A Wish Tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual valual. By tradition, believers make votive offerings in order to gain from that nature spirit, saint or goddess fulfillment of a wish.
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Practices
Involving Coins alone
One form of votive offering is the token offering of a coin. One such tree still stands near Ardmaddy House in Argyll, Scotland. The tree is a hawthorn, a species traditionally linked with fertility, as in 'May Blossom'. The trunk and branches are covered with hundreds of coins which have been driven through the bark and into the wood. The local tradition is that a wish will be granted for each of the coins so treated.[1] On Isle Maree, the island of St Maol Rubha or St Maree, in Loch Maree, Gairloch in the Highlands is an oak Wish Tree made famous by a visit in 1877 by Queen Victoria and its inclusion in her published diaries. The tree, and others surrounding it, are festooned with hammered in coins. It is near the healing well of St Maree, to which votive offerings were made. Records show that bulls were sacrificed openly up until the 18th century[2] Near Mountrath, Co Laois, is a shapeless old Wish Tree in the form of a sycamore tree called St Finton's Well. The original well was filled in, but the water re-appeared in the centre of the tree. Hundreds of Irish pennies have been beaten into the bark as good luck offerings.[3] Many public houses, such as the 'Punch Bowl' in Askham, near Penrith in Cumbria have old beams with splits in them into which coins are forced 'for luck'.
'Clootie' or 'Cloutie' Wells
Coins are sometimes used, hammered deep into the tree trunk, however the practice of tying pieces of cloth to the tree may also qualify, although this is more often directly associated with nearby clootie wells as they are known in Scotland and Ireland or Cloutie or Cloughtie in Cornwall. [4] Culloden has an example of a Clootie well in nearby woods. Madron Well (SW446 328) is a 'Cloutie' well in Cornwall with the same practice of tying cloth and as it rots the ailment disappears [4] [5]Sancreed (SW446 328) and Alisia Wells (SW393 251) are other Cornish cloughtie wells where this ritual is carried out. [4] It is likely that an offering is also being made to the tree spirit as elsewhere the ritual is to place objects into water, so here they are 'hedging their bets' and effectively making an offering to both.
Offerings of alcohol
There are parallels here with wassailing where the Wassail Queen is lifted up into the boughs of the apple tree where she places toast that has been soaked in Wassail from the Clayen Cup as a gift to the tree spirits to ensure 'good luck' for the coming season's crop and to show them the fruits of what they created the previous year.
Involving other offerings
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This was a rhyme you had to sing whilst sticking a pin, first into your warts and then into the tree[6].
The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees are located in Hong Kong near the Tin Hau Temple in Lam Tsu. Two banyan trees are frequented by tourists and the locals during the Lunar New Year. Previously, they burnt joss sticks, wrote their wishes on joss paper tied to an orange, then threw them up to hang in these trees, believing that if the paper successfully hung onto one of the tree branches, their wishes would come true.
In Glasgow's 'Hidden Garden' at Pollockshields and at the Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland, a number of trees have been planted to which people can tie white labels, onto which they have written their wishes. [7]. The Christmas Tree is often quoted as being a pagan symbol connected with tree worship, clearly linked with 'good luck' achieved through offerings (decoration) to and veneration of special trees. Charles Darwin encountered a tree in modern day Argentina called Walleechu, which was regarded by the Native Americans as a God. Then tree was festooned with offerings such as cigars, food, water, cloth, etc. hung from the branches by bright strips of coloured thread.[8] A number of Wish Trees have been set up to make a wish for the environment, such has at the Trossachs and Loch Lomond National Park Centre at Balloch in Scotland. People make their wish for & also pledge to help the environment and tie the wish 'label' to the tree.
Miscellany
In Hindu mythology, the banyan tree is also called kalpavriksha meaning 'wish fulfilling tree' as it represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches. The Wishing Tree or Kissing Tree was made at Christmas or Yuletide before pine trees were introduced by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. An evergreen bough was hung with apples, sweetmeats, candles and decked with ribbons representing wishes. In parts of Yorkshire a tree with two spreading branches which also formed a 'bower' over the point of branching, was known as a 'Wish Tree' by children who would climb onto the 'junction' and make a wish. [9]
Trivia
In one of the television episodes of 'Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends' one of the locomotives goes to the 'Wish Tree' and wishes that he will pull passenger trains. He later regrets this and then wishes at the 'Wish Tree' only to haul freight trains in future. On the model you can see many people standing around the wish tree, also making their wishes.
See also
References
- ^ Rodger, Donald, Stokes, John & Ogilve, James (2006). Heritage Trees of Scotland. The Tree Council. P.87. ISBN 0-904853-03-9
- ^ Sharp, Mick (1997). Holy Places of Celtic Britain. Blandford. ISBN 1-85079-315-8. P. 149.
- ^ Wilkinson, Gerald (1976). Trees in the Wild. Book Club Associates. P.108.
- ^ a b c Straffon, Cherly (1998). Fentynyow Kernow. In Search of Cornwall's Holy Wells. Pub. Meyn Mamvro. ISBN 0-9518859-5-2 Pps. 40 - 42.
- ^ Rundall, *Rundall, Charlotte (Editor) (1998). The Magic of Cornwall. Reader's Digest.
- ^ Wilkinson, Gerald (1976). Trees in the Wild. Book Club Associates. P.26.
- ^ Glasgow's Hidden Gardens
- ^ Thompson, Harry (2006). This thing of darkness. Pub. Headline Review. ISBN 0-7553-0281-8. P. 358.
- ^ Woodward, Charles & Patricia (2006). Oral communication to Mr. Roger S.Ll. Griffith.
