Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 11

262 The Celtic Magazine.
that alders begin to weep, to speak, and to shed drops of blood,
when people speak of cutting them down.
The Lime-tree, or linden, bulks largely in Scandinavian
mythology, where Sigurd, after slaying the dragon Fafnir, bathes
in its blood ; a leaf of lime-tree falls on his shoulder and renders
him vulnerable in that place only, while he is proof against injury
in every other part of his body.
The Hazel has been the centre of many popular beliefs,
especially about fairies, with whom it was a favourite tree. In the
" Manners of the Ancient Irish," the hazel is the subject of the
following myth : — "The Irish bards taught that there were fountains
in which the primitive rivers had their sources ; over each foun-
tain grew nine hazel-trees, which produced beautiful red nuts that
fell into the fountains, and floated on their surface until the salmon
of the river came up and swallowed the nuts. It was thought
that the eating of the nuts caused the red spots on the salmon's
belly, and whoever caught and ate one of these salmon was
inspired with the sublimest poetical ideas." Hence the expressions,
"the nuts of science," and "the salmon of knowledge."
The Cypress, honoured in nearly all mythologies, is the subject
of these two Greek myths : — " Cypresses, before becoming trees,
had been the daughters of Eteocles. Carried off by goddesses in
an endless round, they at last fell into a lake ; the earth-goddess
took pity on them, and changed them into cypresses." " Cyparissus
was very fond of a tame stag. One day he killed it by accident,
and he was so sorry that he wished to die. Apollo immediately
transformed him into a cypress."
The Beech, a prophetic tree to the ancient Greeks, is still a
privileged tree among the peasantry of some districts of France.
They relate that — " A man, while hammering red-hot iron on an
anvil, struck sparks into the eyes of the good God himself, who
cursed him, and condemned him to be changed into a bear, with
the condition that he should be allowed to mount at his will every
tree except the beech."
From the point of view of the Solar mythologists, a good
example of the growth and transformation of myth is found in the T
Laurel and the story of Daphne. " The Arcadians say that j \
Daphne was daughter of the earth-goddess, and was loved by