Yew Trees: Death, Churchyards, and Helpful Tools

Yew Trees: Death, Churchyards, and Helpful Tools

Back in November 2020, I explored the folklore of the yew tree; specifically, the common yew, or English yew (Taxus baccata).

Yes, it's a poisonous tree. Yes, it's linked with death. And yes, people like to say they pre-date the churchyards in which we find them.

But in the intervening six years, my library of sources has grown, so I wanted to see if there was anything more I could learn about them. They're my favourite tree, and I always love spotting them in parks and cemeteries. There's something deeply restful and reassuring about a yew tree.

My fascination with trees within ecosystems has also grown, so I wanted to explore the yew outside of folklore. How and why are these trees so cool and so different from other trees?

So let's explore their dendrology, their uses to humans, and yes, their links with death, before we meet some more famous yews in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the blog post with all the images and references here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/yew-trees/

Listen to the earlier yew episode: https://www.icysedgwick.com/yew/

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Get weekly articles and bonus content at Substack: https://fabulousfolklore.substack.com/

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Avsnitt(430)

The London Plane: A Tree Suited to City Life

The London Plane: A Tree Suited to City Life

Periodically, I choose a plant, tree or fungus to explore, only to find there is very little folklore about them. Invariably, there are two reasons for this. First, the plant, tree or fungus has littl...

7 Mars 18min

Childhood Games: Classics, Crazes and the Occult in the Playground

Childhood Games: Classics, Crazes and the Occult in the Playground

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

28 Feb 30min

Dolls and Doll Magick with Najah Lightfoot

Dolls and Doll Magick with Najah Lightfoot

Najah Lightfoot is the multi award-winning author and regular contributor to the Llewellyn annuals. Najah’s magickal staff is on display and part of the permanent collection of the Buckland Museum of ...

25 Feb 57min

Children's Beliefs: Superstitions, Luck, and the Brenin Lwyd

Children's Beliefs: Superstitions, Luck, and the Brenin Lwyd

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

21 Feb 29min

Urban Legends among Children: Clowns, Insects, and Ice Shards

Urban Legends among Children: Clowns, Insects, and Ice Shards

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

14 Feb 22min

Trolls as Toys and Figures from Folklore

Trolls as Toys and Figures from Folklore

Some toy trends make sense, like the fascination with Lego or even Barbie-mania, which naturally enjoyed the boost from the 2023 film. The fad for trolls, however, doesn't immediately make sense. Thes...

7 Feb 22min

Ralph Hedley: Painter of North East Scenes and the Working Class

Ralph Hedley: Painter of North East Scenes and the Working Class

The arts remain one of the best ways to preserve culture in a way that people can interact with. Literature, folk music, and art, among others, allow us to experience culture, even secondhand, using t...

31 Jan 30min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
p3-dokumentar
svenska-fall
aftonbladet-krim
mardromsgasten
en-mork-historia
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
kod-katastrof
rss-expressen-dok
hor-har
flashback-forever
badfluence
rattsfallen
vad-blir-det-for-mord
aftonbladet-daily
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
rss-sanning-konsekvens