LL-L: "Mythology" LOWLANDS-L, 04.OCT.2000 (04) [E/German]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 04.OCT.2000 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Lone Elisabeth Olesen [baxichedda at yahoo.com]
Subject: "Mythology"

Hello -
Done writing this mail, I just recieved the answers on
Mother Elder... but I'm going to send it anyway :-)

R. F. Hahn wrote:

>>I very vaguely remember something similar, something
like the
*_Holderfee_
(elder fairy) in German.  Or am I mixing it up with
the Danish Hyldemor
of
whom I seem to have heard before too?  (Is she
featured in one of H.C.
Andersen's tales, by any chance?)<<

Yes, there is a tale by H.C. Andersen, but the being
"Hyldemor" is not his invention. Several of his tales
are about mythological beings, but he rarely invented
any of them himself.
I am quite sure that Mother Elder is a "tree spirit"
rather than a fairy.
As far as I can understand, "Hyldemor" still lives on
in Danish childrens' books with stories about the
mythological beings of nature.

At http://www.yawsp.de/lobelia/Hexkraut.HTM I found
the following explanation in German:

"Holunder.
Er ist eine alte, sagenumwobene und vielseitig
verwendbare Pflanze. Der Holunderstrauch gehört zu den
wenigen Pflanzen, die schon in vorgeschichtlicher Zeit
bekannt waren. Sein Samen wurde bereits in
Steinzeitsiedlungen gefunden. Den alten Germanen war
er heilig und er war der schützenden Hausgöttin Frau
Holle gewidmet. Es wurde auch geglaubt, eine Göttin
würde in den Blüten wohnen. Einen Holunderbaum
umzuhauen galt als schwerer Frevel, der Unglück und
sogar den Tod bringen konnte. Und auch in christlichen
Legenden wird er erwähnt, demnach soll sich Judas an
einem Holunderstrauch erhängt haben. Der Volksmund
sagt: "Wer Holunder bei sich trSgt, schreckt vor
Ehebruch zurück". Der Holunder wird in der
Pflanzenheilkunde vielseitig verwendet. Gesammelt
werden die Blüten, die Beeren und auch die Blätter."

Greetings, Lone E. Olesen

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