{"id":2449,"date":"2025-10-02T08:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T08:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/?p=2449"},"modified":"2025-10-02T08:48:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T08:48:33","slug":"elder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/elder\/","title":{"rendered":"Elder"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2449\" class=\"elementor elementor-2449 elementor-2448\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81ea553 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"81ea553\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-720ad25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"720ad25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 08-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"2036\" src=\"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2452\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1.png 1440w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1-212x300.png 212w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1-724x1024.png 724w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1-768x1086.png 768w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1-1086x1536.png 1086w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/soc-Sambucus-nigra_1-460x650.png 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa3e2ab e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fa3e2ab\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-474cbc1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"474cbc1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-139887b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"139887b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 08-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thin, sunburned, with your legs dusty and scratched, you wake up lazily and head toward the bowl of sour milk and yesterday\u2019s cold polenta. Mother is already busy with chores around the household, and you know well what you have to do today, as always: take the cow to pasture. You don\u2019t feel this as a burden, because on the hill the village children await you. Among cows and sheep, you\u2019ll still find time to carve flutes, to play with a ball made of rags, and to pick wild strawberries. Once you reach the top of the hill, you are greeted by the old elder tree, heavy with tiny black berries from which grandmother makes jam so delicious you lick your fingers, the very same berries that protect you through the winter months. You look at it with a mix of awe, fear, and respect. You know well that it is not good to linger too long under its shade, for it is wood with spirit, and illness may strike you. So you drive the cow further down the slope, away from its roots, for no one knows what mood Lady Bark, the tree\u2019s guardian, might be in today.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As much loved as it is feared, the elder (Sambucus nigra) has deep roots both in history and in the magical imagination of European peoples. Spread throughout almost all of Europe and Asia Minor, it bears many names\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">soc<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">soc negru<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Romanian, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elder<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in English\u2014accompanying human life for centuries, wavering between remedy and taboo. Etymologically, its name comes from the Latin <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sambucus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (\u201cflute\u201d), because its wood was used to make flutes and other folk instruments both in Romania and elsewhere in Europe. Its fragrant flowers were transformed into <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">socat\u0103<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (a traditional fermented drink), and its dark berries became treasured remedies.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond all this, in the peasant worldview, the elder tree comes alive and gains consciousness, perceived as a spirit. At times it appears as a benevolent ally, called upon in incantations and magical practices; at other times it is associated with the unclean and with malevolent beings. This dual nature places it, as we shall see, among the fundamental plants of the Romanian magical universe.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Elder in Milk-Mana Rituals<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding the elder as an apotropaic-magical agent against the stealing of milk\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mana<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (vital force), Pavelescu notes that the \u201cfirst milk\u201d could be milked through a pipe made of elder wood. Here, the elder functions as a channel in a ritual, alongside other similar solutions (elm pipes, naturally holed stones), all aimed at preserving or enhancing the milk\u2019s vital force:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cOthers milk the first milk through an elder pipe, through four elm pipes, or through a stone naturally pierced, from which the rainbow is believed to have drunk.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Gh. Pavelescu, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mana in Romanian Folklore<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 41)<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Elder in the Popular Calendar<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to its apotropaic functions, the elder also fulfills the role of a threshold plant in popular tradition. Ghinoiu records that during Whitsuntide\/Summer Ancestors rituals, various plants with protective and healing value were used, including elder leaves:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cIn V\u00e2lcea, with the leaves of linden, blackberry, elder, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">jale\u0219<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and others gathered at the Summer Ancestors or on Pentecost, different illnesses were cured throughout the year.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, Ion. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Romanian Holidays and Customs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pp. 332\u2013333)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Pentecost (Rusalii), the elder appears as a sacred shrub specific to the \u201cwood civilization.\u201d It is mentioned in rituals connected to the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M\u0103cinici<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> feast, in funeral acts (bonfires lit on Maundy Thursday), in beliefs about places unsuitable for building houses, in charms (the elder stick), and in folk medicine (leaves, bark, flowers\u2014especially those blessed in church):<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cAnother plant venerated at this date is the elder, a sacred shrub (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sambucus nigra L.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) of the family Caprifoliaceae, specific to the wood civilization.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, ibid., p. 335)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe placed his seal (circles made by pressing dough with elder stems) on the anthropomorphic ritual loaves at the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M\u0103cinici<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and on other sacred breads dedicated to the dead.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, ibid., p. 335)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTogether with other sacred plants (dwarf elder), the elder is burned in funeral pyres lit on Maundy Thursday or at other calendar feasts.