The Briar Rose

The Elder Mother..perhaps the most powerful of all "fairy trees"..and the Mother tree of Germanic based witchcraft.

A tree that has retained her pagan veneration far longer than any other..even today modern witchcraft is rife with the tales of the ambiguous elder tree.Sadly much modern belief,even within the craft itself, has been inherited from the deliberate demonisation of the elder by Christianity.

For she was once the Mother tree of Germanic paganism and highly venerated,home to Frau Holle or the Goddess Hel..and so dark and dubious by nature.Tales abound of witches who transform into elder trees,of trees that inflict illness and disaster on people who harm them,of starnge visions of a darker Elfhame that may be glimpsed beneath her boughs.Like the hawthorn she is dual natured..a tree that has been called the poor man's larder and medicine chest,she can heal..and she can wreck terrible vengance.So precious are the elders that in some traditions they are asigned a human guardian..one who sees to the trees needs,one who maintains the veneration..and so also retains the favour of the Elder Mother.Such guardianship is generally generational,passed down from Mother to Daughter..while the tree thrives,the family will remain prosperous and protected.But should any one cross them..then they had better beware.

Not  a tree for the faint hearted,and always a tree that demands undivided loyalty,she is still of the common folk..guardian,protector and avenger.Yet she is also a powerful fairy tree and beneath her gnarled and twisted roots folklore tells us,lies the road to Fairyland..or Elfhame.She is full of powerful ancient magic,the magic of the mounds and hollow hills..not just to heal but also to conjour..and to curse.

A curse delivered via the elder in any shape or form is a formidable curse indeed,perhaps not something for the beginner..but something every witch,sooner or later,will find a use for.

A power wood,often overlooked these days,often maligned..but still the most prominant witches tree in traditional crafts.

Arm yourself with an elder wand and be powerful and protected if you will.But remember one thing..be loyal to her...she is a benevolant Mother but she can also be a ruthless enemy.

 

Elder is a  hollow wood,full of soft pith and producing an unmistakable smell.It hisses,whistles and spits when burned,as if the whole of Elfhame were howling in the heath..it's no wonder the tree has such tales attached to it.A light weight wood,perfect for hollowing out to make protective charms and flutes,but a very powerful magical wood.The elder tree does not grow to a great size,but it is a strange eldritch tree in age,prone to strange gnarling at the joints and perpetually sending up new tender stems from old,gnarled lichen covered branches.These new shoots can be planted to produce a new tree..daughter to the old mother,and so family elders are most often descended from an original tree,once planted to protect a long gone household. 

Most elder wands possess a snub tip,or a softly rounded tip..or are set with crystals of many types.We carry both young straight elder and old gnarled and twisted wood.

The Mother's Rune

Beautiful and very rare runic green elder wood wand.

Elder is one of the few woods that occasionally retains it's "green"..even after drying.This piece has been crafted to retain it's deeply grooved bark...and sanded to revealed the underlying green of the inner bark.Extremely rare and tremendously powerful. 

It bears a runic charm,based on the Hagalaz rune stave.And the charm reads,in fine line script: 

 

I am Hagalaz

The Mother's rune,

Iron in the soul

Immovable..

Knowing of Wyrd

Knowing of Orlog

Unyielding against the unknown.

A fine example of elderwood displaying the classic parrellel gnarling common to elder.

Hagalaz is the ninth rune stave..and the Mother Rune,the rune that emcompasses the magical number 9 and the forces of Orlog and wyrd,the seed of all potential...what might and could be.A rune stave whose keywords include crisis,transformation..and steadfastness.A rune stave that can offer opportunity through change.You might say then that crisis and disorder can be turned about to benefit the self...rather than simply thowing you into turmoil.

Iron in the soul...steadfastness and positivity in the face of adversity.If you can hold your head when all about you is falling apart......it takes something..action rather than reaction,the ability not to be thrown into turmoil by chaotic events.

Associated with Hagalaz is iron and the goddes Hel/Hella/Holde,the witches goddess,benevolant and rutheless..unvaryingly loyal to her own and a fine goddess to call upon for protection..but also for veneganve and retribution.A goddess that demands respect and unswerving loyalty.

A fine wand to provide strength and support in times of crisis,a wand to transform disater into opportunity.How not to simply endure the upheavels in life..but how to turn them to your favour.

