Episode 26: Ancient Aspirin & Wood-Knocking Origins - Willow
Hello and welcome back to another episode of Rooted! This week we are digging into a plant most of us are familiar with, and probably interact with regularly without ever even knowing- Willow!
There are many varieties of trees that are * technically* referred to as willows, so for today’s episode we will just be talking about the entire genus Salix, which includes ALL of them.
Willows are part of the Salicaceae family, which includes other trees like poplars, aspen, and cottonwood trees. They prefer to grow in cold to temperate regions with moist soil and plenty of shade. Most are absolute water hogs, but there are some that do grow in arid climates.
They are characterized as having long oval leaves with serrated edges, Catkin flowers (which means they are long skinny flowers), and lighter craggly bark that is known for leaking lots of watery sap. As far as trees go, they tend to be on the shorter side (which is no surprise given that they like the shade) and fairly short lived, sticking around for about 30-50 years.
What they don’t have in lifespan, they MORE than make up for in history..
Don your peplos and ready your chariots, because we are going all the way back to ancient greece.
In Greek mythology, Willows are associated with the goddess of ghosts and witches, the original woman supporting women, and just all around badass- Hecate he KaH tee …can you tell she’s one of my favorites? Before we dive into why she is associated with willow, I just want to tell you a little more about her…
When she wasn't busy helping newly passed on souls find their place, she was supporting her pals by: making their husbands swallow rocks, sticking up for weasels, and making sure women didn’t settle when the bar was literally in hell.
Lets start with the whole “man swallowing stone bit, shall we? Hecate played a biig part in Helping Rhea trick her husband Cronus swallow a large stone instead of her newborn son - Zeus (Cronus had this whole thing where he swallowed his babies to prevent them from overpowering him…kind of messed up, but I guess he was right about that?)
The story goes that after Rhea had given birth to Zeus, she and hecate pulled a bit of a switcheroo and swaddled a large stone instead of the baby.. Then, they passed the swaddled rock to dad, who shoved the whole thing down his gullet while Rhea ran away with the baby.
Zeus would later go on to be an absolute shit who honestly caused WAAY more problems for Hecate.. For instance, when Zeus got Alcmene Pregnant, Hera- his jealous wife, demanded two of her friends go HOLD HER WOMB SHUT to prevent the birth of hercules.
When they got to earth, the friends went to visit the expectant mother, who’s midwife was already 3 steps ahead. She told them Alcmene’ had already given birth, and the two ladies (confused) left..then Alcmene’ delivered Hercules and Herra pitched a MASSIVE fit, turning her friends into weasels. Hecate thought that was honestly a little fucked, so she made weasels one of her sacred attendants.
In another version of this story the woman who was turned into a weasel was witch who was so sexually deviant that the gods felt that was the only appropriate solution… and Hecate, being the goddess of witches, decided that women should get to like sex just as much as anyone else without being turned into weasels, and thus decided to at least make being a weasel an honorable thing.
Hecate doesn’t just get involved in matters of childbirth though. She also played a HUGE part in helping persephone escape literal hell- even if only for part of the year.
As the goddess trusted to guide souls on their paths through life and into death, Hecate has a VERY clear view of the road to the underworld, and can hear most of what goes on down there- something Persephone’s mom Demeter, didn’t have going for her while she was frantically searching for her daughter. Hecate could hear someone calling out for help, and finally put 2 and 2 together when she heard () was looking for Persephone, who had randomly visited hell the other day with her creepy uncle Hades. She went to (Helios) the god of the sun who can see EVERYTHING, and he confirmed what Hecate suspected. They immediately went back to the underworld, found Persephone, and got to work on an agreement to at least free her from hell for most of the year.
But back to why she is tied to willow- partially she is described as having a very willowy figure- tall, wispy, and thin. And she also carries two candles and is followed by a black dog, which just makes her effortlessly cool and creepy.
But it’s not just that. She is very closely tied in with water and the moon- which makes sense given the whole witch thing, but also since she is technically the goddess who presides over all the 3 stages of life (maiden, mother, and crone) she is closely associated with crossroads- especially at waterways. Willows are known to be the most common tree spotted at riverbanks and waterfronts, so it makes sense that they would eventually get linked back together.
But it doesn't stop there- willows are known for their healing properties (which we will get to) and witches in that time were typically women healers, so this tree was important to followers of hecate in their practice and worship.
But it’s not just the Greeks who associated willows and witchcraft…
In Celtic folklore, willows are a part of the native druid’s story of creation, with the tale telling of two scarlet eggs- the sun and the earth, being tucked away inside a willow tree for safe keeping until they hatched- as a fun fact, this is actually where the tradition of hiding eggs at easter comes from, as this was something done to celebrate beltane, which just so happened to perfectly align with easter as christianity made its way to ireland…crazy how that worked…
But this isn’t the only tradition that Willow brought us- it’s also where the tradition of knocking on wood comes from! See, Willow was said to bring good luck, flexibility, and prosperity due to it’s uncanny ability to lay down roots pretty much anywhere! Not even an exaggeration, willows have been known to just casually float down stream until they find somewhere they like, and then will just lay down fresh new roots like nothing even happened!
