Applewood Cross with Juniper Talisman Bag Charm

Cross made of spotted applewood with red and gold threads, velvet ribbon, wood beads and juniper berries. Measures approx. 10” long. Wired attached clasp. Can be used as a bag charm or wall art. For protection.

Applewood Lore

SWEDEN / SCANDINAVIA

Apple trees were:

• wedding trees, planted to bless a marriage

• guardian trees, planted near the house to repel illness

• believed to house ancestors (particularly stillborn or unbaptized children in older lore)

Applewood was used for:

• divination (especially for finding lost cattle or choosing wedding days)

• protective stakes around gardens and barns

• charms for female fertility: apple blossoms were placed in the bed of a bride

The apple was deeply connected to Idunn, keeper of the apples of immortality.

In some folk magic:

• a piece of applewood under the pillow invited drömmar från andra sidan—dreams from the other side.

GERMANIC / ALPINE REGIONS

In Germanic folklore, the apple tree is the Freya tree, tied to:

• love magic

• protecting children

• marital harmony

• spring blessings

German folk healers made applewood wands to:

• heal warts

• cure fevers

• direct blessing energy

Burning applewood was believed to:

• drive off hexerei (witchcraft)

• repel restless spirits

• call in benevolent house spirits

In Alpine regions (Austria/Bavaria/Slovenian borderlands):

• applewood stakes were used to keep the striga or vampiric night beings at bay.

• Apple branches were woven into Perchtenlauf masks and winter charms.

SLOVENIA / SLOVENE-CARINTHIA

Apple trees were:

• planted at the birth of a child

• used in Koline (winter slaughter festivals) as purification switches

• sacred to žalik žena and other nature spirits

Applewood lore includes:

• Applewood rods used by shepherds to protect flocks and lead them safely in spring processions

• Love divination done by burning apple twigs and reading their popping or curling

In some regions, three applewood chips were carried as:

• a protection charm

• a way to ensure luck in travel

• a ward against the vedomec (witch-sorcerer)

SCOTLAND

Apple trees were considered liminal sites.

Applewood uses:

• Samhain divination: peeling apples in one long peel and tossing over the shoulder to reveal initials of a future lover

• Applewood wands used by cunning folk for healing and spirit communication

• Applewood charms hung in cradles to protect children from the Sìth (fae)

Scottish superstition:

Cutting down an old apple tree could anger the spirits and bring misfortune.

Burning applewood at Beltane was a blessing for cattle and milk.

IRELAND

Apples are explicitly linked to the Otherworld (Tír na nÓg).

Ireland’s applewood lore includes:

• crane bag myth (an apple branch becoming a magical bag of treasures)

• dreaming under an apple tree to receive prophecy

• love and truth magic—applewood wands cannot lie

Applewood branches were used to:

• protect boundary lines

• bless new homes

• draw fae beings in or keep them out, depending on the charm

Irish Brehon law listed apple trees as noble trees, with heavy penalties for cutting them.