Eastern counties, the Elder is popularly considered to 

 be the tree of whose wood the Cross was made : it is therefore an 

 unlucky tree, and one that should never be bound up in faggots. 

 On this account, also, the Elder is considered safe from the effecT:s 

 of lightning. In some parts there is a vulgar prejudice that if 

 boys be beaten with an Elder-stick, their growth is sure to be 

 checked. 



In Huntingdonshire, there exists the Danish belief in a being 

 called the Elder-mother, so that it is not always safe to pluck the 

 flowers. No household furniture should be made of Elder-wood, 

 least of all a cradle, for some evil will certainly befall the child 

 sleeping in it. 



The Elder-tree has been credited with possessing a peculiar 

 fascination for witches and elves, who love to lurk beneath the 

 shadow of its branches, and who are wont to bury their offspring 

 at its foot. On the other hand, the tree has been said to exercise a 

 prote(51;ive influence against the attacks of witches and wizards, and 

 similar evil-disposed persons ; and it has been suggested that this 

 is the reason why the tree is so often found in the neighbourhood 

 of cottages. It was thought that the tree was obnoxious to witches 

 because their enemies use the green juice of its inner bark for 

 anointing the eyes. Any baptised person whose eyes are touched 

 with it can see what the witches are about in any part of the world. 

 It was possible by magic art to render witches sensible of blows 

 given to them with an Elder-stick, but this has to be managed by 

 someone versed in the habits of witches. A cross made of the 



