At a glance
- Common name
- Hawthorn
- Botanical name
- Crataegus monogyna / oxyacantha
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Parts mentioned in historical records
- Berries, leaves, flowers (flowering tops)
- Traditional correspondences
- Mars / Venus; Fire / Water
Historical record
Known across the British Isles as the May Tree. Traditional heart restorative popularized in European medicine by 19th-century Irish physician Dr. Green.
Folklore and mythology
Together with Oak and Ash, Hawthorn forms the sacred fairy triad: 'Oak, Ash, and Thorn'. Solitary hawthorns growing on hillsides were venerated as portals to the Otherworld; cutting them down risked fairy curses.
Sacred to the Roman goddess Cardea, who guarded door hinges and protected infants against nocturnal specters with hawthorn branches. In Celtic lore, represents the Beltane celebration of sensual love.
Tradition: Celtic & Roman Associated figures: Cardea, Flora & The Fair Folk
Forms the sacred fairy trinity Oak, Ash, and Thorn; Roman goddess Cardea defended infant cradles from night-flying striges using hawthorn boughs.
Cutting a lone hawthorn bush risks the furious wrath of the Sidhe (fairy nobility); blooming boughs brought inside houses were believed to smell like the Great Plague of London.
Mystical correspondences
Correspondences vary by tradition and source.
Safety first
Historical and spiritual associations do not establish that Hawthorn is safe or effective. Do not use this page as instructions for ingesting, smoking, inhaling, or applying Hawthorn.
For current safety information, check a health authority or ask a qualified clinician or pharmacist, especially during pregnancy or lactation, while taking medication, or with an allergy or health condition.