Fairy trees are a type of plant found in Irish folklore.
Trees are believed to be sacred to fairies, and some believe they function as a gateway between this world and fairies, who live in another world.
Many superstitions are attached to fairy trees. They are treated with great respect.
What are Fairy Trees and For What Are These Trees?
According to Irish folklore, the island was invaded six times by six different people.
The second group is Tuatha de Danann who is believed to be a pagan god in Ireland.
When they are defeated by the Milesians, the last group of invaders, they go underground and become fairies.
Fairies make many gates that allow them to travel between their own world and the human world, some of which are tree-shaped.
It is also believed that fairy trees function as a meeting place for these supernatural beings. Because these trees are important to fairies, they are protected by powerful magic.
Fairy trees appear like any tree. Many fairy trees are believed to take the form of hawthorn, which originated in Ireland and is a common sight around the island.
This plant is easily recognized by its sharp and woody thorns and serrated leaves.
Although hawthorn is a common choice for fairy trees, other tree species can have the same purpose.
Not a tree type, but a location where it grows which allows people to identify fairy trees.
Irish folklore states that a hawthorn tree that grows alone in the middle of a field is a fairy tree.
What Is Superstition Around the Fairy Tree?
Many superstitions are attached to these fairy trees. One of the most common is that if someone destroys or cuts down a fairy tree, they will suffer misfortune for the rest of their lives.
Even taking plant branches when the flowers bloom in spring is considered bad luck. Thus, fairy trees are highly respected and treated with great respect.
In some cases, people tie pieces of cloth and beads around the branches of fairy trees, hoping that they will be blessed with luck.
This can be seen, for example, in two hawthorn trees, which are believed to be fairy trees, on Tara Hill in County Meath.
It is clear that fairy trees are still treated with great respect even today.
One example can be seen on a fairy tree that grows at Ormeau Golf Club in Belfast.
According to Denis McKnight, club secretary, the tree has been around for longer than anyone can remember. The tree was already there when the club opened in 1893, even before that.
The hawthorn tree can live up to 400 years.
Fairy Trees in the Modern Age
The most dramatic case involving fairy trees occurred in 1999, when the highway from Galway to Limerick was expanded, because the planned route would cut fairy trees.
According to Lenihan, this fairy tree is a place where Munster fairies will meet before going to war with the fairy Connaught.
In the end, the toll road was diverted to protect trees and was opened 10 years later than planned.
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