 

The risting of this stave is no great work of art..but then it's not there to look pretty,it is there because it is necessary and compliments the wood.This is a working rune stave..not an adornment.It is iron in the soul..steadfastness,strength,stamina..an iron will.And to top it all,if that wasn't enugh,this piece has been tipped with a raw quartz "singing" point to amplify and direct it's formidable power..and topped with black onyx,to protect it's users against backlash and magical fallout.

Like all Wyldewood wands this piece has been crafted by  a practising helrunner..in full awareness of the power of this wood..and this stave.

 

This piece measures 50 cms in length and just over 4.5cms in circumference.It is strung on a handbraided cord in red,black and emerald green and bound at the crytal tip in the same colours.

A fine choice for those willing to change..and a wand to support those changes..to provide resilliance,strength and determination.

A very rare piece,highly desirable.

The Mothers Rune  £24.00 

 

 Iron Wolf

Extremely powerful old elder wood bearing the wolfsangel or wolfhook runic symbol.

A phenomanl force of protection and defense..designed to "catch" all manner of wolves,including the two legged variety.

 

The Wolfsangel runic symbol is a binding stave,one that contains the ability of the enemy to do further harm.It's corrseponding element is iron..like a binding in iron chains.

This is older elder wood,darker in colour and liberally streaked with darker pigmentation.It has been fitted with a raw quartz tip which has been bound with red thread..to amplify the wands powerful force.

This piece measures 51.5cms in length and 5cms in circumference.

 

The Iron Wolf £18.99 

 

 

Magical Shield

Wonderful old elder wood,darker in colour and a good strong piece.

This wand bears a bindrune of the Elhaz rune stave and the Wolfsangel runic symbol.

 

Elhaz is the warding rune,a powerful force of protection,bound with the wolfsangel,as it is on this wand,it forms a magical shield of awesome power,through which nothing might gain access.

This wand has been fitted with a raw quartz tip,bound with red thread and measures a touch over 44cms in length by 5.5 cms in curcumference.

Magical Shield  £18.99

 

 

Auld Mother

Wonderful old elder wood..deeply grained and naturally twisted.

This is a marvelous piece,dramatic deep graining like old wrinkles make this a very rare and unique wand indeed.

 

The graining you see in the picture above runs the full length of this piece,a highly tactile wand..and a real treasure.

 

This wand measures 58cms in length and is 5cms in circumference,naturally tapering to 3.5 cms and has been strung on a handbraided cord of emerald green and black.

Auld Mother  £22.99 

RESERVED

 

Old Tree Roots

A very special wand indeed..and very rare.

This is elder tree root,not a wand you'd be likely to come across very often,after all,you would never uproot and elder tree deliberately.

So the chances of running into another witch with a similar wand are very remote indeed.

This root comes from  a tree that was naturally uprooted during early autumn high winds.Part of the root system remains in the ground and will grow again in time to form a new tree..leaving us with this precious piece to craft.

Of course tree roots do not make the prettiest of wands,even so,one might be inclined to forgo prettiness in favour of power.

And this is one very powerful piece,because as we all know,beneath the roots of the elder tree lies the gateway to Elfhame.

Roots grow in the dark,therefore their magical application is akin to their growing conditions..dark and secret.

A very eldritch piece,needing an eldritch owner.

Above is a closer shot of the wand,complete with natural colourings and knots,gnarls and holes.This piece has a very smooth finish,a pale honey coloured piece,marked with darker pigmentations from both the root skin and the naturally occuring earth pigments.It measures an overall length of 44.5 cms excluding twists and is just on 6cms in circumference.A strong sturdy wand..yet also a very eldritch wand .

This piece has been strung on an emerald green and black handbraided cord.

Old Tree Roots  £25.00 

SOLD

Large Power Elder

Beautiful big and very powerful elder wood wand.

A classic piece,very plain..nothing but sheer elder power.The wood for this wand was cut at All Hallows 2009.

This wand measures 56 cms in length and 5.5 cms in circumference.It has a naturally curved top and fine sets of classic elder gnarling along the length.

For those who like their elder unadulterated..a very powerful,totally natural piece.

 

Large Elder Power Wand £19.99

Small Elder Power Wand

Lovely small elder wood power wand..tipped with raw quartz and topped with black onyx.

A lovely piece with the characteristic elder gnarling to the bottom,strung on a tri coloured nine thread handbraided cord in red,black and emerad green  with red binding to the tip.

