The Briar Rose

This is common or European alder..the tree that would be known to our ancestors.

Always a decorative wood,alder can be shaded in many colours ranging from cream

to deep rich red brown.

Almost all alder wands will carry the legendary "red elf's blood"..or the red

characteristic sap at the gnarls.

This sap can be dried for ritual pigments or body paints and dyes.

It was once believed to be the blood of the presiding spirit..the Elf King.

These wands are older wood,heavily and deeply grained,tactile..and very beautiful.

All alder wood for the coming year is ritually gathered

at All Hallows..or the Festival of the Dead.

 

The Bonesmen..an archaic name for Necromancers..perhaps not the glamorous and

popular "necromancy" of modern crafts..

but the older,more ancient art of  consulting with the dead.Uti seta..or sitting out,the

inviting of spirits to attendance..or faring forth..

travelling to the Underworld,most often in guise.Always remembering the living

belong in the world of the living..and the dead

belong to the Goddess.Only the hedgewitch or shaman might walk between .

The Bonesman range of wands are specifically designed for the experienced traveller

 between worlds..one that understands

and can employ the formidable symbolism of alder wood.

 

Problems ordering multiple purchases? Simply email your request to

thegothickrose@aol.com and we'll send a

combined invoice by return.

 

 Bonesman 1

 

Beautifully and boldy coloured wood..ranging from striking red brown to pale

glowing cream.

Wonderfullygrained and  gnarled and displaying the red pigments of the

sap at the gnarls.

 

Naturally curved..like a hook...a soul hook,you might say.

This wand measures 44 cms in length and is just on 4.5 cms in circumference.

A fine,strong and dependable wand..an excellent source of power and defence.

 

Bonesman 1      £14.99               

 

 

 

 

Bonesman 2

Another fine wand,again wonderfully coloured and gnarled.

 

 

This piece measures 43.5 cms in length and 5cms in circumference.

 

Bonesman 2    £14.99    

 

 

 Bonesman 3

The last in the range..so far.

A powerful wand,beautifully coloured and very distinctive,liberally streaked with the

 red brown pigments of the inner bark.

 

This is  a strong wand,very decorative with  frequent gnarling..and that red elf's blood...

 

This piece measures 44 cms in length and is just over 5 cms in circumference.

 

Bonesman 3    £14.99       

 

 

 Alder 1

 

Gorgeous and very distinctive old alder wood,deeply grained bent and

 twisted..heavily gnarled.

 

A formidable piece measuring altogether,including curve, 59.5 cms

in length and 6cms in circumference,naturally tapering to 4cms.

 

Alder 1  £18.00  

 

 

 Alder 2

 

A finer more delicate wand,but still heavily grained and gnarled.

 

This wand measures 55cms in length and is 4.5 cms in circumference naturally

tapering to just on 3 cms.

 

Alder 2  £14.99     

 

 

 Jack O'Lanterns 2

 

Another version of the above..slender and elegant..but just as powerful

This piece measures 46cms in length and 4cms in circumference.

 

 

SOLD

 

The Alder King

 

Beautiful twisted old alder wood...a heavily grained curiously twisted wand and a fine

 example of alder wood.

Beautifully crafted and totally unique.

 

 

A wonderful piece..perhaps the nicest alder wood of the season.

SOLD

 

 

 Alder 3

 

Beautiful rich red wood ..a gently wavered wood flecked with deeper brown pigmentation.

 

This piece measures 42.5 cms in length and is just under 4.5cms in circumference.

 

Alder Wood  3  £12.99  

 

 Soul Ghost

 

Pale luminous fine alder wood wand.

A lovely thing..pale creamy wood liberally streaked with golden brown pigmentation

and clearly defined rich red brown gnarls.

Overall a pale,ghostly ethereal wand...really beautiful.

 

This piece measures 44cms in length and just under 4.5 cms in circumference.

 

Soul Ghost £10.99    

SOLD

 

 Raven's Gate

Traditional mythology tells us that there is a gate between the living and the dead that is nine

days riding from Midgard.

This gate is known as Hel's Gate..or to some,the Raven's Gate, and through this gate the souls

 of the dead pass on their descent to the Underworld.But the Raven's Gate is also the

hedgewitch or shamans means of passing between worlds,and it is,so it's said,located

in the Alder Grove.

 

 

Which is no suprise..the alder tree has an ancient association with the cities of the dead.

