Laurel
Keywords
Divination, Healing, Protection, Purification, Strength, Wisdom
Historical
Background and Folklore
The most famous legend involving a laurel tree is the one from ancient
Greece about Daphne and how she avoided the attentions of Apollo
by being turned into a laurel. Undaunted, Apollo adopted it as his
sacred tree. Laurel was a symbol of victory, and athletes where
crowned with laurel wreaths, replacing the use of olive wreaths.
It was also a symbol of merit and accomplishment, which is still
apparent in the words poet laureate and baccalaureate (baca lauri
means “laurel berry”). Because of the many curative
powers of the tree, Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, was
associated with it.
Laurel became a symbol of resurrection to Christians because of
the plant’s ability to be revived after a long drought. In
later centuries, the sudden drooping or withering of its leaves
was a sign that difficulties (especially a royal death) would soon
occur. The sounds made by laurel branches placed on a fire were
used for divination: a crackling noise was a good sign while silence
meant that one should tread carefully for a while. A dying laurel
tree on one’s property was considered a bad omen. |