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, ibid., p. 335)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe places where elders grow, unfavorable for house construction, are preferred shelters, such as the eaves of churches, chosen by devils to avoid being struck by Saint Elijah\u2019s thunder during storms.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, ibid., p. 335)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe leaves, bark, and flowers of elder, especially those blessed in church on Pentecost, are frequently used in folk medicine.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, Ion. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Romanian Holidays and Customs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 336)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, the elder is not merely a simple shrub, but a symbol of the threshold between worlds, with multiple roles: ritual, funerary, apotropaic, medicinal, and as a marker of key moments throughout the year.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Elder in Incantations<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparative Romanian Medical Folklore<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I.-Aurel Candrea describes a ritual against roundworms. In it, an old woman strikes an elder with a hazel rod and recites a charm, engaging in a symbolic dialogue with the tree for healing purposes.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe old woman strikes an elder tree with a hazel switch and chants, holding alone the following dialogue:<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Good morning, elder.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Good health to you, shepherd.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Do you know why I have come, elder?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 I shall know if you tell me, shepherd.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 To go to [so-and-so] by evening,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To drive out all his worms,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For if you will not drive them out,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tomorrow morning I shall return to you,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the sun has risen,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I shall come with the red-ploughshare\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I shall plough you lengthwise and crosswise\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Good health to you, elder.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Go in health, shepherd.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Candrea, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Folclorul medical rom\u00e2n comparat<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pp. 359\u2013360)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ion Ghinoiu recounts that the elder stick is invoked in charms for destiny.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou, elder staff,<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let him not stand still!<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let him fall,<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let him be struck,<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Set him forth to his written destiny!\u201d<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Ghinoiu, S\u0103rb\u0103tori \u0219i obiceiuri rom\u00e2ne\u0219ti, pp. 335\u2013337)<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The elder\u2019s power is also invoked in charms influencing court decisions.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c\u2013 Good day, great elder,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Great lord,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kin is your mother to your father?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 None at all.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Then nothing shall come of the judgment in court!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Ghinoiu, ibid., pp. 335\u2013337)<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antoaneta Olteanu specifies:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe elder is a man. For a trial one takes elder, with bread and salt, and says:<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Elder, conqueror:<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have conquered your sister,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have conquered your father,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conquer also my enemy.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have conquered your mother\u2014so make me conquer too!<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have conquered your brother\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Antoaneta Olteanu, \u0218coala de solomonie, p. 319)<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a dual essence, the elder also refuses to reveal to the Holy Mother the hiding places of malevolent spirits that cause suffering.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c\u2013 Good day, great Elder,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 My thanks to you.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Have you not seen,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since you have sat here,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Evil-Eye Woman with her Evil-Eye consort,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Chill with its Cold-Bringer,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Forest Mother with her Brood,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Screamer with the Strigoi,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Haunting with its Haunter,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Measure with its Measurer?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Ghinoiu, ibid., pp. 335\u2013337)<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tocilescu and \u021aapu emphasize the role of an elder tube in therapeutic charms against earache, where the elder serves as an instrument to \u201cunearth\u201d the pain.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c(..) [So-and-so] went<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Along the road, along the path,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And met with the Ailment,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Wretched One,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the way.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you be ailment<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the holy, the merciful,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From water drunk,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From winds struck,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come out, ailment,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wretched one,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the brain of the head,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the hearing of the ears.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not howl like mills,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not bark like dogs,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not beat like drums;<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come out!<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not bake,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not half-bake;<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not prick,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not stab,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not make in the head<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rotten flesh,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For with my mouth I have chanted you,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With my tongue I have cursed you,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Into the sands of the seas,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon the mountain tops:<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With an elder tube.