From the Neolithic burial mounds to the Islands of the Dead,alder has been the force

of protection for the beloved ancestral dead..and also the barrier between worlds.not all the dead

are benevolant in traditional beliefs..and some of them have no place in the world of the living.

Always located outside of the inhabited enclosure,the alder groves became a place of sanctity..

and also of trepedation.Generations of witches have held their rites in this Great

 Cathedral of Hedgewitchery..rites of seership and ancestral communion..and rites of initiation.

The Alder Grove is the Caulde of the Great Goddess,where the chose are plunged

into the caulde and return much changed by the experience.And the Raven's Gate is

perhaps the inner sanctum.

And this is the gate to which the Raven,finally and at last,might bring your

eternal soul...

But for those that cannot wait for the due time,for those who must know or must

see..there is this..The Raven's Gate..

A naturally forked and twisted alder wood charm.A charm that opens both ways..to

allow passage between here and there..but also between there and here.

So use it wisely.

 

This is a beautiful piece,naturally coloured and heavily grained,

measuring 69cms in length and 45 cms in width.It is

supplied dressed with the tied black and white handbraided cord as shown...

Below in the picture you can see it decorated with ravens feathers.

We'll supply the feathers,strung on black and white cords,and you might

decorate it as you will.

 

SOLD

 

Raven's Gate 2

 

Smaller version of the above charm..but eqaully as beautiful and powerful.

 

This particular piece measures approx 51 cms overall length and is 35cms wide.

It bears two forks ending in double prongs and a fine eldritch knot hole at the front.

A really lovely thing..and like the larger charm above comes with a black and white 

handbraided tied cord..and the ravens feathers for decoration.

It hangs by means of two small copper rings fixed to the prongs.

 

 

Raven's Gate 2    £18.00  UK

 

Raven's Gate no 2  £18.00  International 

Crossed Alder Wood

 

Gorgeously patterned dark alder crossed wood..bound at the centre with deep red

thread and having a small copper ring at the back for hanging.

The wood for charm was taken at All Hallows 2007.

A really beautiful and striking piece measuring 7ins diagonally.

 

Crossed Alder Wood  £10.99  

 

 

Resurrection

Absolutley beautiful alder wood wand..a good strong wand showing a

remarkable range of colours,gnarls and knots..all finished with a wonderful twist at the end.

 

This is a stunning piece,beautifully crafted ..a wand to be proud of an totally unique.

 

But there is one other thing..this is a phenomenal wand..a powerful wand,

or a power wand..  for it bears beneath the handle the Icelandic rune

staves for raising the dead....

This is no wand for a novice..but a wand for a seasoned necromancer..

for those who would commune with the dead.

 

SOLD

 

 Will O'the Whisp

A beautiful gently wavered rich orange/red wand with deep rich red stained gnarling.

A really lovely piece measuring 48cms in length and 5cms in circumference.

 

SOLD

 

Walpurgisnacht

Walper wood...alder wood ritually taken at sundown on Walpurgisnacht,,a night that traditionally belongs to the witch.So called because folklore tells us that witches would eat the buds of the alder tree and use the wood to influence the weather on their way to the Walpurgisnacht festivities on the Brocken mountain .

Whatever you happen to believe there is no doubt that Walpurgisnacht is one of the most powerful nights in the traditional witches calender.A night akin to All Hallows,a night where spirits might walk and worlds collide..and the witch reigns supreme.

The wood for this and the following wand was cut on such a night.

 

SOLD

 

Walpurgisnacht 2

 

SOLD

 

Small Alder Wand

Beautiful little alder wood wand.

A little treasure of  a piece,beautifully coloured and naturally wavered with an abundnace of classic gnarls.

 

A lovely piece and beautifully crafted measuring 37cns in length and 5.5cms in circumference.

 

Small Alder Wand £12.99

 

 

Alder Wood Runes

Beautiful set of alder wood runes..all 24 of the elder futhark rune stave..but sorry,

no blank rune.

A unique set,mellow golden brown and edged with the richly coloured variations

common to alder wood.

As opposed to many "handcrafted" items,this set has been crafted without the use of

mechanical machinery and all runes have been handcut from the same branch and

magically crafted by  a practising helrunner.

Clearly scribed in natural pigments this set has not been over processed

and still retains the rough and grainy feel of the wood..essential for all those

who divine in the ecstatic state.

A set best suited to divining due to the very nature of the wood.

