Hawthorn: magical uses, folklore and safety

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Hawthorn is the tree of May. When its white blossom foams over the hedgerows, spring is turning into summer, and for centuries that moment has meant garlands, maypoles and love. Hawthorn is also a fairy tree, guarded by stories and by thorns. In modern witchcraft it holds love, happiness, protection and the heart.

At a glance

How witches use hawthorn today

Modern Hawthorn is at the heart of modern Beltane celebrations.

May garlands outdoors. Many witches weave hawthorn blossom into garlands and wreaths and hang them outside, on a gate or a tree, honouring the old taboo about bringing blossom indoors.

Love and handfastings. Cunningham notes hawthorn’s place in weddings, especially spring ones. Modern couples sometimes include a sprig in a handfasting cord or an outdoor altar.

Happiness. Cunningham writes that hawthorn carried or worn promotes happiness in the troubled or sad. A few dried leaves in a small pouch is a gentle charm for heavy seasons.

Heart work. Because hawthorn is famous in herbalism for the heart, modern witches use it symbolically for heartbreak and for opening the heart. Keep this symbolic.

Fairy offerings. Leave a little milk, honey or bread beneath a hawthorn as an offering to the good neighbours, then leave the tree alone.

Tarot pairing. I pair hawthorn with The Empress: abundance, fertility and the green world in full bloom.

Journal prompt. What is ready to blossom in my life if I stop guarding it so fiercely?

Try this: a May blossom wish

1. On a warm day in May, find a flowering hawthorn you can visit without trespassing.
2. Stand beneath it and name one wish about love, joy or a new beginning.
3. Tie a strip of natural cotton or wool loosely to a low twig. Choose biodegradable material and tie loosely so the branch can grow.
4. Leave a small offering of water or bread.
5. Do not pick blossom to take home; take the scent with you instead.

Folklore and history

Historical The Woodland Trust describes hawthorn as an ancient symbol of fertility with strong May Day associations: it was the ancestor of the maypole, its blossom made May garlands, and it appears in the wreath of the Green Man.

Later tradition Bringing blossom into the house was believed to bring illness and death, and in medieval times the blossom was said to smell like the plague. The Woodland Trust links this to trimethylamine in the flowers. Lone hawthorns in Ireland are traditionally fairy trees that should never be cut. The saying “Cast ne’er a clout ere May is out” probably refers to the blossom opening rather than the month ending.

Modern Modern pagans keep hawthorn as the tree of Beltane and of the threshold between this world and the fairy one.

Safety

Pets. The ASPCA lists hawthorn as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. The thorns are sharp, so handle with gloves.

Medicines. NCCIH notes that hawthorn may interact with heart medicines, and that supplements labelled as a related Mexican hawthorn have been found to contain toxic yellow oleander. Never self-treat a heart condition.

Berries. Haw seeds should not be eaten. Use haws only in recipes from reliable sources.

What next

Pair hawthorn with rowan and elder, and read my Beltane guide.