Superstitions of German-Russians, List of

Last Update 31 Oct  2002

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Stories of Supernatural and Witchcraft told by German-Russians, their Ancestors and their Descendants continued....

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Superstitions Connected To Linden Tree

&

Other Trees

I know my ancestors knocked on wood for good luck and this ritual was from the old Keltics' love of oaks who felt touching oaks would prevent sorrow.

No one gives it much thought these days, but the old game "Hide and Seek" usually used a tree as base which was to be touched to be free of being captured.  

I find it interesting that the old rosaries which the Catholics rubbed their fingers over during their rituals were of polish wood  from "special trees" in the olden times

. The early crosses were of wood and to be rubbed and touched while praying for an apology to God who was crucified on a wood cross.

Let me not forget that the first  biblical character woman upon this earth, Eve, plucked from a tree the fruit [an apple] of knowledge.

It was and still is a common ritual to plant a tree at the birth of a child. Only back in ancient times was it believed that the child's life depended upon the health of the tree which was planted.  So, to prevent the planting of a tree that might die prematurely,  the people chose an evergreen which symbolised long life.

Folklore tells us that Rhea gave birth to Zeus beneath a poplar tree in Crete.  Hera was born and brought up under a willow tree in Samos.  Leta gave birth to Apollo and Artemis while clasping two trees on the island of Delos.  Romulus and Remus were found under a fig tree near the Tiber. Vishnu was born in the shade of the banyan.  Buddha was born and died under a sal-tree.  The family tree refers to a persons genealogy. So, it appears, all trees held an important place in superstitions.

APPLE = In the biblical story, it seems God placed an apple which hung upon the branches of the Tree of Knowledge. And the history of folklore goes back farther the written words of the bible. It seems Thetis and Peleus threw upon the table a golden apple and became known as the "apple of discord".  According to another tale it seems Hipomenes won Altalanta in a race because he threw down three apples which Atalanta picked up as he raced and Hippomenes. Atalanta lost gained her a husband, Hippomenes.  There is the story about the dragon with a "hundred heads" that guarded the golden apples of Hesperides.  It was Hercules who slew the dragon and carried some of the apples to Eurystheus which was Hercules twelvth and last of his "labours".  The apples of Istakhar were sweet on one side and bitter on the other side. Apples of Sodom tells us that that there were once groves of apple trees which few near the water known , now, as the Dead Sea.  By eating apples the daughter of Idum tasted an apple and the fruit preserved her perpetual youth.  There is one tale that one didn't have to eat the apple, instead, the apple sang and held the power to make anyone do anything one desired.   There is the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  This might not be too far from the truth since apples have potassium , which is a highly essential mineral needed in our bodies. The following are other superstitions about apples: 

ASH = Is the tree of the universe and is said it's roots run in three directions:  one to the Asa-gods in heaven; one to the Frost-giants; and, the third to the "Under World" [hell]. Twigs and flower from the linden tree protected a  person from the evil eye.

BIRCH =

DAMSON [Damascene] =  A fruit tree from Damascus  

HORSE-CHESTNUT = If a slip is cut off close to a joint, it will look like a perfect horse's hock, foot, shoe and nails.  The vetch [pod] of the tree are shaped like a horseshoe.  

LARCH =

LIME =

LINDEN =  Jupiter, the god of  the heaven [including weather] converted Baccus into a linden tree and his branches intertwined with Baccus friend Phrygia who had been turned into an oak..

MULBERRY = The blood of the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe staimed the white fruit of the muberry had since that day has been red.  In another tale, Eglautine, daughter of the King of Tuessaly, was turned into a mulberry tree.

OAKS= The old oak was "consecrated" to the god of thunder because it is said the oaks are the first to be struck my lightening in a wood of trees.  If a person wanted to carry "good luck" around in their pocket, an acorn from an oak tree would do nicely.  On homes, the dried acorn was used as the center of a crocheted or knitted knob or tassel that pulled down the window shades.  In times passed, the acorn symbolised the male and the circle was the female.  So with the nob or tassel was added a circle. When both were used on the windows, the evil spirits remained outside and assured the family an unbroken lineage.

POPLOR = Symbol of all mankind because it's leaves are white on one side and dark on the other.  The White Poplor has with it the tale of Jercules who destroyed Kakos in a cavern of Mount Aventine which had been hiden by these trees.  In a victorious mood Hercules took up the leaves and made a wreath which surrounded his head.  And when he dexcnded to the infernal reigons, the heat casued him to perspir which blanched the leaves next to his skin while the flames blacken the leaves ot the others side.

SPANISH CHESTNUT =

SYCAMORE = Is the tree in which Zacchaeus climbed (Luke XIX 4) to ssee Christ pass with the weight of the wooden cross upon his shoulders..

In a book about GERMAN WAYS p. 173 , I had found the following tidbit:  Once upon a time on the boulevard known as "Under den Linen" in Berlin was a cloistered church known as "Heilgelinde", [the holy linden tree] built where a thousand year old linden tree once stood.  A woman, who was later recognized as a saint, lived all her adult life in it's branches.  I looked around to find more about this saint but couldn't find anything, so I went to the NDSU list server and asked if anyone knew about our German saint who lived in the old linden tree branches.  The following was sent by Jake B. who wrote:

<<In the dungeon of the K'trzyn Castle, a criminal sentenced to death besought the Holy Virgin for help.  The Holy Virgin appeared in his dungeon on the night before his execution.  She gave hima piece of wood and a chisel and told him to carve her figure which he was to show the jory on the next day.  The criminal did as he was told; although he could not care he made an excellent statuette.  The judges, who that that was a God's sing, spared his life.  The criminal put the statuette on the first linden by the road from K'trzyn to Resael.  The statuette became famous for its wonders in a very short time.  People decided to move it to the church in K'trzyn but the statuette twice returned on the linden by itself.  That was a sign the the Holy Virgin chose the place and people decided to build a chapel there.  That's what the legend says about the begin of Awi ta Linka.  The historians think that the cult of that place started in the 13th century.  In the 15 th country a chapel was built here which was visited by the Great master of the Teutonic Order, Albrecht Hohenzollern, in 1519.  But about 1530 Hohenzollern converted to Lutheranism and ordered the statuette to be cut from the Holy Linden and the chapel to be destroyed.  Catholicism was forbidden and the priests were driven away.  Going on a pilgrimage to Awi ta Lipka was forbidden on pain of death.  The rebuilding of the chapel started in the 17th century and was finished in the middle of the 18th century.  It was built in baroque style and represents an excellent place of architecture.  Plenty of visitors and pilgrims go there every year.....>>

[The links he suggested are no longer in exsistence.]

So, it seems, the historians were not quite accurate.  It wasn't a woman but a statue of the Holy Virgin. And the wrestle of Lutherism and Catholicism in the Protestant German state of Brandenburg, later known as Prussia, is shown in this little story.