We supply all our rune sets boxed for shipping,but we don't supply any form

of ornamental bag..

We believe you will have your own preferences for the housing of

your runes.

 

Alder Wood Runes  

SOLD 

 

 

 

Runic Alder Wood Door Shields

Beautiful handcrafted alder wood doorshields..each scribed with the four

rune staves of the Bright Shield.

Door Shields are amulets that act as their name suggests..to shield the doors

of your property.

They do so by the combined use of runic staves..and the correct wood.

Years ago doors were f

ashioned from specific protective woods..or the construction of their frames

 featured specific woods such as rowan,oak or alder.

Unfortunatley these days most homes have mass produced doors..

therefore there are these amulets,which may be screwed to the lintels or

frames..or to the door itself.

This specific amulet is a shield against unwanted or malicious spirits..you

might say gasts..or ghosts,and you might think hauntings.

The rune staves come from an ancient runic working called the

Bright Shield,once used to repel and return anything that could disturb

the peace and order of living,setttled humans.

You might say the alder shield is the boundary between the world of the

 living and the world of the dead..

The dividing line.Alder has been the boundary tree of Neolithic

burial mounds,cremation grounds and the tree which grew on the

mysterious Islands of the Dead.

The runesatves are as follows:

Dagaz/Dag..day.a powerful blocking rune traditionally drawn or

carved on doors,a stave that prevents the entry of harmful sprites

whilst allowing passge to the benevolant.

Sowilo/Sig/Sigel..the Sun.A rune stave with the ability to send

forth the full power of the sun in a blinding flash.

A stave to resist the forces of death and distintergration.

Ansuz/As/Aser..God's own rune..the archetypal divine force.

A stave that summons the force and power,protection and

inspiration of the divine form.The divinity with the living

human being

And finally:

Mannaz/Man.A stave that represents the common human experience.

What it is to be man..or part of mankind..

A stave that is magically powerful when used

to establish social order.A stave that clearly defines a

place as belonging to the living.

So these door shields clearly define the difference

between the living and the dead.

They mark the boundaries between worlds,declaring a

property as a place of the living

and blocking entry to anything that might disturb the order therein.

 

These amulets are supplied with two brass screws for fixing.

They measure approx 10.5 cms in length.Obviously because they are

crafted entirely by hand and from natural materials,there will be

slight differences in colouring and gnarling between each amulet.

Alder Wood Door Shields  £8.99 

SOLD OUT

 

 

Alder Wood Wind's Eye Shields

 

Beautiful alder wood amulets..to safe guard your windows and hearth.

The wind's eye..or window... has been a place of strategic imporitance

since the earliest of times.

Along with the door and chimney/heart..it was one of the places that

allowed access to things beyond the safety of the home.

In order words it allowed the outside to get in.

Where glass did not exist,windows were often covered at night by

hides or scraps of material...through which anything might gain access.

Even today the doors,windows ans hearth

are considered vulnerable palces when it comes to magical or even physical attack.

At one tome it was not common to have so many windows..so we advise these

amulets be hung in the window that is normally illuminated i

n the evening.

These charms are crafted from stripped alder wood with a flattened

section housing the runes..and they are the same runes as those

featured in the amulets above.

These amulets are double terminated,pointed at both ends so that the

full width of the window or hearth is protected.

They hang by means of two small copper rings and a handbraided thread

in scarlet red. 

Hang them in the centre of the window or above the fireplace or on a

chimney breast.

Obviously as they are entirely handcrafted there will be naturally

occuring difference in colour and gnarling..but each of these

amulets will measure approx 12.5 cms in length and 5.5 cms in

circumference.

 

Alder Wood Wind's Eye Amulet   £10.00 

 

*Both the above amulets are in limited supply...should you require multiples,please

email and we'll advise by return.

Walpurgisnacht..perhaps one of the most magically powerful nights of the traditional witch's calender.a counterbalance to All Hallows..or Samhain,sometimes called Cetsamhain.

Walper wood is alder cut after sundown on Walpurgisnacht eve..when the natural boundaries that exist between the world of the living and the worlds of spirit are at their most pliable..a night when spirits walk and the witch reigns supreme.

This is Witches Night..long feared and well celebrated..a night filled,so it's said, filled with flying witches on their way to the Grand Sabbat on the Brocken mountain,of the Devil's rites and sorcery..most of it black.