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Grigore G. Tocilescu; Christea N. \u021aapu, Materialuri folcloristice. Desc\u00e2ntece, poezii, colinde (din Oltenia), p. 256)<\/span><\/i><\/p><h3><b>Taboos and Superstitions<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Romanian belief, the elder is surrounded by prohibitions that define not only its sacred status but also its ominous nature:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cDo not put elder wood, vine shoots, or walnut shells in the fire, or your teeth will ache. \u2018If you cut elder, your teeth will ache.\u2019 As for the elder, the belief is explained by the fact that this tree, in Romania and other nations, is considered sacred wood that should not be touched.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (I.-Aurel Candrea, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparative Romanian Medical Folklore<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 115)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The elder is perceived as an anthropomorphic shrub with ambivalent essence. \u201cThe elder\u2019s root is like a human head, with eyes, etc.; it is a head and demands a head; you die if you do not leave it in peace,\u201d suggesting a personalized, almost human power demanding sacrifice. At the same time, it is both pure and tainted: \u201cThe elder above is pure, for from it flutes and pipes are made, but its root belongs to the unclean one.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Antoaneta Olteanu, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The School of Solomonie<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 319)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In parts of Transylvania, it was believed that an evil spirit named Baba Coaj\u0103 (Old Lady Bark) killed unbaptized children, trapping their souls in elder thickets until their bodies decayed. It was also said that at the elder\u2019s root dwelled a hostile spirit guarding hidden treasures buried beneath it:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cThe elder is the devil\u2019s tree; at its root the devil dwells.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Olteanu, ibid., p. 319)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was further believed that cutting an elder could bring disaster:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cYou cannot uproot the elder to replant it, for you will die or go mad; but people set fire at its root to destroy it, for fire cannot be harmed by it.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Olteanu, ibid., quoting Niculi\u021b\u0103-Voronca, 1894)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar beliefs are found in Scandinavia and England, where traditions refer to the Elder Mother, the spirit of the elder. Cutting it without her permission brings misfortune. Just as in Romania, elder wood was used to craft flutes for summoning spirits, in winter fumigations, in ointments, and for gaining magical sight.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Corinne Boyer, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the Witching Tree<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pp. 45\u201360)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among Germans, the elder is considered \u201choly\u201d and cut only with prayers; in France, it was used as a talisman against lightning and witchcraft.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (G. F. Ciausanu, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Romanian Folk Superstitions<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 210)<\/span><\/p><h3><b>Elder in Folk Medicine<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Used in decoctions and infusions, elder flowers are diaphoretic and diuretic (for colds, fever, cough). \u201cElder flower water\u201d was also used in cosmetics.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (V. Voiculescu, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All Remedies at Hand<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 132)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An old recipe for obtaining a \u201cwhite and rosy complexion\u201d called for waiting until the elder bloomed, then preparing \u201celder water,\u201d mixed with other floral waters and magical ingredients:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c&#8230; keep everything until the elder blooms (its flowers are white); then elder water shall be drawn&#8230; all mixed together; &#8230; then add the \u2018blood of nine brothers,\u2019 a white dove&#8230; resin, wormwood water&#8230;\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (I.-Aurel Candrea, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparative Romanian Medical Folklore<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 310)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaves and bark were used in poultices and ointments for irritations and eczema; they were also repellents, associated with sage and wild roses.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (V. Voiculescu, ibid., pp. 134\u2013135)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corinne Boyer warns about the elder\u2019s toxicity, stressing that leaves, bark, stems, and roots must not be used internally, and that berries are poisonous raw, being consumable only after heat treatment.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Corinne Boyer, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the Witching Tree<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, p. 97)<\/span><\/p><p><b>A shrub with ambivalent essence, the elder fulfills both magical and mediating roles. It was invoked in charms against worms, used in rituals to ease earaches, or served as an apotropaic guardian of milk\u2019s vital force. Sacred yet dangerous wood, it was never to be cut or burned without risk, for unseen spirits were believed to dwell within it. As a threshold plant, it was called upon at turning points of the year, present in remedies and magical practices, yet feared for the spirits hidden in its stem and root. With its dual role, the elder becomes a portal, a passage between life and death, between the human world and the realm of spirits, between remedy and poison. This ambivalence makes it an undeniable symbol of Romanian folklore, sheltering both myth and reality in its shadow.<\/b><\/p><h3><b>Bibliography<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Candrea, I.-A., Folclorul medical rom\u00e2n comparat.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ciausanu, Gh. F., Supersti\u021biile poporului rom\u00e2n.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ghinoiu, Ion, S\u0103rb\u0103tori \u0219i obiceiuri rom\u00e2ne\u0219ti.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u021aapu, T. T. &amp; Tocilescu, A., Materialuri folcloristice.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pavelescu, Gh., Mana \u00een Folklorul Rom\u00e2nesc.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olteanu, Antoaneta, \u0218coala de solomonie.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boyer, Corinne, Under the Witching Tree.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voiculescu, V., Toate leacurile la \u00eendem\u00e2n\u0103.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hodo\u0219, E., Desc\u00e2ntece adunate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marian, S. F., Vr\u0103ji, farmece \u0219i desf\u0103ceri.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As much loved as it is feared, the elder (Sambucus nigra) has deep roots both in history and in the magical imagination of European peoples. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monographs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2449"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2459,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449\/revisions\/2459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}