This piece measures 31 cms in length ans is 5.5 cms in circumference

Small Elder Power Wand  £12.99 

SOLD

 

Small Tied Elder Power Wand

A slightly larger wand,with the gnarling to the top,tied with a handbraided cord in green,red and black.Tipped with quartz and topped with black onyx.

this piece measures just over 36 cms in  length and is just under 5.5 cms in circumference.

 

Small Tied Elder Power Wand  £12.99

Triple Hagalaz

The same rune stave..three times.

Phenomenal power.

A seriously powerful wand..the scribing of triple rune staves is no joke..this is no wand to underestimate.

Like most elder wands it possess a snub tip and characteristic elder wood gnarling.

This piece measures 46cms in length and just on 5cms in circumference.

 

SOLD

The Mother's Rune:Elder Charm Wand

 

SOLD

 

Darkside:Goblin's Wood

 

SOLD.

Darkside 1:Goblin's wood

Curiously gnarled old elder wood..a wonderful and fascinating piece,ritually collected at All Hallows 2008.

This piece measures 59cms in length and just over 5cms in circumference.

A wonderfully curious and extremely powerful wand.

 

Darkside 1   £22.99 

 

Darkside 2:Goblin's Wood

A totally enchanted wood..old gnarled elder,curiously twisted and strangely contorted.

Look closely at the wood...you might be forgiven if you see the darkside of Elfhame peering out at you..

                                                        

Strange faces..neither man or beast but something in between.But then perhaps it's just your imagination....

This is the Darkside,the eldritch,some say the true face of Elfhame,for all those who suspect there is more to it than pretty sparkling fairies..more twists,more turns in the crooked path.

These are the Mother's Children,perhaps not something you'd like to meet if you are of a nervous dispostion,but something you cannot deny..even though you may try.

For the bravest amongst us...this is Goblin's Wood,gathered at All Hallows 2007..unique and fascinating  and very mischevious indeed.

This piece measures 51cms in length excluding twists and turns and is 5cms in length,naturally tapering to just under 4cms.

SOLD

 

Goblin wood

If you only ever possess one elder wood wand..then you'd be lucky to possess this one..

Perhaps the mother of all  elder wands,the archetypal Elder Mother,enchanted,twisted,eldritch,old and gnarled and ever so slightly sinister...yet for some reason completely compelling.A gorgeous piece,a wand you might trust with your life,even if you couldn't quite say why.Something that feels so familiar in the hand yet also so eldritch..as if you had woken to find yourself in your own dream.

Or something like that.Perhaps there are some things that cannot be put into words..perhaps that's why they are mysteries..or mysterious.

And this is a mysterious wand,you can never say why it is so powerfully attractive..after all,it's just elder,a common tree,old elder maybe..elder with strange gnarls and twasts and all sorts of fascinating gnarls..but just elder wood .yet there is something else..something other,something that goes beyong the logical analytical  mind..and touchs the heart and soul.

 

As you can see,we like this wand..very much.

Old twisted elder like this wood has a finer inner pith which allows it to be shape to a sharp point.In it's natural state this wood is covered with a coarse bark,thick and heavily textured and full of odd growths,mosses and lichens.the bark the beauty of the wood within,a smooth wood,closely grained and highly detailed.There is nothing in the world as strange as old elder wood with it's curious otherworldy faces and it's bright dark "eyes" that seem to watch your every move and see right into your heart.

This is no wand for the faint hearted..or for the white witch who simply wants protection..this is a wand that will fling you headlong into another world,a world of crooked paths,grinning faces,old magic and the unseen made manifest.Elder wood at it's most powerful..and there is more to this wood than simply protection..much more.This wand is capable of some mind bending magic.

This piece measures  an overall length of 40.5cms excluding twists and turns and is on average 4.5 cms in circumference.It has been strung on  a hand braided cord in emerald green and black

 

Goblin Wood  £22.00 

 

SOLD

The Goblin Queen

Eldritch old elder wood..twisted contorted and scarred..a fascinating pice,full of gnarls and peering faces and dark knots.

This is wonderful wnad..a good strong wand that has battled it's way through many years of rain,snow and ice.these battles have left their mark in the form of scars...an old queen of a very curious nature.

 

Strange faces in the wood....

 

This piece measures 46 cms in length excluding twists and bends and is 5cms in circumference.

 

Goblin Queen  £22.00 

 

The Jester

From the court of the Goblin Queen..the Jester.

A curious piece,old weatherbeaten elder wood..bent and twisted and grinning.