Well,so it's said..and of course we must always remember that much of what is said is greatly influenced by christianised theology..but the bones of it remain...and are true.This is a powerful night,a night when strong magic might be made..and boundaries crossed.

Wood collected at this time retains this influence..and alder wood,with it's ancient association to the realms of the Dead and the spirit world is perhaps at it's most powerful...a wood for the raising... and the exorcising of spirits.

The year is turning to light...the wood is full of sap,the overtones are positive..light bringing,benevolant.On this night,with the coming of the light half of the year the restless dead may be granted peace..the beloved dead might be consulted..and those places ..and people..undergoing hauntings might finally be put to rest.

This is new seasons wood..the first in a range of wands cut at Walpurgisnacht..and like the wood cut at All Hallows,retains the powerful influence  of worlds colliding,merging..blending.An excellent tool for all those involved in the art of necromancy,exorcism or divination of any kind via the dead..or those charged with the warding and clearing of places..or of people.

A true witches wand with ancient associations that carry it's influence between worlds..

Both  a magical tool..and a formidable weapon.What you might call a symbol of office..a wand that belongs to the true hedgerider..traveller between worlds.

Walper wood..so called because the witches were said to eat the buds of the tree on their way to the  mountain....alder wood cut at Walpurigisnacht is perhaps unlike any other alder wood..at this tim eof the year the wood is full of sap and the grain heavy and pronounced.At this time the tree may still bear catkins,cones and leaves at the same time.The colour of the wood is perhaps slightly more subdued,the rich deep amber shades and dramatic contrasts in shading becoming more prevelant later in the year.But a wonderful tactile wood,a heavily grained and vibrant wood,full of life and magical power.

Formidable stuff and powerful stuff...the right wand requires the right wood cut at the right time of year.A lesson worth remembering,perhaps..so choose wisely..your influence, magical reputation and even your sanity may well depend upon it.

 

 

 

SOLD

 

 

SOLD

 

Walpurgiusnacht 1

The biggest wand of the range..and  a true power wand.

Deeply grained,tactile,beautifully and heavily gnarled..a wonmderful piece of craftmanship.

 

This piece measures just ove 60cms in length and is 7.5 cms in circumference.It has been fitted with a copper ring and strung on a red and black handbraided cord.

 

Walpurgisnacht 1  £29.99 

SOLD

 

 

Walpurgisnacht 2

A smaller wand,easy to handle yet still formidablly powerful.

A lovely piece with the same heavy tactile graining and proiminant gnarling

 

 

This piece measures 38cms in length and 5.5cms in circumference and is strung on a red and balck handbraided cord

 

Walpurgisnacht 2  £18.00

Uk recorded shipping 

Internationally signed for shipping

Walpurgisnacht 3

Perhaps the most beautiful wand in this range.A deeper coloured wand,but still heavily grained with the most wonderful dark gnarling.

A very precious piece indeed. 

 

This wand measures just over 50cms in length and is 7cms in circumference and has been fitted with a copper ring and a handbraided cord in red and black...A beautifully crafted piece.

 

Walpurgisnacht 3  £25.00 

Uk Recorded shipping

International signed for shipping   

Walpurgisnacht 4

A beautiful piece,naturally wavered due to the heavy and prominant dark gnarling.Same deep tactile gnarling.

Altogther a very nice wand,beautifully crafted.

 

This wand measures 46cms in length and is 6cms in circumference.Strung on the same read and black handbraided cord.

Walpurgisnacht 4  £22.00 

Uk recorded shipping 

International signed for shipping 

Walpurgisnacht Twisted Wand

Wonderful naturally twisted wood..perhaps a shape and form that suits the darker nature of alder wood very well.

A lovely piece with nice distinctive coloring and heavily graining.

 

 

This piece meaures 46cms in length,excluding twsits,and is 5.5 cms in circumference.

 

Twisted Walpurgisnacht Alder £22.00

Uk recorded shipping

Internationally signed for shipping

 Walpurgisnacht Fine Ceremonial

A fine and seemingly delicate wand..yet a formidable power.

A perfect wand for the more ritualistic witch or ceremonial magician.An essential wand for those involved in evocation or invocational magic or any form of necromantic magic.

A lovely piece,naturally wavered with tactile graining and heavy gnarling.

 

This piece measures 41cms in length and is 4.5 cms in circumference.