It’s because of this happy-go- lucky attitude (and the healing properties of willow) that people starting feeling like it HAD to be magic, and clearly would then do helpful things for us if we could only just ask….so, people began knocking on the wood of willows (which was used to make pretty much everything) in the hopes of waking it up to hear their wishes or offer it’s protection! It was also said that it’s leaves billowing in the wind was actually the whispering of dwarves, which really just adds a touch of whimsy to your walk through the woods.
As a symbol of protection, willow was thought to keep evil at bay, and was used to fend off anything from fairies to wayward souls.
On the wayward souls front, willow branches were often used as funeral torches, as it was believed the dead and living could BOTH see them, helping the newly deceased to find their way to the afterlife while still being able to be a source of comfort to the mourners grieving.
To keep away fairies, folks would typically attach flowers or boughs of the tree to things they didn't want fairies to steal, with most of the sources I found specifically calling out butter churns, as apparently fairies where notorious for getting their grubby little bodies all up in people’s butter.
In many cultures, people believe that willows ARE the fairies- or at the very least have a soul. This is why in some traditions it is seen as bad luck to chop down or burn a willow, as doing so kills the soul inside. This was even true in England, with folks refusing to use or bring willow into their house unless it was harvested on palm sunday, when apparently the spirits were cool with being burned to death..
Needless to say, lots of cultures have LOTS of thoughts on these trees, both good and bad, but one thing they all agreed on is that they had a place in society, and plenty of uses.
As you might have guessed, willows have lots of uses and ties to witchcraft!
Willow is an extremely popular choice for tools like wands due to it’s storied past, and it’s association with being able to bend and direct energy.
It’s also commonly used for love spells and shadow work due to it’s ties to feminine energy and luck, as well as hecate and her knowledge of the dark and light in all humans.
But it’s not just helpful for spiritual healing- it’s been commonly used in medicine for centuries.
In folk medicine, many cultures would either chew on willow bark, or make it into a tea or poultice to help with pain and inflammation. It was also used to relieve pain associated with menstruation, labor, headaches, and even to relieve fever.
If it’s starting to sound kind of like aspirin, well, that’s because it is..
The aspirin we use today is made with the active ingredient-acetylsalicylic acid. acetylsalicylic acid is derived from the chemical salicin, which comes from willow trees bark and sap.
It works by binding and inhibiting the creation of prostaglandins and thromboxanes, which work to stimulate inflammatory responses and promote clotting respectively. By preventing these two from doing their thing, pain is decreased due to lack of inflammation.
Salicin also has anti-bacterial and hydrating properties, which is why it has long been touted as an amazing additive to skincare- helping to cler but acne, abrasions, and overall just helping to nourish and clean skin.
While taking aspirin (and therefore using willow supplements) is generally regarded as safe, you should be especially careful if you are already taking blood thinners, as willow is also known to inhibit clotting, and could result in increased risk of bleeding. As always, if you are interested in incorporating willow into your own medical care, you should consult with your primary care physician.
While willow was (and still is) all the rage in medicine, it’s not the only thing folks were using it for!
As I mentioned earlier- willow was a top choice for things like building and weaving due to it’s straight branches, strong but pliable wood, and being such a commonly found tree.
When it wasn't being used to build houses, it was also used to make things like harps, hand tools, and even to send messages…
For starters we have to dive into my FAVORITE secret language- floriography…
Willow could be used to show your inner angst teen by pinning it to your collar after an especially bad time courting or being rejected- kind of like the modern day equivalent of blasting pop punk in your room and slamming the door.
Alternatively, it could ALSO be used to break up with someone in a super petty way by simply sending a massive bouquet of the stuff to their house.
Aside from relationship ending, willows were also said to be used by families in their landscaping to signify they had gone through a tough time- especially weeping willows in the front yard…apparently no one wanted to by an english manor with a weeping willow in the front because it was absolutely cursed, haunted, or a delightful blend of the two.
Today, weeping willows are still iconically used in creepy or sad films, but willow is ALSO used to make cricket bats due to its light weight and strength, and of course in aspirin and skin care.
Willows have always played an important role in the societies and cultures they are native to, and thanks to modern medicine that’s not changing anytime soon!
I hope next time you see a willow while you’re on a walk, you take a second to really soak in all of the wild things it has been used for, and all of the way it still helps us today- even if it is kind of a weed most places! And of course- if you feel so moved- give it a little kiss on the head…maybe even take a little piece of bark if you’re feeling saucy or in pain, and feel free to send your best willow sightings my way!
That’s all I’ve got for this week, but I’ll be back soon with more tall tales and true facts about the plants we know and love soon!
Sources:
https://www.gardenguides.com/128457-myth-weeping-willow.html
https://celticmythology.com/willow-trees-in-celtic-mythology-and-what-they-represent/
Friso, G. (2023, June). Plants to Reduce Inflammation: Willow Tree. CALS152. Cornell University
https://www.betterplaceforests.com/blog/our-forests/willow-tree-symbolism-and-significance/