 

Of course there comes a time when you realise that all  said in jest is not as you once thought..there is arcane wisdom in the Fools advice.T his is very old wood,darker in colour than most elders and stained by the elements.Yet as bright and lively as you might wish.A funny thing,full of amusing oddities..yet also full of arcane magic.

 

This piece measures 31 cms in length excluding the twist and truns and is 4.5 cms in circumference.

A smaller wand,..yet not something it's wise to underestimate.

 

The Jester  £16.99 

 

Quartz Tipped Elder

Beautiful elder wood wand..tipped with a six sided rough cut quartz crystal..and topped with a polished black onyx carbochon.

Quartz to amplify and absorb power..and black onyx to provide strength and support to the owner of this unique piece.

A beautiful wand,bound with black and white thread and measuring 56cms by 5cms in circumference.

Just gorgeous.

 

SOLD

 

Traditional Elder Wand.

Plain and simply..yet not lacking in power.

A lovely elder wood wand,with three sets of ganrls..totally unadorned..yet totally beautiful.

this piece measures 50cms in length and just under 5cms in circumference.

 

SOLD

 

Forked Elder Wand

Fine forked elder wood..set with quartz points at the end of each fork.

 

This is naturally forked wood,slightly offset as is common with elder wood...a lovely piece with classic elder wood gnarling and softly rounded tip.

This piece measures 46cms in length from the top of the quartz points to the tip of the wand and is 4.5cms in circumference.Bound with  a tied cord in emerald green and black.

 

Forked Quartz Elder Wand  £20.00 

 

 

Forked Elder With Onyx

Beautiful compact strong forked elder wood ..each of the forks being tipped with black onyx.

This piece measures 41 cms in length and approx 5cms in circumference.Bound with a tied ciord in red an emerald gree.

Forked Elder with Onyx £22.00 

 

Hel's Angel

Wonderful and phemonenally powerful triple forked elder wood wall charm...three arms from a central spine,each tipped with a "singing"cystal point and bound at each arm and in the centre with black and white thread.

From each of the arms, from braided black and white thread, hang three feathers..two small raven feathers..and one black and white magpie feather.

This pied colouring is representative of the balance of polarities..or the extremes of them,if you prefer.

From black to white..

From dark to light,

From day to night.

The absence of colour..and the presence of all colours.

Everything has two aspects..a light and a dark..a visible and an invisible..a superfical and a profound.

This is a profound charm,Hel's Angel,with it's protective arms outspread..and yet these are arms that might also wreck a terrible vengance.Benevolance and bane belong to this charm..and it is capable of delivering both in equal measures.It's protection is earned,bestowed by it's patron,the Goddess Hel,the Witches Goddess...and it's power is formidable.Not a charm then to be taken lightly,Hel is not a goddess to be mocked or scorned,but she is a goddess that is fiercely protective of her own.

This piece measures 40 cms in length and is 29cms in width at it's widest.The fine "singing" crystal point resonant to the Ohm vibration and the whole charm takes the form of the Elhaz rune,the rune stave of protection and connection with the archetypal forces,a warding charm..yet a charm that will also deliver retribution against those that intend harm against you.

This piece hangs by means of a small copper ring at the back.

 

Hel's Angel 

 

SOLD

 

 

Nethermoon 3

Handcrafted cossed elder wood amulet..bound with black and white thread and filled with protective herbs including broom,mandrake,elder and hawthorn leaves,elderberries,yarrow and rose petals.Each arm has been sealed at the end with black beeswax and the amulet is decorated in the middle of the binding with dried elderberries.

this piece hangs by means of a small copper ring at the back amd measures just under 9ins diagonally.

A wonderful and very powerful protection amulet for the most vulnerable place withint your home.

 

Nethermoon 3   £10.99 

 

Nethermoon 4 

The same amulet,save this one has been bound and sealed with red thread and red beeswax.

This piece measures 8ins diagonally and again,has been fitted with a small copper ring at the back for hanging

 

Nethermoon  4  £10.99 

SOLD

 

*More Nethermoon amulets in varying sizes are available on our charms and amulets page.

Green elder Oil

Or Oleum Viride/Swallow Oil.

Traditionally made elder oil form the spring green leaves.

 

30 ml amber glass bottle £3.25

 

Green Elder Ointment

60ml amber glass jar .

Traditional handcrafted Green Elder Ointment..contains nothing but infused green elder oil and pure beeswax.

Green Elder Ointment  £4.25