Walpurgisnacht Ceremonial Wand  £19.00

Uk recorded shipping

 

Internatiional signed for shipping 

Forked Alder

A beautiful naturally forked alder wand..characteristic deep graining and lovely wavereing with beautiful dark gnarls tinged with red elf's blood

 

 

This piece measures 49.5 cms overall length..each of the forks have been shaped to a sharp point and there is 8cms span between at the widest point.

 

 

Forked Alder  £20.00 

Firefly..an unusal range of wands for the wicth whose natural element if fire....

The wood for these wands was cut during the summer solstice 2009...a rare time to cut alder..but then a time when the sun is at it's apex and the element of fire reigns.And alder is an unusual wood,much overlooked in modern crafts..influenced by the alchemical marriage of fire and water,long used to smelt iron ore..and to keep the Caulde of the Dark Goddess seething.

A wand to conjure perhaps the fire of cremation..or the flames beneath the caulde...fire destroys..and creates,converts matter into spirit..what more might you want then,in the Great Cathedral of Hedgwitchery?

Beautifully coloured wood..a rich orange/red shade,with deeply coloured ganrling,less deeply grained than the Walper wood and very, very decorative.

 

 

Firefly 1

A .lovely gently wavered wand..with beautiful bright amber colouring,very lightly dusted with darker pigmentation.

 

This piece measures 45.5 cms in length and is 5.5 cms in circumference.

Firefly 1  £18.99 

 

The Burning Man

Beautiful naturally forked alder wood with it's rich amber tones.

A wonderfully evocative piece..is this man in agony...or is it ecstacy?

We think the latter.The moment of transformation..transfiguration..sacrifice.

 

A really wonderful piece..beautifully crafted.

This charm has an overall height of  50cms with a 28 cms span between the forks at the widest point.When wall hung it will protrude form the wall by approx 9cms.

It has been fitted with a copper ring for hanging..and decorated with a tied handbraided cord in three shades of fiery red.

 

The Burning Man  £24.00 

UK recorded shipping  

Parcel Force worldwide 

Another beautiful piece,again naturally and gently wavered with that wonderful bright amber glowing colour.

 

This piece measures 45.5cms in length and is 5.5cms in circumference.

 

Firefly2 £18.00

 

 

Firefly 3

A finer piece measuring 49cms in length by 4.5 cms in curcumference.

 

Firefly 3 £14.00 

 

 

 Firefly Healing Wand

Very strong and sturdy alder healing wand.

A gorgeous piece, richly coloured and a powerful force of "heat"..to heal all manner of "cold" illnesses.And that might be of a  physical nature..or  a  spiritual and emotional nature.A wand to get the blood seething and boiling,a wand to clear stagnant emotions and psychological blocks..or simply a wand to "warm" the body up.From physical hypothermia to mental and emotional hypothermia..depression,apathy,loss of hope,loss of motivation..entrophy..where there is any loss of spiritual or emotional fire or  psychological weakness,then you need this wand.Passion is hot,it burns,scorches..inspires ,re-awakens the lust for life.

Firefly Healing Wand  £11.99 

Alder Oil

Traditionally made alder tree oil..crafted form the leaves and bark

30 ml amber glass bottle  £3.25 

 

Alder cones

25g of alder cones for magical and ritual use.Straight from the tree.

 

Alder cones  £3.50 

 

Alder Bark 50 g

Beautiful rich dark alder bark..for magical and rituial use.Stright from the tree.Air dried.

Alder Bark 

 

you might also find these useful..

 

Myrtle Oil

A powerful funeray herb..a guide to the souls of the dead.

A strongly scented oil,commonly used in burials,embalming and the floral offerings.

 

Myrtle Oil 30 mls £5.00

Halsing Oil (Uti seta)

For divining via the dead by means of summoning spirits to this plane for consultation...commonly known as Uti Seta..or sitting out.A powerful evocational oil containing mugwort,wormwood,fumitory and alder..or yew..depending on your persuasion,belladonna,hemlock,insana,myrtle,lilies and elder.

Halsing Oil 30mls  £6.25

Releasing oil

To release something..the dead from their earthly bonds..or the living from their bond to the dead.

Releasing Oil 30 mls £4.25 

 

Banishing Oil

To be rid of something..wether it be alive or not.Always remmebering of course,to send it to somewhere...generally to the place it belongs.

Banishing Oil  30 mls £4.25

 

Exorcism FloorWash  50 ml amber glass bottle